This strawberry lemon cake is super moist, flavorful and easy to make, well the batter and buttercreams are easy at least. The decoration scheme is not crazy but maybe a bit above beginner level. I’ve taken to using strained strawberry jams to flavor cakes lately and have loved the results. I used to make fresh reductions for these cakes but the results are so similar and yet much faster when using jam; time-savers will always win when flavor isn’t compromised! Adding lemon zest to the batter makes a huge difference bringing in a lot of zing and brightness to help the strawberry flavor shine. This batter would be great for a pink lemonade cake BTW.
So first off I love the overall effect of this cake. To my eye it looks like a piece of delicate porcelain, which I’m all about! I’ve wanted to make a painted cake for the longest time but for some reason I found it intimidating. I finally decided to practice on a plate and that really took all my worries away as there was not ruined cake in the picture!
Many, many, many years ago I was an art major at UCLA and after graduating painted for a good number of years; selling a few works here and there. Anyhow, this should be just my type of cake but it was a bit intimidating since I had high expectations of myself and no direct experience in the medium of buttercream!
- I practiced a bit on a plate to get the feel for applying the petals with a palette knife, piping the stamens and leaves etc. After you get the hang of it the process is really not difficult.
- I ended up using a small petal tip (61) for the last few petals in the foreground of each flower. It was much easier than applying with only a palette knife although that is totally doable. Almost all of the flowers on the plate were done with a palette knife for all of the petals.
- The leaves were piped on with a 349 tip.
How to Make a Painted Cake
1. Preheat oven to 340F. Butter and flour three 6-inch cake pans. Soak baking strips in water. Strain the strawberry preserves. Sift dry ingredients (including sugar). Whisk to combine.
2. In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
3. Combine wet and dry mixtures. Whisk until combined. Add a few drops of pink food coloring until a desired consistency is reached. If the batter is lumpy, it’s okay! Add damp baking strips to the cake pans. Evenly distribute batter into pans. I like to use a kitchen scale for precision. Bake for about 30- 35 minutes or until the centers are set and springy to the touch.
4. In a stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Sift in half of the confectioners sugar. Mix, then add the rest. Squeeze lemon juice and combine. Reserve ¼ cup of the white buttercream to dye green for the stems and leaves. Transfer ½ the plain white buttercream from the standing mixer to a piping bag. Snip off the tip. Add in 1 tbsp of strained strawberry preserves to the remaining buttercream. Mix until combined. Save about 1-2 cups for the flowers in a separate bowl. Transfer the strawberry buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip. Use food coloring to dye the buttercream different shades of pink to orange for the flowers.
5. Pipe the strawberry buttercream between each layer.
6. Crumb coat the cake.
7. smooth with a scraper.
8. Pipe a thin layer of plain white buttercream on the outside of the cake. Even out with a hot scraper and offset spatula. Chill for about 30 minutes.
9. Using a palette knife, sculpt flowers from the pink and orange buttercream.
10. Add details.
11. Pipe on stems
12. Pipe on leaves.
If you’ve tried this painted cake then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Painted Cake
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 213g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 228g
- 1 tsp baking powder 3g
- ¼ tsp baking soda 1g
- ¾ cup butter 176g, room temperature or melted
- ¼ cup whole milk 60ml, warm
- ¼ cup strawberry preserves 46g, strained, warm
- ½ cup sour cream 120ml
- 3 tsp vanilla extract 10g
- 3 egg whites large
- Pink food coloring
For the American Buttercream:
- 1 lb confectioners sugar 462g
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 228g, room temperature
- 1 tbsp strawberry preserve strained
- 2 tbsp lemon juice strained
- Pink, orange and green food coloring
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 340F. Butter and flour three 6-inch cake pans. Soak baking strips in water. Strain the strawberry preserves.
- Sift dry ingredients (including sugar). Whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures. Whisk until combined. Add a few drops of pink food coloring until a desired consistency is reached. If the batter is lumpy, it’s okay!
