Strawberry Lemonade Cake Lemon Buttercream (Printable)
Fluffy strawberry-lemon layers with tangy buttercream frosting, ideal for summer celebrations and sunny gatherings.
# What You Need:
→ For the Strawberry Lemon Cake
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
09 - ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
10 - ½ cup milk, room temperature
11 - ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
12 - ⅔ cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - Pink or red food coloring (optional)
→ For the Creamy Lemon Buttercream
15 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
16 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
17 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest
18 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
19 - 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
20 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ For Decoration
21 - Fresh strawberries, halved
22 - Lemon slices or zest curls
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes using an electric mixer.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - In a separate measuring cup, combine lemon juice, milk, and sour cream. Whisk until smooth.
06 - With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the lemon-milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
07 - Gently fold in the chopped strawberries using a rubber spatula. If desired, add food coloring for a pink hue.
08 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
10 - Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and 2 tablespoons cream. Beat until fluffy, 3-5 minutes, adding more cream if needed for desired consistency.
11 - Once cakes are completely cool, level tops if needed. Spread a layer of buttercream between the cakes, then frost the top and sides evenly.
12 - Decorate with fresh strawberry halves and lemon slices or zest curls as desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The combination of fresh strawberries and bright lemon creates the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, never cloying or one note
- This cake stays incredibly moist for days thanks to the sour cream and fresh fruit folded into the batter
02 -
- Room temperature ingredients are essential for proper emulsification cold butter curdles and eggs don't incorporate smoothly
- Overmixing after adding flour develops gluten and makes your cake tough, so stop as soon as you see no dry streaks
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them, it's much harder to zest a squeezed lemon and you'll get more aromatic oil from the surface
- Freeze your fresh strawberries for 15 minutes before chopping so they hold their shape better in the batter