Every spring I crave fruit-flavored cakes, and this delicious scratch Lemon Orange Cake has quickly become a favorite. If you love citrus, you’ll fall for this tender, flavorful layer cake.
Layers of homemade orange curd and orange cream cheese frosting are sandwiched between lemon cake layers and finished with orange cream cheese frosting for a bright, balanced dessert.
A Delicious Balance of Lemon and Orange
Lemon pairs beautifully with many flavors. This Lemon Orange Cake combines our favorite scratch lemon cake with an orange-forward filling and frosting. The orange curd—made with orange and lemon zest plus fresh orange juice—adds concentrated citrus brightness, while the orange cream cheese frosting gives a creamy, slightly tangy finish.
It’s an ideal cake for spring and summer gatherings, but citrus lovers will enjoy it year-round.
How to Make a Lemon Orange Cake
The full printable recipe is at the end of this post. Below is a concise step overview for the lemon cake layers:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour three 8-inch pans.
- Dry ingredients: whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the zest of two lemons; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice and lemon extract; whisk and set aside.
- Cream softened butter, then gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3–5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Alternate adding the dry mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until combined; avoid overmixing.
- Divide batter among prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake at 350°F: 20–25 minutes for three 8-inch pans (or 30–35 minutes for two 8-inch pans), until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out to finish cooling.
Filling and Frosting
To highlight the orange flavor, we use two components: an orange curd filling and an orange cream cheese frosting. The curd is cooked on the stove and thickens as it cools, creating a spreadable layer that adds concentrated citrus. The orange cream cheese frosting is rich, creamy and pairs perfectly with the lemon cake layers.
We brighten the curd with a touch of lemon juice and zest in addition to the orange for extra complexity.
Assembling the Lemon Orange Cake
When the cake layers are completely cool, place the first layer on your cake board or stand. Pipe a dam of orange cream cheese frosting about 1/4 inch from the edge to contain the curd. You can use a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped off or a round piping tip.
Spread a layer of orange curd inside the dam, then add a thin layer of orange cream cheese frosting on top if desired. Stack the next layer and repeat. Fill gaps with frosting and apply a thin crumb coat around the cake.
Chill the cake briefly—about 15 minutes in the freezer or longer in the refrigerator—to firm the crumb coat before applying the final coat of frosting.
Decorating the Cake
Finish the cake to your taste: smooth, textured, or a mix of both. For a smooth finish, chill the frosted cake briefly and use a hot bench scraper or spatula (heated in hot water) to polish the sides. For texture, use a small rounded offset spatula to add patterns on top and around the base. Tint a portion of the frosting a darker orange and apply both shades around the base for extra depth.
We piped small accents along the top edge and added a few white nonpareils for a playful touch. The finished cake slices showcase the bright lemon and orange layers—perfect for warm-weather dessert tables.
Recipe FAQs
Does this cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Because it contains cream cheese frosting and orange curd, store the cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container or under a cake dome. For best texture and flavor, remove it 2–3 hours before serving to allow it to come to a pleasant eating temperature.
Can the lemon cake layers be frozen?
Yes. Cool layers to room temperature, place each layer on a foil-wrapped cake board (optional), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze up to three months. Thaw at room temperature, removing outer wrap after 30–45 minutes.
Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon extract?
Lemon juice adds acidity, which can tenderize the crumb, but most lemon aroma comes from lemon extract and zest. Using both zest and extract delivers the most distinctive lemon flavor.
Why use cake flour?
Cake flour has lower protein than all-purpose flour, which reduces gluten formation and yields a softer, more tender cake. If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute by removing 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour per cup and replacing it with 2 tablespoons cornstarch; whisk well.
More Citrus Cakes
If you enjoy this cake, try other fruity options like orange cake, limoncello cake, lemonade cake, or lemon blueberry cake. These recipes also highlight bright, fresh flavors ideal for spring and summer.
Fruity Cakes for Summer-
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
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Carrot Pound Cake
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Raspberry Velvet Cake
Thanks for stopping by—enjoy this moist, citrus-packed Lemon Orange Layer Cake. If you make it, we’d love to hear how it turned out!
Lemon Orange Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cake
- 1 1/2 sticks (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (342g) cake flour* (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (7g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3g)
- 1 cup (242g) milk
- 1/4 cup (57g) lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (53g) vegetable oil
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 Tablespoon lemon extract (10g)
For the Orange Curd Filling
- Zest of 3 oranges and 1 lemon
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (180g) fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
- 3–4 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) butter
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Increased recipe quantity to use for filling and frosting
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened
- 21 oz (678g) cream cheese, slightly softened (three 8 oz packages)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (6g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract (6g)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (3g)
- 9 cups (1,035g) confectioners’ sugar (adjust to taste)
- Orange coloring gel, optional (small amount)
Instructions
For the Lemon Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch pans.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest; set aside.
- Combine milk, oil, lemon juice and lemon extract; set aside.
- Cream butter in mixer, gradually add sugar and beat 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth; do not overmix.
- Divide batter into pans and bake at 350°F: 20–25 minutes for three 8-inch pans (30–35 minutes for two pans) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out to finish cooling.
For the Orange Curd Filling
- Wash and zest the oranges and lemon, avoiding the white pith.
- In a saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, orange and lemon juice, zest and butter. Stir to combine.
- Cook over medium-low, stirring until smooth. Increase to medium and stir constantly until thick and bubbling; reduce heat and stir about 1 minute more until pudding-like.
- Remove from heat, pour into a heatproof bowl, cool 15 minutes, press plastic wrap onto surface to prevent skin, then refrigerate until cool. Curd will thicken as it cools. Store up to one week or freeze up to three months.
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Slice butter and beat until softened and smooth. Add cream cheese pieces and beat until incorporated.
- Add vanilla and orange extracts. Gradually add powdered sugar on low speed to blend, covering the bowl with a towel to minimize dust.
- Increase speed and beat until fluffy; avoid overbeating.
- Frosting pipes best when slightly chilled. Make ahead and refrigerate; when ready to use, allow to soften slightly and remix (do not microwave).
Notes
To assemble, pipe a 1/4-inch dam of orange cream cheese frosting about 1/4 inch from the cake edge, fill with curd, top with a layer of frosting, and repeat. Finish with a final coat of frosting.
If frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar and chill as needed to firm it up for piping or coating.
Cake flour substitute: For each cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons and replace with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. For this recipe, measure 3 cups all-purpose flour, remove 6 tablespoons and replace with 6 tablespoons cornstarch; whisk to blend.