Description
This Strawberry Lemonade Cake is your sunshine-on-a-plate moment! Layers of soft, zesty lemon cake meet fresh strawberry buttercream in the ultimate sweet-and-tangy treat. Bright, fruity, and anything but boring—this is the cake your summer celebrations have been waiting for!
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cake:
3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp organic lemon zest
8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup lemon juice
For the Strawberry Reduction:
32 oz fresh strawberries
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Strawberry Buttercream:
16 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup strawberry reduction (cooled)
For Assembly:
8 oz fresh strawberries, sliced and patted dry overnight
6 small whole strawberries
6 lemon slices
6 paper straws, trimmed to 3″
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8″ cake pans. Line with parchment.
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Sift dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest) and set aside.
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In a small bowl, mix milk and lemon juice—let it rest as it curdles into homemade buttermilk goodness.
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In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy (about 4 minutes).
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Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts.
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Add the flour mixture and lemon milk alternately, beginning and finishing with the flour.
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Divide the batter into pans. Bake 28–30 minutes. Let cool on racks.
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For the reduction: Simmer strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice until soft. Strain out seeds and return to pan. Simmer until reduced to ¼ cup. Cool completely.
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For buttercream: Beat butter and salt until creamy. Add vanilla and cooled strawberry reduction. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time until light and fluffy. Reserve ½ cup for decorating.
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Assemble: Place one cake layer on stand. Spread ½ cup frosting, add sliced strawberries. Repeat with second layer.
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Place the final cake layer on top and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
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Pipe six swirls and decorate with whole strawberries, lemon slices, and straws!
Notes
For a simple swap: If using all-purpose flour, remove 2 tbsp per cup and replace with 2 tbsp cornstarch.
For extra zing: Stir a tablespoon of lemon zest into the buttercream.
Dry your strawberries well to keep the buttercream smooth.
Want flat layers? Level them with a serrated knife before stacking.
Let the cake rest at room temp for 30 mins before serving for perfect flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes (1 hour (cooling, assembling, decorating))
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 575
- Sugar: 55g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 110mg