Strawberry Lemonade Cake (Print View)
Moist strawberry and lemon layer cake with tangy cream cheese frosting, bursting with fresh summer fruit flavors.
# What You Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ tsp baking powder
03 - ½ tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
07 - ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
08 - 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
09 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
11 - ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
12 - ½ cup (120 ml) mashed fresh strawberries (about 1 cup whole), well-drained
→ Strawberry Lemonade Frosting
13 - 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
14 - ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
15 - ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh strawberry purée, strained to remove seeds
16 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
17 - 2 tsp lemon zest
18 - 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
19 - Pinch of salt
→ Garnish
20 - Sliced fresh strawberries
21 - Thinly sliced lemon wheels
22 - Edible flowers
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest.
05 - Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined to avoid developing excess gluten.
06 - Gently fold the well-drained mashed strawberries into the batter using a spatula. Take care not to overmix, which can toughen the crumb.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Smooth the tops and tap the pans gently on the counter to release trapped air bubbles. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
09 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy and smooth. Add the strained strawberry purée, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar and salt until the frosting is smooth, fluffy, and spreadable.
10 - Once the cake layers are completely cool, spread frosting evenly between the layers and over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, lemon wheels, and edible flowers as desired.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The tang from fresh lemon juice cuts right through the sweetness so it never tastes like a sugar bomb.
- That swirl of real mashed strawberries in the batter gives you pockets of fruit flavor that no extract can replicate.
- The cream cheese frosting stained pink with strawberry puree looks stunning without any food coloring.
02 -
- Undercooking this cake by even a few minutes leaves a gummy center that no amount of frosting can hide, so always test with a toothpick in the middle.
- Draining the mashed strawberries on paper towels for at least 10 minutes is the difference between a cake that rises proudly and one that collapses into a sad puddle.
03 -
- Wrap and freeze the baked cake layers for up to one month, then thaw them overnight at room temperature before frosting, and you will find they actually taste moister than fresh baked.
- Sifting the powdered sugar twice instead of once turns good frosting into frosting that spreads like a dream and looks professionally smooth.