Mouth-watering lemon cheesecake stuffed cake is an absolute must-try! This delectable recipe captures the best of two scrumptious worlds: homemade lemon buttermilk cake and rich, creamy cheesecake.
One bite of this lemon dessert will have your taste buds dancing with delight. With its zesty lemon flavor and indulgent cheesecake filling, this recipe will have you going back for seconds- or thirds!
I’m so excited for you to try this lemon cheesecake stuffed cake: the perfect combination of lemony cake and smooth, dreamy cheesecake. If you enjoy lemon cake, try my Sunshine-Sweet Lemon Blueberry Cake. So, let’s get baking!
Making the Lemon Cheesecake Layer
The lemon cheesecake layer of this buttermilk cake is my absolute favorite – it’s so delicious! I love that it’s so easy to make, yet it requires extra baking and chilling time, making it more enjoyable when my slice is finally ready.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and add an inch of water to the bottom of a 9×13 pan. To ensure the perfect lemon cheesecake is cooked evenly and no cracking happens while baking, having the water in the oven helps.
After lining a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom, it’s time to get mixing.
Begin the lemon cheesecake recipe by mixing the softened cream cheese until smooth in a bowl with a stand mixer. Then, keeping the mixer on low speed, add the sugar, salt, and flour until well combined.
Once everything is mixed beautifully, the lemon extract and sour cream and mix until incorporated. Then, add the eggs one at a time until everything is well combined.
All that is left after this step is pouring the lemon cheesecake batter into the springform pan and popping it in the oven for about forty-five minutes of baking time.
After the oven has done its job, turn off the oven and leave the delicious lemon cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes, with that door ever so slightly open. Gradually lowering the temperature helps keep your crusty dessert from cracking in all the wrong places.
After the 30-minute cooling, wrap some foil over the pan and chill in the freezer for 2-3 hours. If you aren’t in a hurry, you can put it in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours.
This lemon cheesecake recipe is the magic middle for your buttermilk lemon cake layers. Soon your tastebuds will be craving more!
How to Make the Lemon Buttermilk Cake Layer
Yum! Who can resist a lemon buttermilk cake stuffed with a cheesecake recipe? For this delectable lemon layer cake, you need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. I personally like to line them with parchment circles just in case!
Next, mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl-flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and lemon zest.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix at medium speed until it’s silky smooth.
Then, gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until its color has brightened and it’s light and fluffy – like a cloud!
Then one by one, add each room-temperature egg, mixing until you no longer see any trace of yellow from the yolk before adding another.
Now it’s time to combine the dry and wet ingredients of my lemon buttermilk cake recipe.
To ensure a light and airy crumb, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (three additions of dry ingredients and two of liquid). When incorporating these ingredients, make sure not to mix above medium speed since you don’t want to overmix the batter.
Finally, with the lemon cake batter made, all that’s left is to divide it between two 9-inch pans so they can head off into the oven. Yum!
Place the two 9-inch pans in the oven. If your pans are dark-colored, adjust the temperature down to 325 degrees. Bake for 20-24 minutes before taking out the lemon buttermilk cakes! The cake is done if a toothpick comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
Allow them to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before flipping out the two gorgeous lemon buttermilk cakes.
Making Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ah, lemon cream cheese frosting. So delicious but hard to make–or that’s what you thought before you knew this recipe! Making lemon cream cheese frosting is easy; you only need several simple ingredients, including butter, cream cheese, lemon extract (with optional lemon zest to really bring out the lemon flavor), and powdered sugar.
After cutting butter into ½ inch slices and adding it to the bowl of your mixer, beat until it’s nice and smooth. Next, cut the cream cheese into pieces and add it to the butter before blending them together.
Then, add lemon extract and gradually add powdered sugar while beating until everything is blended well. Though this frosting tastes great on just about anything, but pairs well with this lemon cheesecake stuffed buttermilk cake truly decadent treat! Add some yellow food gel for added flair!
And don’t forget that if you’re planning ahead for an occasion–like a birthday party–you can always make this amazing lemon cream cheese frosting in advance, refrigerate it until ready to use, then let it soften slightly and remix for best piping results (just no microwaving!). Enjoy!
How to Assemble Frost the Lemon Cheesecake Cake
Mmm, are you ready for this lemon-buttermilk cake stuffed with cheesecake and frosted lemon cream cheese frosting? To assemble it, put the first lemon buttermilk cake layer on a plate or pedestal. Then, spread it with a thin layer of lemon cream cheese frosting.
Next, top the layer of cake with the cheesecake. Make sure none of the sides are sticking to the springform pan. If they are, use a hot knife around the inside of the pan, then release the sides of the pan.
Flip the lemon cheesecake over, and remove the bottom of the springform pan and the parchment paper. Give the lemon cheesecake layer a thin layer of frosting.
Next, crown it all off with the second lemon buttermilk cake layer! Finally, frost the cake as usual. No matter what kind of yummy creation you’re working on, if the frosting becomes too soft or the layers start sliding, pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes and let everything firm up. While it’s in there, why not toss your bowl of extra frosting in the fridge too? It’ll be nice and ready when you take out your perfectly-frosted cake!
With this recipe in hand, you’ve got yourself an irresistible treat!
Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cheesecake
- 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese (softened slightly)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sour cream (room temperature)
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Lemon Cake Layers
- 1 1/2 sticks butter (softened)
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups cake flour (spooned into measuring cup and leveled off)
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (room temperatre)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp lemon extract
- zest of two lemons
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 sticks butter (slightly softened to room temperature)
- 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese (slightly softened to room temperature)
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 6 – 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- zest from one lemon (optional)
- 3-6 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Lemon Cheesecake
- Place a 9×13 pan filled with one inch of water on the bottom rack of the oven. (Just under the rack where your cheesecake will bake.)
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Mixing at low speed, add sugar, salt, flour.
- Add lemon extract and sour cream. Mix at low speed until smooth and incorporated.
- Add eggs one at a time. Mix until well combined.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into springform pan lined with parchment and place in the oven on the rack just above the pan of water.
- Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be set at this point- it may jiggle slightly.
- Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake inside for 30 more minutes with the oven door slightly open. (This helps the cake to cool without cracking.)
- Allow the cheesecake to cool on the countertop for another 30 minutes.
- Place foil on the pan and chill in the freezer for 2-3 hours. If you are not in a hurry, you can refrigerate the cake for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Lemon Layer Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour two 9×2 inch round pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest for 30 seconds. Set aside.
- In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, oil, lemon extract and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth.
- Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk is incorporated.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid).
- Do not overmix the batter and keep the mixer speed set to 1 or 2.
- Divide batter between the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached.
- Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Turn cakes out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Lemon Creem Cheese Frosting
- Cut butter into ½ inch slices and add to the bowl of your mixer, beat until smooth.
- Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating until blended.
- Add the lemon extract. (If adding the optional lemon zest, do so now).
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until well blended.
- This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly and remix. Do not microwave to soften.
How to assemble a Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Cake
- Place the first lemon cake layer on the cake plate or pedestal.
- Spread with a thin layer of frosting.
- Run a thin knife (heated with hot water) between the cake and side of the cake pan to help prevent sticking.
- Release the sides of the springform pan.
- Place the cheesecake upside down onto the first cake layer and remove the bottom of the cake pan. If it sticks at all, use a thin, hot knife to slide between the pan and the cake to release.
- Remove the parchment and spread a thin layer of frosting on the cheesecake layer. Top with the second lemon cake layer.
- Frost the cake as usual. If at any time the frosting becomes too soft, or the layers slide, put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm things up. (You can refrigerate the bowl of frosting as needed.)
