We celebrated my daughter Morgan’s Sweet 16 Birthday this past weekend. I can’t believe she is 16 already! Where does the time go? Morgan has grown into such a lovely young woman with the kindest, most compassionate heart. She has truly been a blessing to our lives. Her request was for me to make her favorite cake from Olive Garden’s Lemon Cream Cake. We are a chocolate cake kind of family and this was an unusual request, but it’s her special day. I scoured the internet for the best copy cat recipe I could find and then I tweaked it a bit and made the most amazing Lemon Cream Cake ever! I’m going to warn you… it’s decadent! This is a very special cake you’ll want to make for a special occasion like Easter, a bridal or baby shower or a lady’s luncheon.
Lemon Cream Cake
Ingredients: 1 3/4 c. cake flour, 1 T baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. sugar., 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 6 egg yolks, 3/4 c. water, 1 T lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, 3/4 c. sugar, 6 egg whites, 1 c. heavy cream, 8 oz. cream cheese, 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 3 T lemon juice.
Lemon Sponge Cake: The first step should be to make the meringue which gets folded into the cake batter. Separate 6 eggs. Reserve the yolks for a later step. Place 6 egg whites into a a large bowl and start beating on high with an electric mixer. SLOWLY sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 3/4 cup sugar, adding the sugar a bit at a time. Whip the egg white mixture until stiff peaks form.
In a bowl combine these dry ingredients- 1 3/4 cup cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup sugar. In a separate bowl combine these wet ingredients- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 6 egg yolks, 3/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
With an electric mixer, combine the wet and dry ingredients then gently fold in the meringue. Pour batter into a non-greased 10” tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Upon removing from oven, immediately flip the tube pan upside down to rest and cool on the pan’s feet or onto a bottle neck if your pan doesn’t have feet. Allow to completely cool. Run a knife around the edges before removing from pan. Slice cake horizontally into 3 even layers with dental floss or a very long serrated knife.
Lemon Cream Filling: One cup heavy cream, whipped, 8oz. softened cream cheese, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice. With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until well combined then fold in the whipped cream. Chill for 1/2 hour, then frost the bottom layer with 1/2 of the lemon filling, place on middle cake layer and frost with the rest of the filling. Place last cake layer on top and chill cake. Dust cake top with powdered sugar right before serving.
- 1¾ c. cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ c. sugar.
- ½ c. vegetable oil
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ c. water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- ¾ c. sugar
- 6 egg whites
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2½ c. powdered sugar
- 3 T lemon juice.
- Lemon Sponge Cake: The first step should be to make the meringue which gets folded into the cake batter.
- Separate 6 eggs. Reserve the yolks for a later step.
- Place 6 egg whites into a large bowl and start beating on high with an electric mixer.
- SLOWLY sprinkle in ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, and ¾ cup sugar, adding the sugar a bit at a time.
- Whip the egg white mixture until stiff peaks form.
- In a bowl combine these dry ingredients- 1¾ cup cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, ½ cup sugar.
- In a separate bowl combine these wet ingredients- ½ cup vegetable oil, 6 egg yolks, ¾ cup water, 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
- With an electric mixer, combine the wet and dry ingredients then gently fold in the meringue.
- Pour batter into a non-greased 10” tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Upon removing from oven, immediately flip the tube pan upside down to rest and cool on the pan’s feet or onto a bottle neck if your pan doesn’t have feet.
- Allow to completely cool.
- Run a knife around the edges before removing from pan. Slice cake horizontally into 3 even layers with dental floss or a very long serrated knife.
- Lemon Cream Filling: One cup heavy cream, whipped, 8oz. softened cream cheese, 2½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
- With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until well combined then fold in the whipped cream.
- Chill for ½ hour, then frost the bottom layer with ½ of the lemon filling, place on middle cake layer and frost with the rest of the filling.
- Place last cake layer on top and chill cake.
- Dust cake top with powdered sugar right before serving.
