Strawberry Lemonade Cake (Printable)
Moist strawberry lemon cake with tangy cream cheese frosting, bursting with fresh berry and citrus 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 Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, then 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 on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until fully combined.
05 - Add the dry ingredient mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined — do not overmix.
06 - Gently fold the well-drained mashed strawberries into the batter using a spatula, taking care not to overmix.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the two 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 the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire cooling racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy and smooth. Add the strawberry purée, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar and pinch of salt until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
10 - Once the cake layers are completely cool, spread frosting between the layers and over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with sliced strawberries, lemon wheels, and edible flowers as desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The tang from fresh lemon juice and the sweetness of real strawberries balance each other perfectly without tasting like candy.
- Cream cheese frosting infused with strawberry puree is genuinely surprising to people when they take their first bite.
- It looks like it took all day but the whole thing comes together in just over an hour.
02 -
- Impatience is the enemy here and if you try to frost a cake that is even slightly warm the cream cheese will slide right off in a depressing puddle.
- Mashed strawberries hold more water than you expect so drain them well on paper towels or your cake center will sink and stay gummy.
03 -
- Room temperature ingredients are not a suggestion here and cold eggs or buttermilk will make the batter break and look curdled beyond repair.
- Straining the strawberry puree for the frosting through a fine mesh sieve takes thirty seconds but gives you a finish so smooth people will ask what bakery made it.