- Add damp baking strips to the cake pans.
- Evenly distribute batter into pans. I like to use a kitchen scale for precision.
- Bake for about 30- 35 minutes or until the centers are set and springy to the touch.
For the American Buttercream:
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy.
- Sift in half of the confectioners sugar. Mix, then add the rest.
- Squeeze lemon juice and combine.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the white buttercream to dye green for the stems and leaves.
- Transfer ½ the plain white buttercream from the standing mixer to a piping bag. Snip off the tip.
- Add in 1 tbsp of strained strawberry preserves to the remaining buttercream. Mix until combined.
- Save about 1-2 cups for the flowers in a separate bowl. Transfer the strawberry buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip.
- Use food coloring to dye the buttercream different shades of pink to orange for the flowers.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe the strawberry buttercream between each layer.
- Crumb coat the cake and smooth with a scraper.
- Pipe a thin layer of plain white buttercream on the outside of the cake. Even out with a hot scraper and offset spatula. Chill for about 30 minutes.
- Using a palette knife, sculpt flowers from the pink and orange buttercream. Add details, stems and leaves.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- I used an American buttercream for this cake but if you like things on the less sweet side then I would substitute an Italian meringue buttercream in, much less sweet but so creamy and silky. It really lets the cake shine through. I stuck with a traditional American buttercream because it’s more stable in warmer temperatures and thicker in consistency making it more forgiving to paint with.
- To achieve some extra depth you can mix up some batches or buttercream with more coloring, then use that for different parts of the flower. I often do this when piping roses and it really helps.
- I know this cake is decorated to heck and back, which isn’t always a feasible thing to do. Feel free to make this as a naked cake or to employ any decoration scheme you’d like!
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS RECIPE THEN TRY SOME OF THESE OUT
My sister-in-law sent me one of your cake recipes through Instagram and I subscribed to your blog immediately!! Your creations are amazing. I have been watching your videos and can’t decide which cake to try first! It’s a toss up at the moment between the lemon blueberry and the strawberry one 🙂 I have a couple of questions…I don’t have 6” pans at the moment. Would this recipe work with 2-8” pans or would I have to increase it? Also, I love your wooden cake stand. Would you please share the source?
Thanks!
Lori,
I would double the recipe is you’re using two 8-inch pans! Make some cupcakes if you have extra batter! The cake stand was a gift, but I bet you could find one on etsy! I’m so excited for you to bake this cake!
John
John,
I will double the recipe…making cupcakes is the perfect solution for any extra batter! I will also check on Etsy for the wooden cake stand. They have everything on there, don’t they? Thank you so much for the prompt reply to my questions. Happy baking!
Such a beautiful cake! Just wanted to ask a potentially silly question, how do you heat up your scraper? Is that the trick to getting your beautifully smooth frosting finish? Thank you!
Desiree,
Yes! I use scalding hot tap water to heat up my tools before every pass! It will melt the buttercream a tiny bit and create a smooth finish!
John
Awesome! 🙂 Thanks so much for the tip, John!
You’re very welcome!
Looks beautiful! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi, I am in Australia, I didn’t see anything in supermarket except strawberry jam. In your recipe, you have used strawberry preserves. What can be the alternative? Do I need to make it by myself? Can I use frozen strawberries ?
Thanks
Madi
Madi,
You can use strawberry jam for the flavor! It’s very similar! Hope you enjoy!
John
Ok…..this is by far the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen! ?
Jayne,
Thank you so much! I hope you get to try it!
John
Wow! Must be delicious!
May I know is there any sequence for whisking wet ingredients? And when should I stop whisking?
Thanks John
Daphne,
Whisk the wet ingredients until they are combined and smooth! Hope you enjoy!
John
Hi
I want to make this cake at home but have no idea how to store it. Do you making think 2 days in advance would be okay? Would placing it in a cake box and then fridge be suitable? I don’t have any alternatives for cooling but this cake is so beautiful I have to try it!
