Lemon Custard Cake is bright, zesty, and perfect for baking all summer long! This homemade cake is sweet, super soft, easy to make, and oh so lemony!
Lemon Custard Cake
There’s something so unmistakable about homemade custard cake when it’s whipped up just right! Trust me, no one will ever confuse this fluffy masterpiece with anything store bought. As much as I love a good dressed up box of cake mix, when it comes to Lemon Custard Cake, nothing can quite hold a candle to it! While this summery lemon cake may be made from scratch, don’t worry – it’s super easy to make with just about 15 minutes of prep time. If you love easy, summer ready lemon recipes, you’ve gotta also bake a Lemon Cake Loaf!
What is a custard cake?
Put simply, a custard cake is a cake made with custard. Custard, essentially, is just milk and eggs combined into a thick and creamy consistency. When that signature custard combination is mixed with the other ingredients and baked in the oven, the cake ends up being a layered masterpiece. Yes, layered – and you don’t even have to do the layering, the cake does that itself as it bakes.
How to Make Lemon Custard Cake
Prepare your kitchen. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper then spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray.
Separate the eggs. Separate the eggs by placing the whites in a large bowl and the yolks into another large bowl.
Whip it up. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites then whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes then set aside.
Keep whipping! Whip the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until the eggs turn a pale-yellow color, about 1 minute.
Stir in more ingredients. Stir in the milk, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined then stir in the flour.
Fold in the egg whites, then bake. Fold in the whipped egg whites then pour the mix into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center jiggles only slightly when moved.
Cool, then serve and enjoy! Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before dusting the top with powdered sugar and serving.
How to Store:Â
In an airtight container in the fridge, or in its original baking dish tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, this Lemon Custard Cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days. No need to reheat it – this light and fluffy cake is intended to be served cold or at room temperature.
Ingredients Notes:Â
Lemon – You’ll need at least 1 lemon to yield enough juice and zest for this recipe. I recommend buying 2 though, just in case the first one doesn’t get the job done.
Butter – The butter needs to be melted, but at room temperature. Make sure it’s not hot from the microwave when you add it in with the other ingredients, or it’ll mess up the consistency of the cake.
Eggs – For the best results, I tend to use free range organic eggs in all of my recipes.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Lemon Custard Cake
Ingredients
- 4 Large Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Cream of tartar
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
- 2 Cups Milk at room temperature
- 1 Stick Butter melted at room temperature
- ¼ Cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 ¾ Cup All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar for dusting the top of the cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper then spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray.
- Separate the eggs by placing the whites in a large bowl and the yolks into another large bowl.
- Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites then whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes then set aside.
- Whip the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until the eggs turn a pale-yellow color, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the milk, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined then stir in the flour.
- Fold in the whipped egg whites then pour the mix into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center jiggles only slightly when moved.
- Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before dusting the top with powdered sugar and serving.
