Strawberry Lemonade Cake (Printable)
Moist citrusy cake loaded with fresh strawberries and tangy lemonade frosting for a bright summer treat.
# What You Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
09 - ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1 cup buttermilk
12 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
→ Strawberry Lemonade Frosting
13 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
14 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
15 - ¼ cup lemon juice
16 - 2 tablespoons strawberry puree
17 - Pinch of salt
18 - Lemon zest and sliced strawberries for garnish (optional)
# How To Cook:
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 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 with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until incorporated.
04 - Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Gently fold the diced fresh strawberries into the batter using a spatula, distributing them evenly throughout.
06 - Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean.
07 - Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
08 - Beat the softened butter until creamy using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, then blend in the lemon juice and strawberry puree. Beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt to taste if desired.
09 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread approximately one-third of the frosting evenly across the top. Position the second layer on top and frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh strawberry slices if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The combination of fresh strawberry pieces and bright lemon zest makes this cake taste like nothing you will find at a bakery.
- That frosting whips up into something tangy and sweet that people will genuinely ask you about by name.
02 -
- I once tried to frost this cake while the layers were still slightly warm and the entire thing slid apart like a slow-motion landslide.
- Tossing the diced strawberries in a spoonful of flour before folding them in was a game changer that kept them suspended throughout the cake instead of pooling at the bottom.
03 -
- Let the cake layers cool completely and then wrap them in plastic wrap for an hour in the fridge before frosting, because firm layers are dramatically easier to work with.
- A tiny pinch of salt in the frosting transforms it from merely sweet into something people will remember and ask about.