Inspired by strawberry lemonade, this cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Light, moist, and buttery, this strawberry lemonade cake recipe is filled with a delicious strawberry lemon buttercream and strawberry reduction. Each bite is bursting with lemon and strawberry notes, making it a delightful combination of sweet, tart, tangy, and fresh.
This cake is so eye-catching with its beautiful pink frosting and fresh strawberries on top. It’s definitely going to become the focus of attention at every upcoming summer gathering. Want another irresistible cake? Try my red chocolate strawberry cake recipe, lemon cake recipe, and strawberry cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Strawberries — buy the reddest strawberries as they’ll be the sweetest. Strawberries do not continue to ripen once picked, so make sure to get the best ones.
Lemon — you need lemons for lemonade! I recommend using fresh lemon juice as you’ll get the best flavor since bottled juices do not have the same bright, fresh flavors. You’ll also need lemon zest, so you’ll have to pick up lemons anyway. The tart lemon zest compliments the sweet strawberries wonderfully in this cake, so do not skip it!
Leavening agents — always double-check that your baking powder and soda are fresh and not expired. Purchase a new container if they’ve expired or your cake crumb will not be light and tender.
Butter — I always recommend using unsalted butter as you will add measured salt to the batter. Be sure to bring the butter to room temperature. It needs to be soft enough, so your finger leaves a dent when you press into it. It will be challenging to beat the butter into a smooth and creamy consistency if it’s cold.
Milk — make sure you buy whole milk and not low-fat milk. Whole milk will give you the best flavor and add moisture to the cake.
Powdered sugar — you might find it labeled as confectioners’ sugar, icing sugar, and 10X, but they are all the same. If you’ve run out of powdered sugar, see my guide on how to make powdered sugar.
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade Cake
1. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook while frequently stirring until the mixture is thick and jammy. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat, alternating with the remaining flour and milk. Add the lemon juice and beat just until combined. Divide the batter among the three greased 8-inch baking pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes before transferring them to wire cooling racks to finish cooling.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in half of the powdered sugar before beating in the strawberry reduction. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar before adding the lemon juice and heavy cream. Beat on medium-low speed until fluffy.
6. Place 2 cups of frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Place a cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread ½ cup frosting over the top of the cake layer.
7. Pipe a border on the edge. Spread 3 tablespoons of strawberry reduction in the middle of the frosting border. Top with another cake layer and repeat with frosting and reduction.
8. Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the sides and top of the cake, and pipe decorations on the cake as desired.
9. Garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon zest if desired.
10. Pipe any leftover frosting on top between the garnishes if desired. Chill the strawberry lemonade cake for 2 hours before slicing.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- The strawberry reduction is essentially a quick jam. If you have any leftover, you can spoon a bit on a plate before placing a slice of cake on top for serving, or spoon it over ice cream for a fresh and tart topping.
- If the tops of the layers are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes so you can stack them evenly. For perfectly even layers, you can use cake strips. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to purchase cake strips, see my guide on how to DIY cake strips.
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour as it’s the most accurate method and will prevent you from ending up with dense cake layers. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- If the ingredients were refrigerated, such as the eggs, milk, and butter, it’s best to bring them to room temperature before using them to prevent having to overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter will lead to a tough cake.
- Did you know that cold cake layers are easier to assemble? If you’re worried about the cake breaking as you assemble it, make them ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator to chill them.
- Give the cake pans a few gentle taps on the counter to burst any air bubbles in the batter.
- When zesting a lemon, be careful not to zest the white parts. The white layer is the pith and tastes bitter.
- Always zest the lemons before juicing, as it’s much easier.
- Try adding a drizzle of my homemade lemon curd for more tart, lemony flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store this cake?
The cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 days ungarnished or in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you’ve added the garnishes, try using a cake dome to prevent the strawberries and frosting from squishing. If you do not have one, you can strategically place a few toothpicks on the strawberries to tent plastic wrap over the cake without touching the top.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make components of the strawberry lemonade cake or the entire cake ahead of time. I find it helpful to make the cake layers and strawberry reduction a couple of days ahead of time, then make the frosting and assemble the cake on the day of serving.
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes, this strawberry lemonade cake is freezer-friendly! You can freeze the assembled cake or individual slices. Wrap the cake or slices in a couple of layers of plastic before freezing for up to 3 months. Bring the cake to room temperature before you serve it. You can also freeze the cake layers to assemble the cake at a later date.
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If you’ve tried this Strawberry Lemonade Cake recipe, 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!
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Equipment
- 3 8" round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Wire cooling racks
- Piping bag
- Decorative tip (optional)
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Reduction:
- 3 cups chopped fresh strawberries (500g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (227g)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature (240ml)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
For the Buttercream:
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature (454g)
- 8 cups powdered sugar (about 2 pounds/ 900g)
- 6 tablespoons strawberry reduction (80ml)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the Strawberry Reduction
- In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened and jammy, 20 to 30 minutes. For a smoother reduction, blend the mixture or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl, loosely cover, and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally during mixing. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat, alternating with the remaining flour and milk. Scrape down the bowl. Add the lemon juice and beat just until combined. Divide the batter among the prepared baking pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the center of the cakes are springy to the touch and the sides are just starting to pull away from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire cooling racks.
For the Buttercream:
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in half of the powdered sugar. Beat in the strawberry reduction. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar. Stop occasionally during mixing to scrape down the bowl. Once combined, add the lemon juice and heavy cream and beat on medium-low speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
For the Assembly:
- Place 2 cups of frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip.
- Place a cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread ½ cup frosting over the top of the cake layer. Pipe a border on the edge. Spread 3 tablespoons of strawberry reduction in the middle of the frosting border. Top with another cake layer and repeat with frosting and reduction. Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the sides and top of the cake, and pipe decorations on the cake as desired. Garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon zest if desired. Chill the cake for 2 hours before slicing. The cake can be store at room temperature for up to 4 days ungarnished or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- The strawberry reduction is essentially a quick jam. If you have any leftover, you can spoon a bit on a plate before placing a slice of cake on top for serving, or spoon it over ice cream for a fresh and tart topping.
- If the tops of the layers are domed, use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the domes so you can stack them evenly. For perfectly even layers, you can use cake strips. Cake strips work by keeping the outside edge of the pan cooler to ensure that the entire cake rises at the same rate, preventing a dome from forming in the middle. If you don’t want to purchase cake strips, see my guide on how to DIY cake strips.
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour as it’s the most accurate method and will prevent you from ending up with dense cake layers. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- If the ingredients were refrigerated, such as the eggs, milk, and butter, it’s best to bring them to room temperature before using them to prevent having to overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter will lead to a tough cake.
- Did you know that cold cake layers are easier to assemble? If you’re worried about the cake breaking as you assemble it, make them ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator to chill them.
- Give the cake pans a few gentle taps on the counter to burst any air bubbles in the batter.
- When zesting a lemon, be careful not to zest the white parts. The white layer is the pith and tastes bitter.
- Always zest the lemons before juicing, as it’s much easier.
- Try adding a drizzle of my homemade lemon curd for more tart, lemony flavors.
Nutrition
