Spring Birthday Sheet Cake (Printable)

Tender vanilla crumb with lemon curd filling and whipped cream frosting, perfect for spring celebrations.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
10 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ Lemon Curd Filling

11 - 4 large egg yolks
12 - ½ cup granulated sugar
13 - ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
14 - Zest of 2 lemons
15 - ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed

→ Whipped Cream Frosting

16 - 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
17 - ½ cup powdered sugar
18 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decoration

19 - Fresh berries such as strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
20 - Edible flowers or lemon zest curls

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest until combined.
05 - Add dry ingredients and milk in three parts to the wet mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
07 - In a small saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, whisk in butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
08 - In a chilled bowl, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
09 - Once cooled, carefully slice cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on serving plate and spread chilled lemon curd evenly over it. Top with second layer.
10 - Spread whipped cream frosting evenly over assembled cake. Garnish with fresh berries, edible flowers, or lemon zest curls as desired.
11 - Refrigerate assembled cake for at least 1 hour before serving to ensure clean slices.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The lemon curd is silky and luxurious but surprisingly simple to make, and it tastes nothing like the jarred version.
  • You get to actually slice through layers without the cake crumbling apart, because the cold assembly holds everything beautifully in place.
  • It's impressive enough to center a celebration but casual enough to serve alongside coffee on a regular Tuesday afternoon.
02 -
  • The lemon curd will look too thin when you first finish cooking it, but it thickens significantly as it chills—resist the urge to overcook it or it'll break into scrambled eggs and disappointment.
  • If your cake layers aren't perfectly even, don't panic—just level them with a serrated knife or a cake leveler, and use the scraps to eat while you work.
03 -
  • If you're short on time, store-bought lemon curd works beautifully and tastes almost as good—no one needs to know you didn't make it from scratch.
  • A bench scraper or offset spatula with a long handle makes leveling the cake layers so much easier than a knife, and it costs just a few dollars.
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