Lemon Cheesecake Cake:
Bake this cake for spring, Easter, Mother’s Day or for your favorite friend who loves lemon! There are two layers of cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle in this Lemon Cheesecake Cake. I use the Sunny Lemon Cake recipe from my favorite go-to cake baking book: Piece of Cake by Camilla Saulsbury. One bowl, no fuss cakes… tons of recipes. I seriously love this book and use it all the time. You need two 9-inch pans and one 9-inch springform pan too. It sounds like a lot of work, but I usually make the cheesecake one day, toss it in the freezer overnight, and then make the rest of the cake the next day. Not a big deal.
Ingredients needed:
cream cheese sugar eggs sour cream heavy whipping cream vanilla extract all purpose flour baking powder and salt buttermilk butter shortening lemon zest freshly squeezed lemon juice (use regular or Meyer lemons) lemon-lime soda powdered sugar
The cheesecake is prepared first. You’ll want to give it some time in the freezer to become very firm before you assemble the cake, so I like to bake the cheesecake one day and finish the recipe the following day. There are two lemon cake layers. And then there is lemon frosting.
How to assemble a Lemon Cheesecake Cake:
Put one layer of cake on a serving platter. For flat, even cake layers (that will stack very nicely!), I recommend using insulated cake strips. I use them for all of my cakes and they work perfectly! Top the 1st cake layer with a little bit of frosting. Place the cheesecake on top of the 1st layer of cake. Spread a little frosting on top of the cheesecake. Place the 2nd layer of lemon cake on top of the cheesecake. Add lemon frosting to the top, and frost the whole lemon cheesecake cake. I use an offset spatula to spread it evenly on top and then down the sides.
It’s best to let the lemon cheesecake cake chill for a while before serving and cutting. The more firm the cake is, the easier it will be to cut clean slices. You can even make it the night before and let it get really chilled and firm. It’ll soften up quickly at room temp. Keep it chilled when not serving. Chill leftovers too.
The best thing about this cake is that you get to eat cake and cheesecake in the same dessert! It’s a decadent treat, but that’s expected for a special occasion, right?
Decorate your lemon cheesecake cake however you wish. You can keep things simple, or you can add malted eggs for Easter.
Using edible flowers (like orchids) is another pretty, easy way to decorate a cake. Sometimes you can find edible flowers at your grocery store- packaged among the fresh herbs. I stopped by a local florist and asked if they carried any edible flowers- they did! Using flowers might be a nice idea for a Mother’s Day cake too. I have a lot of cheesecake cake recipes, so be sure to check out the others! You might also like to try this Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake too.
