If you love elegant desserts that combine refreshing citrus notes with a rich, buttery flavour, this lemon cake is sure to become one of your favourites! With its beautiful appearance and wonderful texture, it’s perfect for birthdays, celebrations, special occasions, or simply those moments when you want to create something truly extraordinary.
Each layer holds a little surprise, while the smooth, velvety frosting adds the perfect finishing touch. Make this heavenly, buttery cake that will take centre stage on your table and impress everyone before they even take their first bite!
Lemon and Pistachio Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
If you love elegant desserts that combine refreshing citrus notes with a rich, buttery flavour, this lemon cake is sure to become one of your favourites! With its beautiful appearance and wonderful texture,it’s perfect for birthdays, celebrations, special occasions, or simply those moments when you want to create something truly extraordinary. Each layer holds a little surprise, while the smooth, velvety frosting adds the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 250 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 300 grams granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 200 grams sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 300 grams plain or all-purpose flour
- 8 grams 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 150 grams pistachios coarsely ground
For the syrup
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 125 grams water
- 80 grams lemon juice
For the Swiss meringue buttercream
- 150 grams egg whites
- 1 pinch of salt
- 300 grams caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 400 grams unsalted Lurpak butter at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cake
- Grease the bases of two 20 cm round cake tins and line them with baking paper.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C fan.
- Rub the lemon zest and sugar with your fingertips to release the essential oils and aromas from the zest.
- Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the flour and beat briefly. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla, then mix until combined.
- Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and baking soda directly into the mixture. Gently fold in with a spatula until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
- Finally, fold in the pistachios.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes. Invert, remove the baking paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If you are not assembling the cake immediately, wrap the cooled cakes in cling film and store for up to 24 hours.
Make the syrup
- Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan over high heat.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and cover the saucepan to minimise evaporation.
- Leave the syrup to cool completely. You can prepare it a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
Make the Swiss meringue buttercream
- Cut the butter into cubes and leave it at room temperature.
- Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk continuously.
- Check the temperature using a kitchen thermometer. Once the mixture reaches 71–72°C, remove it from the heat.
- Carefully rub a little of the mixture between your fingertips to check that the sugar has completely dissolved, taking care not to burn yourself. If you can still feel sugar crystals, continue whisking over the bain-marie until the sugar has dissolved.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until it forms a stiff, glossy meringue. Continue whisking until the meringue has cooled to below 30°C, so that it does not melt the butter. This may take approximately 15 minutes, depending on the room temperature.
- Once the meringue has cooled, replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment. Continue beating, adding the butter gradually, one cube at a time. Allow each addition to incorporate before adding the next. Continue until you have a smooth, velvety buttercream. If the mixture looks curdled during mixing, keep beating until it comes together.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat briefly until incorporated.
- The buttercream can be used immediately. Alternatively, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Before using, bring it to room temperature and beat again in the mixer until light and fluffy.
Assemble the cake
- Slice each cake horizontally in half to create four evenly sized layers.
- Place the first layer on a serving plate. Using a pastry brush, generously brush it with one-quarter of the syrup.
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the process, alternating syrup and buttercream until you reach the final layer. Brush the top layer with the remaining syrup, then cover the top and sides of the cake with buttercream.
- If desired, sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios and decorate with buttercream designs using a piping bag fitted with your favourite nozzle.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Before serving, leave the cake at room temperature for 30–60 minutes to allow the buttercream to soften and the flavours to come through.
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