Space charge build-up in standard XLPE insulated AC cables has been studied under varying temperature and field conditions. The cables were triple-extruded with the inner semicon on a solid aluminum conductor, 5.5mm XLPE-insulation and an outer semicon. The cables were stressed up to 15kV/mm DC and temperatures were applied in the 20 - 80°C range with gradients across the insulation of up to 15°C. In this paper, the observed charge phenomena in the bulk and at the interfaces are related to the external conditions, in particular to the temperature gradient. The measured space charge distributions are compared to calculated values, based on available conduction models and the deviations are discussed thoroughly.