Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Strawberries and lemonade say 'summer', don't they? Combining these flavors in a cake makes a tangy, sweet dessert or snack. Garnish with additional fresh strawberries and lemon slices.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 655 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar
• 1 (10 ounce) jar lemon curd
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons strawberry extract
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup frozen pink lemonade from concentrate, thawed
• 2 drops red food coloring, or more as needed (Optional)
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 8 large fresh strawberries, stemmed, or more as needed
• ⅛ teaspoon strawberry extract, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Step 2

Place cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into the bowl of an electric mixer and stir to combine.

Step 3

Stir lemonade concentrate, milk, eggs, 2 teaspoons strawberry extract, lemon extract, and food coloring together in a separate bowl.

Step 4

Add 12 tablespoons cubed butter to the flour mixture, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, and mix on low speed until all butter is added and the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Step 5

Resume mixing at medium speed; add 1/2 of the egg mixture slowly and mix, about 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Resume mixing at medium speed; add remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, about 20 seconds after each addition, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 28 to 33 minutes.

Step 7

Remove cakes from the oven and let cool on cooling racks for 10 minutes. Turn cake layers out onto the racks to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 8

While cakes cool, place 8 strawberries into a small food processor or an electric blender. Blend to make 1/4 cup puree.

Step 9

Place 10 tablespoons softened butter and a pinch of kosher salt into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1/8 teaspoon strawberry extract. Gradually add about 1/3 of the confectioners' sugar to the butter while continuing to mix. Add 1/2 of the strawberry puree, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, and continue mixing.

Step 10

Add the next 1/3 of the confectioners' sugar, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in remaining strawberry puree. Sprinkle in the remaining confectioners' sugar and mix until desired consistency is reached, adding more confectioners' sugar or strawberry puree as needed.

Step 11

Place the cooled bottom cake layer on a serving plate and spread the top with lemon curd. Place the second layer on top of the first and frost with strawberry buttercream starting with the sides, then the top of the cake.