This Limoncello Cake is made with fluffy sponge cake layers, brushed with a limoncello syrup, filled with a thin layer of lemon curd and frosted with a decadent mascarpone and cream cheese frosting. 
Lemon lovers, have I got a cake for you!
This Limoncello Cake has the bright and refreshing flavor of lemon infused in every delicious bite. The light and fluffy sponge cake layers have lemon zest gently perfuming the cake layers, which are also soaked with a limoncello syrup. Limoncello has such a delicate lemon flavor. It's mild and has some floral notes and isn't overly tart. It gives the lemon flavored cake a really great balanced flavor.
The billowy cream cheese and mascarpone frosting also has both lemon zest and limoncello for flavor. The creamy and fluffy frosting works so well with the rest of the cake to make it luscious but not too rich. In the center of the cake, I added refreshing and creamy lemon curd, just enough to really bring up the lemon flavor up a notch but not overpower the cake. All in all, I tried to keep the cake tender and luscious but not overly sweet or tart.
When I made this cake for my family, it was a big hit. The first thing my husband said when he took a bite was that I didn't "oversell" it:). So I hope you give it a try and are just as happy with the results. If you love the flavor of lemons, this cake is for you.
Ingredients:
Sponge Cake:
8 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
½ cup milk and melted butter, total (¼ cup each)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Limoncello Syrup:
½ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup limoncello
Frosting:
2 (8 0z) packages cream cheese (16 oz total), room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 0z) packages mascarpone cheese (16 oz total), room temperature
½ cup heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ - 1 Tablespoon limoncello
½ - 1 teaspoon, lemon zest
½ cup lemon curd
Instructions:
If you don't want to use limoncello, you can omit it from the frosting and use lemonade in its place for the syrup.
Sponge Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 round (9 inch) cake pans with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
Beat the whites using a whisk attachment on a standing mixer or a hand held mixer until foamy. Gradually pour in half of the sugar. Mix the whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In the other bowl with the yolks, add the remaining sugar and use the same whisk attachment to beat the yolks until they are pale and fluffy.
Combine the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a bowl or cup. Set aside.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, being careful not to deflate the batter as much as possible.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the folded eggs and gently fold in the batter.
When there are still some remaining streaks of flour, pour in the milk and butter mixture into the batter by the side of the bowl.
Continue gently folding until evenly distributed.
Divide the batter in half, pouring into the prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the limoncello syrup and the frosting.
Limoncello Syrup:
Make a simple sugar by heating the sugar and water in a small pot until sugar dissolves and add the limoncello. Set aside to cool. Limoncello is an Italian liquor made from the zest of lemons, sugar, water, and, of course, alcohol. The flavor is very delicate and mild. 
Frosting:
In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until evenly mixed, smooth and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and limoncello.
Add the mascarpone cheese. You can just fold in the mascarpone cheese with a rubber spatula, since it's soft enough or mix with the mixer just until combined, about 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form. You can do this by hand using a whisk or use a hand held mixer or a standing mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream into the frosting until evenly mixed. 
Assembling the Cake:
Cut each cake in half horizontally.
Using a serrated knife, make a small cut all around the outside of the cake. This will keep your knife on the same level as you are cutting across. Continue cutting deeper into the cake until you have cut all the way through.
Another trick I use when decorating cakes is to line the serving plate all around the edge with aluminum foil so that the edge of the cake is overlapping the aluminum foil by about ½ inch. This will catch all the drips and crumbs, leaving your serving plate neat and clean. When you're done decorating just carefully pull the aluminum foil out.
Using a pastry brush, brush the top and bottom of each layer with the limoncello syrup.
Put a dollop of frosting in the center of the cake plate, which will help to hold the cake in place. Place the first cake layer in the center of the cake plate and generously spread the cake layer with frosting, all the way to the edges.
Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted cake layer. Spread the lemon curd evenly over the surface of the cake, all the way to the edges. You can use more or less lemon curd, depending on how sweet and "lemony" you want the cake to be. 
Place the third cake layer on top of the lemon curd layer and generously spread the cake layer with frosting, all the way to the edges.
Top with the last layer and this time frost the sides and the top of the cake. 
Carefully pull out the aluminum foil from underneath the edges of the cake and discard.
You will have enough frosting left over to pipe a border all the way around the cake too. 
