Best Strawberry Lemonade Cake With Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipes

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CAKE

Steps:

• Place strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice for the reduction into an electric blender and puree until smooth.
• Pour strawberry mixture into a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced by 1/2, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons for cake and frosting; remainder will be used as cake filling.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat sugar and butter using an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in 1/2 of the sour cream, and 1/2 of the lemon juice. Repeat alternating additions of flour mixture and sour cream plus lemon juice until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
• Place 1/2 of the batter into a separate bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup strawberry reduction. Place dollops of both lemon and strawberry-lemon batters alternately into the prepared cake pans. Swirl batters together with a butter knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans before removing and transferring cakes to a wire rack to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.
• While cakes are cooling, beat butter for frosting with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Mix in 5 tablespoons strawberry reduction, lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt until combined. Pour in heavy cream and beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add additional powdered sugar if too thin, or additional heavy cream if too thick, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Place 1 cooled cake layer on a serving platter and cover top with a thin layer of frosting. Pipe a border around the edge of the cake layer using a piping bag filled with frosting, leaving the center open. Pour remaining strawberry reduction into the center of the border, making sure it doesn't overflow over the sides. Place second cake layer on top and continue to frost as desired. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

REAL STRAWBERRY FROSTING

Steps:

• Place strawberries in a blender; puree until smooth.
• Transfer strawberry puree to a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring often, until puree is reduced by at least half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
• Beat butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat 1 cup confectioners' sugar into butter until just blended.
• Beat 2 tablespoons strawberry puree and vanilla extract into butter mixture until just blended.
• Repeat with 1 cup confectioners' sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons strawberry puree two more times.
• Beat last 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into mixture until just blended.

STRAWBERRY-LEMONADE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• Stir together flour and next 2 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in zest and juice.
• Beat egg whites in a large bowl at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon batter into 4 greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• Bake at 350° for 16 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
• Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter, and spread with about 1/2 cup Strawberry-Lemonade Jam, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Spoon 1 cup Strawberry Frosting into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe a ring of frosting around cake layer just inside the top edge. Top with second and third cake layers, repeating procedure with filling and frosting between each layer. Top with last cake layer, and spread remaining Strawberry Frosting on top and sides of cake.