Copycat Olive Garden™ Lemon Cream Cake
The perfect combination of cake and the yummiest lemon cream filling…Copycat Olive Garden™ Lemon Cream Cake!
I love lemon all the time, but it’s a perfect match to springtime and summertime. Since we’re nearing spring (at least I’m hoping), I wanted to share one of my absolute favorite recipes ever, Lemon Cream Cake. It’s a copycat Olive Garden™ recipe, and if you’ve never had it, this is definitely the time to try it. If you already love it, then this is the perfect way to enjoy it at home, and share with everyone you love. Think of it for all of your spring parties, Easter menus, and all through the summer–you’ll have people chasing you down for the recipe!
Easy Lemon Cream Cake
This is SO SO yummy. Layers of moist cake and mascarpone filling (which is the secret weapon), topped with little crumbles of powdered sugar & butter—it just melts in your mouth! What I love about it even more, is that it uses a boxed cake mix (Duncan Hines French Vanilla is my favorite!), so it speeds up the process. The creamy filling adds so much to the cake that you can’t even tell it’s not homemade. It’s light, and fresh, and creamy, and the flavors perfectly meld together.
I make this as part of our Easter Sunday menu, and it’s my favorite. It’s lighter than a typical cake because of the filling, which is also the frosting, and it looks pretty as well as tastes divine. I also like to serve it all summer when we have friends over. Spring parties, gatherings, dinners, lunches, even baby showers and bridal showers are the perfect places to serve this cake.
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix, I like French Vanilla
- LEMON FILLING:
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
- 1 c. heavy cream
- CRUMB TOPPING:
- 1/2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. cold butter
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Make and bake as directed in 2 nine-inch cake pans.
- Lemon Filling: In a medium-size bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and 2 cups powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in lemon juice. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Using a spoon, fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream; set aside.
- Crumb Topping: In a medium-size bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Add butter and dribble in the vanilla extract. Cut cold butter into flour mixture until mixture is in pieces no larger than a pea. NOTE: If you don't want to consume raw flour, you can bake the crumbles for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees first. Refrigerate until ready to frost cake.
- Assembling the cake: When the cake is completely cool, spread about half of the filling on the bottom half of the cake. (You can tell how much you'll need...) Place the second half on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the Lemon Cream Filling. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the Crumb Topping, pressing it onto the sides to cover. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cut into slices and dust with powdered sugar.
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If I make this cake on Saturday morning will it still be fresh and good for Sunday dinner the next day?
I would make all the components on Saturday, then put the cake together on Sunday. Store the filling in the fridge, and then let it sit for a few minutes to soften right before frosting. The little crumbles can also be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to add them to the cake! It doesn’t take long to put it together, and then you will definitely have a fresh cake! It’s SO yummy, I’m excited for you to try it!!! xoxo
Great idea! Thanks! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I made this as a surprise for my husband yesterday (rough weeks deserve cake in my mind!) and we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! I was a little afraid that there wouldn’t be enough lemon coming thru, but it was the perfect amount to be refreshing. Double, or even Triple, YUM!
YAY, YAY, YAY!! SO glad you loved it as much as I do. And yes, rough weeks definitely call for cake. :) Hope it made it a little better! xoxo
This is my Easter dessert for sure, the pictures are making my mouth water!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Thank you
I like to use unsalted butter when I bake, but if I use salted butter, I omit any extra salt in the recipe. I’ve used both, and both have been yummy! :)
Hi. So the crumb topping doesn’t get cooked in any way? Is it safe to eat raw flour? I’m confused.
Also do you have an alternative topping to add to the cream cheese one or is that enough on its own?
Alternative topping for the cream cheese in the filling?
No, the crumb topping doesn’t get cooked! I’ve never had a problem, and not heard of one, but if you don’t feel comfortable eating it, then you certainly don’t have to add it. It’s yummy either way!
Is this the same recipe you had on your brown paper packages site? It was such a good cake!
Yes! It’s the same site…just changed the name. :)
Absolutely delish! I made this as one of the desserts for our Sunday dinner, and it was a hit! The filling was so light and just the right amount of lemon. I decided to bake the crumb topping which resulted in a cookie type crumb but went really well with the cake. Thank you for the recipe!
YAY! This makes me so happy! So glad you loved it too.