Strawberry Lemon Cake
Is there anything that says springtime more than a strawberry lemon cake?
This cake is so light and fluffy, and it has the perfect balance of sweetness and brightness from both the strawberries and the lemon. The strawberry and the lemon compliment each other without one overpowering the other.
The key to this cake is cooking the strawberries down to a puree; otherwise, the cake would be too wet. The other key ingredient is the lemon zest!
This cake does have quite a few steps, but it’s really not complicated when you get started, I promise! For this cake, I used 6-inch cake pans to make a three-tier cake, but you can use any size you’d like.
What If I Don’t Have Sour Cream?
If you don’t have sour cream on hand, greek yogurt will work just as well.
Are Fresh Or Frozen Strawberries Better For This Recipe?
That is entirely up to you, though I will say that fresh strawberries are normally sweeter than frozen ones. If you do use frozen berries, they might take a little longer to cook down than fresh ones.
Can I Use Another Cake Pan Size?
Absolutely! If you have 9-inch cake pans (most people do), this will make a two-layer cake instead of three. On the upside, there is less cook time!
What If I Only Have Salted Butter?
If you only have salted butter, omit the extra salt that the recipe calls for.
How To Make Lemon Strawberry Cake
Step 1
Assemble your ingredients.
Slice the strawberries and add them to a saucepan.
Step 2
Add a few tablespoons of water and simmer the berries down until a sauce is created (this should take about 10 minutes).
Stir frequently to prevent the berries from burning on the bottom. It should almost be a jam consistency when you are done.
Place in the fridge to cool.
Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until it is creamed.
Add in the eggs one at a time while continuing to mix.
Step 4
Now add the sour cream, milk, juice of one lemon, and vanilla extract. Once all of the wet ingredients are combined, add your flour mixture into the bowl, and mix until you have a cake batter.
Be careful to not overmix!
Step 5
Using a spatula, fold in the strawberry puree until combined. Add the cake batter to the cake pans, leaving 1.5 inches of room at the top. This will give the cake room to rise in the oven.
Bake the cakes for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is nicely golden brown.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then, let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before frosting (about 1 hour just to be safe).
Step 6
To make the frosting, use a blender, food processor, or even a coffee grinder to turn the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder. Set the powder aside.
Step 7
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are smooth.
While the mixer is running, add the tablespoon of milk and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you have a frosting consistency.
Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, and the strawberry powder to the frosting until just combined.
Step 8
Once the cakes are cooled, go ahead and frost them!
Step 9
After the cakes are frosted and assembled on top of one another, add sliced strawberries and lemon to the top of your cake.
Step 10
Enjoy!
Lemon Strawberry Cake
This lemon strawberry cake is the perfect summer treat! It's bright, tangy, and wonderfully sweet!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 pound strawberries
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the frosting
- 1 package freeze dried strawberries
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp milk
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- Fresh strawberries for decorating
Instructions
- Grease 2-3 6-inch cake pans and preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Slice the strawberries and add them to a saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of water and simmer the berries down until a sauce is created (this should take about 10 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent the berries from burning on the bottom. It should almost be a jam consistency when you are done. Place in the fridge to cool.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until it is creamed. Add in the eggs one at a time while continuing to mix.
- Now add the sour cream, milk, juice of one lemon, and vanilla extract. Once all of the wet ingredients are combined, add your flour mixture into the bowl, and mix until you have a cake batter. Be careful to not overmix.
- Using a spatula, fold in the strawberry puree until combined. Add the cake batter to the cake pans, leaving 1.5 inches of room at the top. This will give the cake room to rise in the oven.
- Bake the cakes for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is nicely golden brown. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then, let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before frosting (about 1 hour just to be safe).
- To make the frosting, using a blender, food processor, or even a coffee grinder, turn the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder and set them aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are smooth.
- While the mixer is running, add the tablespoon of milk and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you have a frosting consistency. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, and the strawberry powder to the frosting until just combined.
- Once the cake is cooled, frost your cake! After the cake is frosted, add sliced strawberries and lemon to the top of your cake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 648Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 325mgCarbohydrates: 97gFiber: 2gSugar: 70gProtein: 6g
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