Description
A fluffy, citrusy Homemade Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake with layers of airy sponge, creamy lemon mascarpone filling, and a sweet crumb topping—light, refreshing, and indulgent all at once.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 ½ cups
- Baking Powder: 2 ½ teaspoons
- Salt: ½ teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter: ½ cup, softened
- Granulated Sugar: 1 ½ cups
- Eggs: 4 large
- Whole Milk: 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons
- Mascarpone Cheese: 8 ounces
- Heavy Cream: 1 cup
- Powdered Sugar: 1 cup
- Lemon Zest: 2 tablespoons
- Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons
- Cake Crumb Topping: 1 cup cake crumbs mixed with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Your Equipment: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
- Combine Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Alternate adding dry mix and milk until smooth.
- Prepare Your Cooking Vessel: Divide batter into pans, smooth tops.
- Assemble the Dish: Bake 25–30 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
- Cook to Perfection: Beat mascarpone, powdered sugar, zest, and juice. Fold in whipped cream.
- Finishing Touches: Layer cake with filling, top with crumb mixture.
- Serve and Enjoy: Chill 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use parchment in pans for easy release.
- Chill the cake for clean slices.
- Zest finely to avoid bitterness.
- Freeze cake layers ahead for quicker prep.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
Keywords: lemon cream cake, copycat Olive Garden dessert, lemon mascarpone cake, citrus sponge cake