Strawberry Lemonade With Lemon Buttercream (Printable Version)
Fluffy strawberry-lemon layers with tangy buttercream frosting
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Strawberry Lemon Cake
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ½ tsp baking powder
03 - ½ tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tbsp 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 tsp 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 tbsp lemon zest
18 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
19 - 2–3 tbsp heavy cream or milk
20 - ¼ tsp salt
→ For Decoration
21 - Fresh strawberries, halved
22 - Lemon slices or zest curls
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, lining bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3–4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
05 - Combine lemon juice, milk, and sour cream in a separate bowl or measuring cup.
06 - With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and lemon-milk mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just incorporated.
07 - Gently fold chopped strawberries into batter. Add food coloring if desired for pink tint.
08 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with spatula.
09 - Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center emerges clean.
10 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
11 - Beat butter until creamy. Blend in powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and 2 tbsp cream. Whip until fluffy, 3–5 minutes, adding more cream if needed for consistency.
12 - Level cooled cake tops if necessary. Spread buttercream layer between cakes, then frost top and sides.
13 - Garnish with fresh strawberry halves and lemon slices or zest curls.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The combination of fresh strawberries and bright lemon creates the perfect balance of sweet and tangy
- That buttercream is dangerously good and somehow manages to be both rich and refreshing
02 -
- All ingredients must be at room temperature or they won't emulsify properly
- Letting the cakes cool completely before frosting prevents the buttercream from melting and sliding off
03 -
- Add a thin layer of strawberry jam between cake layers for an explosion of strawberry flavor
- Freeze your cake layers for 30 minutes before frosting to reduce crumbs