Cheesecake Factory Italian Lemon Cream Cake
This Italian Lemon Cream Cake is the perfect cake for lemon lovers. It's fluffy, creamy, and filled with citrusy lemon flavor. If you've never baked a cake before, this is an easy recipe to start with. It tastes delicious and is ready in about an hour.
Equipment
- 1 8-inch round cake pan
Ingredients
Cake Layer
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (3 ounces, room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar (5 ¼ ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (5 ¾ ounces)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup milk (4 ounces)
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons butter (cold)
Lemon Cream Filling
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese (½ pound, see notes for substitution)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Cake Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line an 8-inch round pan with parchment paper or grease and dust it with flour.
- With a fine mesh strainer, sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk together.
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes or until it's fluffy and light. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl again.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning with one-third of the flour mixture and half of the milk; repeat, then finish with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl and finish mixing the batter by hand.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top. Bake on the middle rack for 23-26 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean of batter, but a few crumbs are okay. Remove the cake and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Streusel Topping
- Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Work in the butter, mixing until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle over a small baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes in a 350℉ oven. Allow it to cool and then break it into small pieces.
Lemon Cream Filling
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until soft. Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Stir in the lemon juice and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Assemble
- Cut the cake horizontally in half. Place one layer of the cake on a cake plate. Add two-thirds of the filling, then top with the second layer.
- Cover the top and sides with the remaining filling and top with the streusel topping. Dust the cake with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
Notes
Mascarpone cheese: Can be substituted with cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 626kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 8gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 1239IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 128mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Did you make this?Let me know how it was!