All the family and guests raved about the cake, even the non-lemon lovers loved it! We had a beautiful time celebrating her Sweet 16 and this cake was perfect for her special celebration! Happy Birthday Morgan, we love you!
Kim
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Oh…does this look good, Kim! A perfect cake for spring time! I think I may make this for Easter dessert. I bet your daughter loved it! Happy Birthday to her!
You both look beautiful in the picture!
XO,
Jane
This sounds delicious! I have seen it on Olive Gardens menu but have never tried it. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! It’s decadent for sure!
This looks so delicious! I’m a lemon lover in a family of chocaholics, so I know I would love it.
Happy Birthday to your daughter!
How kind of you Gina! I’ll tell her! Thank you 🙂
What a special cake for a special occasion. Happy birthday to your daughter and thanks for the recipe…I think Easter will be perfect!
How sweet! Thank you so much Jen!
That sure looks delicious! Happy Birthday to your daughter. ~Megan
How kind, thank you! It was yummy! I’m enjoying the left overs!
Yummy…Love all things lemony
-KAT-
It has a nice creamy but tangy bite! 🙂
This looks SO good! I can’t wait to try it!
It’s delish! Thanks for visiting!
yum, I would so love that.
Wow! What a beautiful picture of you & Morgan 🙂 Sweet 16, weren’t we just 16 yesterday?? LOVE the lemon cream cake, looks DELICIOUS!! Great choice & Happy 16th Birthday Morgan 🙂
I feel like I was 16 yesterday! (I sure don’t look it though! lol) Thanks Kim! Hugs to you, my friend!
YUMMM!
Love for you to share this at my Wednesday’s “Made by ME” linky party here:
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2012/02/made-by-me-20-linky-party.html
Hi Kim –
This look scrumptious, light, and airy. I could go for a slice right now. My youngest just turned 22 this past weekend. She is away at college so we haven’t celebrated yet. We are going up to see her on Friday. She requested a carrot cake 🙂 I will be whipping that up on Thursday night. Hope your daughter had a wonderful day.
My best – Diane
Thank you so much Diane, that’s very sweet of you. It looks light and airy but it is RICH, sinful, lemony deliciousness! 🙂
Yum! I am definitely going to try this!
Thanks! I promise you’ll love it Jen!
YUM it does look really yummy! I’ve been wanting to make a lemon cake! Thanks for sharing the recipe!! 🙂
i dream of olive garden’s lemon cream cake – you made my year!
I’m making your beautiful cake tomorrow;-) But wondered when you say tube pan…do you mean an angel food pan?
I made the cake yesterday (either the ingredients are off, or I wasn’t paying attention) and it didn’t turn out. In addition, I do not recommend turning it out immediately, part of mine fell, and the other part stayed in the pan. It’s no biggie. I will try again when it isn’t a holiday. Happy Easter !!
It turned out wonderful! My family loved it:-)
I was wondering if the tube pan is the only way to bake this cake? I don’t have one so that’s why I ask. Thanks!
This looks absolutely yummy!
That cake looks delectable!!! And Olive Farden’s is my favorite!!! I have a daughter a her name is Morgan!!! The irony!!!
I’m sure yours is so much better. (Darden) Olive Garden doesn’t even make it. It comes frozen and premade.
Looks wonderful – I’m going to try it
Hi,
I was wondering if this can be made without a tube pan, or will it not turn out because of the egg whites/meringue? I saw a couple of other people asked this same question, but I didn’t see a reply. I’d love to try making this cake, but I don’t have a tube pan. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Tiphanie,
I’ll be honest, I’ve never made it without using a tube pan (aka- an angel cake pan). You could possibly try it in a bundt cake pan. You can try it in normal round cake pans too but the bake times would be drastically different. I recommend looking for a tube pan at a thrift store (where I got mine) or borrowing one from a friend if you don’t want to buy one. Best of luck!
~ KIM