Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake Recipe
This Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake Recipe is a soft, light, and airy cake filled with delicious lemon curd and covered with a lemon whipped cream frosting.
Today I’m sharing my Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake.
I love this time of year when I start to see fresh lemons and limes in the stores… and everything starts looking and smelling like spring! Just this past weekend I also made a fresh Key Lime Pie… so delicious!!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Now if only the weather would cooperate – for a couple of weeks there, it was typical spring weather but last night we had a fire in the fireplace (again) and it was 30°F here. That’s not how it’s supposed to happen in Mississippi!!
Oh well… I can pretend it’s spring, huh?
If you love lemon, be sure to check out these other lemon recipes I’ve shared…
- Lemon Curd
- Lemon Icebox Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Best Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Kissed Cupcakes
Alrighty – here’s the printable for my Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake Recipe.
Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
Description
A soft, light, and airy cake filled with delicious lemon curd and covered with a lemon whipped cream frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
- Filling:
- 2/3 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
- Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups heaving whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons of lemon curd
- (3) 8″ round ungreased cake pans, lined with parchment
Instructions
- For the frosting!
- Whip the heavy cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the lemon curd and combine well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to frost the cake.
- For the cake!
- Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the six egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of sugar.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites and cream of tarter until light and foamy. Slowly add in 1/2 cup of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Stir about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the cake batter and mix. Gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture.
- Divide the batter between the 3 prepared pans. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched with your finger.
- Place the hot pans on a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the pans. Once cool, run a blade around the edge of the cake and invert to remove the cake from the pans. Peel away the parchment paper.
- To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake pan, then generously spread about 1/3 cup of lemon curd over the top. Add the next layer of cake and repeat. Place the third cake on top.
- Frost the top and sides with the lemon whipped cream frosting. Chill until ready to serve!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 40
What fun desserts are you planning for Easter? I’d love to hear about them!
So many people comment on food blogs without ever leaving actual reviews, making recipes pretty untrustworthy for general readers. I wanted to write in to say that I followed this recipe exactly and it came out absolutely perfect. I served it last night for a friend’s 50th birthday party and all the guests loved it. I have tried other recipes for lemon chiffon, or just general lemon cakes that claimed to be airy, and none were as good as this. A definite keeper! Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe.
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I truly appreciate it! xx
I have not made this recipe yet, but I am about to. It will be my first ever chiffon cake. It looks and sound delicious. I did want to point out that you have the baking time as “16” minutes. I am assuming you mean “60” minutes.
Oooh, yes, thank you!
Made this the first time as directed but I wanted more of the lemon flavor in the cake SO I replaced half the water with fresh lemon juice and yum!
Does the batter actually all fit into 3 8″ pans
It did for me 🙂
You have to fill the cake tins halfway full, if you overfill them the cake will overflow.
Remember that when baking it rises.
I have tried other recipes, but you are always my go to, as your cakes are delicious all the time. I am using this recipe with vanilla buttercream for a wedding cake today. I will let you know the outcome. I am just hoping everything holds up to the Texas weather with this wedding being outside. Thank you!
How do you prepare the pans? Just parchment paper?
I line them with parchment and then do a light layer of non-stick baking spray around the edges.
Came together well, you may want to consider putting the directions in a different, more sequential order.
Also, 60 minutes is WAAAAAAY too long for this cake. Mine were done in 35.
Hi Monica – I have no idea how I messed up the baking time, but it’s corrected now (I hope… it’s been a couple of years since I baked this but I think it took around 30 mins for me). As for the order of instructions, that must have gotten jumbled when I changed recipe plugins. All fixed now. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it’s really light and fluffy a perfect chiffon really! I was wondering if I can just add some cocoa powder (and if yes how much do you suggest?) and make a chocolate variation instead and of course omitting the lemon curd and cream etc. Thank you so much in advance!
Honestly I’m not great at tinkering with recipes so I honestly can’t say it that’ll work or not. I’m sorry!
No worries at all, thanks for your reply!
Can you use butter instead of oil want to make in March for birthday
I wouldn’t recommend that substitute, but you could do a trial run and see if it works for you.
I am thinking of preparing a sheet cake with your recipe. Do you think I should double or triple your recipe for one sheet? I will make a 2-layer, but would like to try to figure out how much I will need per sheet. Thank you!
I made this recipe today and I’m in love! I love cake but have always loved lemon meringue pie, not enjoying the crust. Now I have the fabulous pie taste in a cake!
Can you use king Arthur all purpose flour?
Yes
Hi Rose,
Can I make and assemble the cake the day before and keep overnight in the fridge? Will the cake still be moist for the following evening?
Thanks!
Rose, Thank you for submitting this yummy recipe at Share Your Style. I just wanted to inform you that you’re one of our features this evening. Congratulations!
Thanks so much Carol!
Could I bake these a couple days ahead of time and wrap them and freeze them and then it’s so much easier to decorate them Frozen. Have you ever Frozen and thawed them?
Hi
I made this cake yesterday for my mum’s birthday. The only thing I added were raspberries for decoration as my mum loves them and I put some of the lemon cream between each layer as well as the lemon curd. The cake was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. A big thumbs up! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Hi,
Could you kindly help me? I would love to make your recipe but I can not buy “cream of tarter” where I live.
Do you suggest leaving it out or is there something I can use instead?
Please let me know! Thank you so much in advance
Check out this post for substitutions: https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/substitute-for-cream-of-tartar
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your quick response!
I only have 9” pans. Can I use and just adjust the cooking time?
Yes, but the layers will be really thin.
Is this cake stackable?
No, it’s very light and soft. I wouldn’t attempt to stack it.
Super easy and awesome recipe! I read a comment that someone had put more lemon juice in lieu of water so I did just that and my oh my, the lemon flavor is so good! Thanks for this great recipe, Rose!
I followed instructions exactly but it did not rise much. It was very flat. What could be the problem?
I only made the cake recipe and used some different fillings and frostings, but it turned out great! By far the best chiffon cake recipe I have ever tried. However, I would suggest adding more lemon juice and zest to the recipe if you would like more of a lemony taste. But the cake texture and flavor was amazing!
Is the measurement of flour of 1 3/4C before or after sifting? Do you also have the measurements in grams?
It tastes so good! The lemon curd was incredible! My only conplaint is that I followed the directions exactly and in you picture the cake looks fo big! Mine came out with rising only an inch. This has happened in other cakes I have baked from you. For my sister’s birthday party I had to make another batch to get it right. Did I do anthing wrong?
Loved this recipe! Made it for my husband. I did a lemon curd layer and also a raspberry strawberry jam I whipped up really quick! Wish I could post a pic. Will always use this recipe for my cakes.
That sounds amazing!
Thanks for the recipe ! Baking it now, wondering if I can freeze them (the layers) if I want to decorate the cake at a later date ?
This cake is pretty delicate, so I’m not sure. I usually say “yes” to freezing cake but I’d have to do a test-run on this one to know for sure.
I love lemon cake but I’ve never tried a lemon chiffon cake. This is something I really want to try, it sounds and looks so nice.
This cake sounds delicious. I’ll have to make it soon.
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a fabulous weekend
I’ve never had lemon candies before but they look delicious. I’ll have to try them.
Love this recipe. Not too sweet and so soft, light and fluffy.
Hello! I haven’t tried your entire recipe yet, only the whipped cream. I had a question (probably dumb). Why can’t you whip the lemon curd with the whipping cream and sugar?