I piped a border all the way around the edges of the cake and added a few swirls in the center too. I used my favorite Wilton 1M piping tip. 
I also grated white chocolate on top of the cake as well as lemon zest and a thin lemon slice in the center of the cake.
The cake should be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours before serving, or overnight. The cake can be made 2 days in advance, completely assembled and stored in the refrigerator, covered.
Before serving, let the cake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, for the best taste and texture.
Limoncello Cake
This Limoncello Cake is made with fluffy sponge cake layers, brushed with a limoncello syrup, filled with a thin layer of lemon curd and frosted with a decadent mascarpone and cream cheese frosting.
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 265 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake (9 inch) 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Sponge Cake:
- 8 eggs (separated, room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar (divided)
- ½ cup milk and melted butter (total (¼ cup each))
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Limoncello Syrup:
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup limoncello
Frosting:
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (16 oz total), room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ - 1 Tablespoon limoncello
- 2 (8 oz) 8 oz packages mascarpone cheese (16 oz total), room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream (chilled)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon (lemon zest)
- ½ cup lemon curd
Instructions
Sponge Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 round (9 inccake pans with parchment paper.
- Separate the eggs, putting the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
- Beat the whites using a whisk attachment on a standing mixer or a hand held mixer until foamy. Gradually pour in half of the sugar. Mix the whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In the other bowl with the yolks, add the remaining sugar and use the same whisk attachment to beat the yolks until they are pale and fluffy.
- Combine the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a bowl or cup. Set aside.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, being careful not to deflate the batter as much as possible.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the folded eggs and gently fold in the batter.
- When there are still some remaining streaks of flour, pour in the milk and butter mixture into the batter by the side of the bowl. Continue gently folding until evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter in half, pouring into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare the limoncello syrup and the frosting.
Limoncello Syrup:
- Make a simple sugar by heating the sugar and water in a small pot until sugar dissolves and add the limoncello. Set aside to cool.
Frosting:
- In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until evenly mixed, smooth and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and limoncello.
- Add the mascarpone cheese. You can just fold in the mascarpone cheese with a rubber spatula, since it's soft enough or mix with the mixer just until combined, about 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form. You can do this by hand using a whisk or use a hand held mixer or a standing mixer.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream into the frosting until evenly mixed.
Assembling the Cake:
- Cut each cake in half horizontally.
- Using a serrated knife, make a small cut all around the outside of the cake. This will keep your knife on the same level as you are cutting across. Continue cutting deeper into the cake until you have cut all the way through.
- Another trick I use when decorating cakes is to line the serving plate all around the edge with aluminum foil so that the edge of the cake is overlapping the aluminum foil by about ½ inch. This will catch all the drips and crumbs, leaving your serving plate neat and clean. When you're done decorating just carefully pull the aluminum foil out.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top and bottom of each layer with the limoncello syrup.
- Put a dollop of frosting in the center of the cake plate, which will help to hold the cake in place. Place the first cake layer in the center of the cake plate and generously spread the cake layer with frosting, all the way to the edges.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted cake layer. Spread the lemon curd evenly over the surface of the cake, all the way to the edges. You can use more or less lemon curd, depending on how sweet and "lemony" you want the cake to be.
- Place the third cake layer on top of the lemon curd layer and generously spread the cake layer with frosting, all the way to the edges.
- Top with the last layer and this time frost the sides and the top of the cake. Carefully pull out the aluminum foil from underneath the edges of the cake and discard.
- You will have enough frosting left over to pipe a border all the way around the cake too. I piped a border all the way around the edges of the cake and added a few swirls in the center too. I used my favorite Wilton 1M piping tip.
- I also grated white chocolate on top of the cake as well as lemon zest and a thin lemon slice in the center of the cake.
- The cake should be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours before serving, or overnight. The cake can be made 2 days in advance, completely assembled and stored in the refrigerator, covered.
- Before serving, let the cake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, for the best taste and texture.
Notes
If you don't want to use limoncello, you can omit it from the frosting and use lemonade in its place for the syrup.
