Lemon Curd Cake Recipe (with Video)

LEMON CURD
1. In a bowl, beat together the vegan butter, granulated sugar, salt, lemon zest.
2. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time and mix until combined after each addition.
3. Stir in the lemon juice. Your mixture may look a little curdled, but don't worry, it'll come together once it's heated.
4. Pour the mixture into a small pot and heat it over medium low heat and stir continuously until it thickens and reaches 175°F (80°C), about 5 minutes.
5. Take it off the heat and pour it into a clean bowl or plate to cool.
6. Cover it with plastic wrap, making sure that it's touching the surface of the lemon curd to prevent it from forming a "skin" and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
LEMON CAKE
1. Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease and line two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, and lemon zest.
3. Add the softened vegan butter and work it into the flour until the mixture looks like sand.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, mayonnaise, and vanilla extract until smooth.
5. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Stir in the milk until a smooth batter forms, being sure not to overmix.
7. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
8. Fill the cake pans evenly with the cake batter (about 300g per pan).
9. Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
10. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center.
11. If you see any crumbs, bake for another minute or two.
12. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before taking them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter and shortening for 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy and light in color.
2. Add a third of the powdered sugar and continue beating.
3. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula before each addition.
4. After adding all of the sugar, taste to see if it's sweet to your liking.
5. Add more sugar if you'd like.
6. Once the powdered sugar is all incorporated, add the salt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest (if adding) and beat until incorporated.
7. Put the buttercream into a piping bag with a large round tip.
ASSEMBLY
1. Take one cake layer and put it on a plate or cake stand.
2. Using an offset spatula or knife, spread on a thin layer of buttercream (about 1-2 tablespoons).
3. Pipe a border of buttercream on the edges, creating a well in the center.
4. Fill the center with lemon curd (about ⅓ cup).
5. Add another cake layer on top and repeat.
6. Once the final cake layer is placed on top, crumb-coat the entire cake by adding a thin layer of buttercream to seal in all the crumbs and lock in the moisture.
7. Put the cake in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
8. Take the cake out of the fridge and decorate with more buttercream if you like.
9. I kept my cake as a "naked cake" and added little blobs of frosting on top with an extra layer of lemon curd, and some lemon slices for decoration.
10. Any leftover lemon curd and frosting can be kept in the fridge or freezer.