Afrin,
You can definitely make it a few days in advance! Keep it in a box or a cake cloche! Hope you love the cake!
John
This will be the third strawberry cake I attempt, the first went well but used too many strawberries, the second didn’t have the strong flavour I wanted. Hoping this is the one!
JUST BEAUTIFUL! wow, I have seen a lot of great looking cakes, but this is my fav, by far. I really find it encouraging when such great instructions are given. I know I have to find the time and see if I can get something close to this beautiful creation. I have a question. You say to soak baking strips for the pan? I know I have heard of that before, but where do I find them and what exactly are they. What would I look for in a store? I bought 3 6″ pans not too long ago and am just so excited to imagine making this. I will follow your recipe to a tee.
Carol,
Check out my post on how to get perfect cake layers!> Soak the layers before using them. I got mine on amazon, but you could maybe find them at Michaels. Hope you enjoy the cake!
John
Love this cake I wish it showed how you were using the pallet knife a little better I love the idea In obsessed with all the new tips out there but this looks very interesting i love experimenting .I think my friends do too they get the creations lol.
Hey Patti,
Go ahead and give it a try! You can always practice as much as you want on a different surface. Practice makes perfect!
Happy baking!
-John
Oh, my goodness! I had just pinned this from another site because it was so gorgeous. So excited to have found your tutorial on it. You do an amazing job with your tutorials!
Hey Donna,
Thank you so much! Are you going to make the cake?
Best,
John
Hello, John. I’m so glad I found you!!! I love your creations and I think you’re such a cool guy. I just had a question for you… I’m from México and, as in many latin countries, cakes are wet here: Is it right if I dampen the cake layers of your recipes. I tried before to damp some other cake layers from different recipes and it doesn’t work out 🙁
Hello Betza,
Thank you so much! I’m sorry to hear that didn’t work with some of the other recipes. It should be fine! What about it didn’t work out?
Best,
John
I have studied communication research. My brothers in law sell cakes and I never expect to fall in love with their proffesion. By now I had two little children and I can’t study again. Now I wish to get a cake shop and I thought it was so easy to make beautiful cakes because I learned one recipe from my brothers in law. And I sold several cakes from my home to begin. Last January, when I tried a diferent one I took from a video for my baby shower, I was dampen the cake as milk was draining through the cake layers, but they never got moistened. So I decided to continue with my first recipe. Those cake layers were perfect but people didn’t like the dry cake I serve them 🙁
I am curious about the baking strips and what happened to the last message I sent in regard to this question. Can you explain what you mean about baking strips soaking?
I saw where my messae is. So thatnkyou for responding and sorry about the confusion here on my end! Have a great day I love your blog!?
You are so talented!!! In the visual photos, (how to make a painted cake), #9 photo is my dreaded step! It`s a blank slate! Perhaps, I should stop overthinking. If i mess up (and i have)…. it’s the first stroke that is most frustrating.
Thank You for your blog 🙂
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for the feedback! You can always practice on another surface until you feel more comfortable! It becomes easier as you go! 🙂
Thanks for your kind words!
Best,
John
Your white cake is AMAZING! You need to be on the “ Food Network”! I’m a religious subscriber now. THANK YOU for showing me all of the techniques that I have been unsuccessfully trying to research for YEARS!
Hello Ann,
You are too sweet!! I’m happy you enjoyed the cake and have been learning new baking techniques through the recipes! What will you bake next??
Best,
John
So…I attempted this cake, decoration and all. As I am attempting the roses, my husband says “Nice strawberry blossoms.” Ok, I’ll go with that. Then I attempt rose buds, He says “ What are those? Butterflies?” Ha, ha. It was a little more apparent when I put some stems on. Still, I was pretty happy with it. Guess I need to go to art class.
Thanks so much for this tutorial! You cake art is just beautiful ( and enviable 🙂 ).