I have to say to all of the ladies that said the cake ended up too dense: It is very important not to mix too much the butter with milk in the batter. It is a sponge cake and it bases its texture on the fluffy eggs. As soon as you over mix or you don't sift the flour, it will lose air and will become dense. also, don't be tempted to pour all the batter in one pan, separate it as she says; i did both ways, and the one i put all batter in the pan, it ended up dense in the middle and slightly deflated even if it kept it as airy as possible.
Also, put the pans with batter in the oven as soon as you make it, otherwise, it will deflate and become a dense cake.
Hi Olga I tried cake and I knew from beginning that 1 1/2 cups of flour doesn't go far in 9 in pan. Used anyway cake layers were so thin. Was this cake suppose to rise? Gonna have to make a second batch. Will let you know about frosting
1 1/2 cups of flour is more than enough for a 9 inch cake pan to create a really fluffy and tender consistency. If you use more flour, the cake will be more dense.
The cake should definitely rise when baking. Make sure that you beat the eggs long enough. If they don't have enough air beaten in the cake will also not be as fluffy. Also be very gentle when folding in the flour. If you overmix it, the volume from the eggs will deflate and the cake will also be much flatter. I hope that helps.
I made this cake and it turned out amazing! I wished it had more lemon flavor but that was ONLY because I went too light with the syrup and didn’t add enough lemon zest to the frosting. Didn’t stop 2 of us from eating the whole thing though 😂 I’ve already been told that I have to make this frequently!
I made this cake for Easter and everybody loved it! The cake was super light and fluffy, and I loved the addition of lemon curd. Everybody at Easter had more than one piece. Thank you Olga!
That's wonderful, Katherine. I'm so happy that you enjoyed this cake.
Olgak7,
Can the cake be made in advance, warped securely and frozen then thawed and assembled according to your directions?
I personally never freeze assembled cakes, so I can't tell you from experience how well it works or doesn't.
I made this for my daughter's birthday and everyone loved it!!!!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Angela! Thank you for taking the time to write.
I made the cake exactly as directed with fresh ingredients however my cake is very flat. It still tastes delicious just flat and not as pretty as yours.
Best cake I've ever made. Not too sweet but rich and silky. Lets the mascarpone and lemon speak for itself. All the guests absolutely loved it.
That's amazing, Leslie! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the cake. Thank you for taking the time to write.
I've only had Limoncello cake when visiting the states and even at that hard to find a nice one. Never seen it anywhere in Ireland so I thought Id have a go last week. It turned out really well and everyone really enjoyed it . Will definitely make again. Thank you for the great recipe.
That's great, Seamus! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
I made it today for our Anniversary on Saturday. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you for recipe!
Happy Anniversary! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake, Larisa.
This cake is a keeper! So good, perfect balance of flavor and not too sweet. I made it for an Anniversary gift for a friend. I wasn’t sure I would ever make it again until I tasted it......wow......Can’t wait to make again.
That's awesome, Patty! What a great anniversary gift:).
This was my first time making Limoncello cake. It was sooo good!! My guests loved it! I did substitute all purpose for cake flour. I ran out of all purpose. It turned out like the sponge Cake I love at the restaurant I usually get my cake from. Thank you for the recipe 🍋🇮🇹
That's wonderful! I'm so glad you were happy with it. Using cake flour probably made it even more tender:).
This recipe is fabulous—thank you so much for it Olga! I made it for my birthday a few days ago and while mine unfortunately did not come out as beautiful looking as yours, it was absolutely delicious! This was first time I’ve ever had a sponge cake come out for me, so I will use this recipe from now on in EVERY recipe I have calling for sponge. Frosting was creamy and decadent, but not too sweet, just perfect. The syrup is light and delicate tasting & has kept the cake so moist. Cannot overstate how much I love this - thank you again! Your cake made my birthday a happy one.
I loved your cake and personally I love any excuse to use lemoncello. I’m sure my customer’s will as well. I work at Williams Sonoma and will be preparing another one as a demonstration on our cooktop. Please follow us @williamsSonomaTownCountry. I’ll be featuring this triumph on our Instagram page. Thank you for sharing. Do you have a page I can link to?
Does the frosting have 1/2 cup of lemon curd in it? It is listed under ingredients but do not see it listed with the directions for making the frosting. Thanks!
Hi Jean. The lemon curd is not added to the frosting. It is spread in between 2 of the cake layers separately. It is written in the recipe under Assembling the Cake, step #6. You can also see that step in the pictures.