Strawberry Lemonade Cake (Printable)
Moist, tangy cake blending fresh strawberries and zesty lemon, finished with creamy strawberry-lemon frosting.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ tsp baking powder
03 - ½ tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1½ cups granulated sugar
07 - ¼ cup 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 buttermilk, room temperature
12 - ½ cup mashed fresh strawberries (about 1 cup whole), well-drained
→ Strawberry Lemonade Frosting
13 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
14 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
15 - ⅓ cup fresh strawberry purée, strained to remove seeds
16 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
17 - 2 tsp lemon zest
18 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
19 - Pinch of salt
→ Garnish
20 - Sliced fresh strawberries
21 - Thinly sliced lemon wheels
22 - Edible flowers
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir 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.
06 - Gently fold the well-drained mashed strawberries into the batter, being careful not to overmix.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Smooth the tops and tap the pans gently on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Blend in the strawberry purée, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and salt, beating until smooth and fluffy.
10 - Once the cake layers are completely cool, spread frosting between the layers and over the top and sides. Garnish with sliced strawberries, lemon wheels, and edible flowers as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The tang of fresh lemon and the sweetness of ripe strawberries make this taste like summer in cake form, and people will ask you for the recipe every single time you serve it.
- Cream cheese frosting infused with real strawberry puree is the kind of thing that makes you lick the bowl clean before anyone else gets near it.
02 -
- Underbaked layers will collapse under the weight of the frosting so test with a toothpick in the exact center and if any wet batter clings, give it another three minutes.
- I once tried frosting a cake that was even slightly warm and watched the whole thing slide apart like a slow motion avalanche so patience is genuinely the most important ingredient here.
03 -
- Strain the strawberry puree for the frosting through a fine mesh sieve because those tiny seeds will undermine the silky texture you worked hard to achieve.
- Everything tastes better when your butter, cream cheese, eggs, and buttermilk are at true room temperature so plan ahead and pull them from the fridge an hour before you start.