If you love to bake and appreciate sleek design and ingenuity, this one's for you! Today, I've partnered with Decor Australia to make this Chocolate & Lemon Curd Mascarpone Layer Cake while showcasing these fantastic Decor Design Series Pantry Storage containers.
I’m someone who loves to ‘decanter’—having ingredients organised in the pantry, so I can clearly see them for easy access. I also just love the look of a pantry with everything in its place.
If you bake often, you know precision is key. While kitchen scales are always recommended, your next best bet is using containers with a wide opening. This allows you to fluff up ingredients—especially flour—to ensure a more accurate scoop.
These Decor containers are perfect for that! They have wide openings, are super easy to use, and feature a seal-lock lid to keep everything fresh. Plus, they come with scoops that attach to the bottom of the lid, making it easy to measure ingredients.
But I think my favourite feature is the built-in dusting scoop on the container I use for dark cocoa powder. Cocoa tends to get lumpy, and this scoop makes it super easy to dust cocoa over cakes or desserts. It’s also great for pure icing sugar, which can also get quite lumpy.
If you loved the Chocolate Cherry Mascarpone Layer Cake, you're going to love this celebration cake—maybe even more! Chocolate and lemon were made for each other, and if you haven’t tried this combo yet, prepare to fall in love. It’s also a little easier and quicker to make and assemble than the chocolate cherry version, especially if you use store-bought lemon curd.
This cake features two light yet fudgy chocolate layers, filled with a lemon-zest-spiced cream cheese and mascarpone filling, tangy lemon curd, and a generous dusting of dark cocoa over the top. It’s rich yet light and beautifully zingy—definitely one to try for your next celebration!
Ingredients
Vegetarian 
1 hour 15 minutes (+ cooling and setting time) 
12 Tangy lemon curd (store-bought is also fine, just may not be as tangy)
- 4 egg yolks
- 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 90g salted butter, roughly chopped
Chocolate cake
- 250g (250ml) (1 cup) buttermilk
- 160g (185ml) (3/4 cup) mild extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 220g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
- 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar/granulated sugar
- 185g (1 1/4 cup) plain all-purpose flour
- 75g (3/4 cup) unsweetened dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher/cooking salt
- 185ml (175g) (3/4 cup) hot coffee (helps the cocoa 'bloom' and enhances the chocolate flavour; substitute with hot water if preferred, though the coffee flavour won't be noticeable in the final result)
Lemon mascarpone cream cheese
- 500g cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 130g (1 cup) pure icing sugar
- 250g mascarpone
To assemble
- 1-2 tablespoons dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
Tangy lemon curd (skip this step if using store-bought)
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens.
- Add the chopped butter, stirring until fully melted and incorporated.
- Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cool.
Chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and line two 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, and caster sugar.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Divide evenly between the prepared cake tins.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until just cooked—this keeps the cake moist and fudgy.
- Let the cakes cool in their tins for 30 minutes. Speed up cooling by placing them in the freezer briefly, checking frequently to avoid freezing. Once cool, transfer to the fridge.
Lemon mascarpone cream cheese
- In a stand mixer or using hand beaters, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.
- Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth and lump-free.
- Add the mascarpone and gently beat until just combined—avoid overmixing, as mascarpone can split. A few turns of the beater or folding with a spatula is best.
- Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Assembly
- Ensure the cakes are completely cool.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
- Dollop half of the lemon mascarpone filling over the cake, then gently spread it out with the back of a spoon, creating a slight dip in the centre.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of lemon curd over the filling, don't be tempted to add too much, as the cake can slide (Store any leftover curd in the fridge or freezer for another use.)
- Place the second cake layer on top and gently press down.
- Spread the remaining mascarpone filling over the top, creating soft swooshes.
- Generously dust with cocoa powder.
- Store in the fridge overnight before serving, or for at least 6 hours, to allow the cake to settle and achieve the perfect texture.
NOTES
- Lemon Curd This homemade lemon curd is tangier than store-bought, but either works just fine. Store extra curd in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze it for later use.
- Chocolate Cake The hot coffee enhances the chocolate flavour but won’t make the cake taste like coffee. If preferred, replace it with hot water. Avoid overbaking—this cake is meant to be moist and fudgy. Start checking for doneness at 25 minutes with a skewer (it should have a few moist crumbs). Cool cakes completely before assembling; otherwise, the filling may melt.
- Mascarpone Filling Mascarpone can split if overmixed. Gently fold it in with a spatula or mix very briefly on low speed. If the filling softens too much, refrigerate for 15 minutes before spreading.
- Assembling & Serving Create a dip in the center of the mascarpone filling to hold the lemon curd in place. Don't be tempted to add too much lemon curd to the centre as the cake can slide off. if you wish, serve the remaining lemon curd on the side when dishing up. The cake is best served once it's been fully assembled and had time to set in the fridge overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Free Resources
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