Strawberry Lemon Cake
developed & tested by:
This four-layer strawberry lemon cake is bursting with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, and bright lemon juice and zest in the both the cake & buttercream frosting.
Equipment
Ingredients
Strawberry Lemon Cake
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note below on how to make buttermilk at home)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon)
- ½ cup lemon juice (from about 2 large lemons)
- 3 ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
- 1 cup strawberry jam
Strawberry Lemon Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened overnight to room temperature (4 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon)
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare and Bake the Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the buttermilk, vegetable oil, Greek yogurt, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
- Add in the 3¾ cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix it all together with a large spoon or silicon spatula just until the batter is combined and you don't see any dry flour.
- In a small bowl, toss the diced strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Gently fold the flour-coated diced strawberries and the strawberry jam into the cake batter.
- Divide the batter evenly into your four round baking tins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool for five minutes in the pans, then remove them and set them on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours.
This recipe can make either a four-layer cake. Grease as many cake pans as you have/need. I made a four layer cake and I have two pans, so I baked the first two layers, popped them out and let the pans cool for about 10 minutes, then I re-greased the pans and baked the second two layers. Keep any cake batter that you're not currently baking tightly covered in the fridge.
This helps coat the strawberries so they don't all sink to the bottom of the cake while it's baking.
Prepare the Frosting
- In a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand whisk, beat the softened butter for about 5 minutes, until it is soft and fluffy.
- Add one cup of powdered sugar and beat it on a low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Continue beating in one cup of powdered sugar at a time until it's all mixed in and the frosting is smooth, fluffy and pale yellow.
- Mix in the strawberry jam until it's incorporated.
If you feel like your buttercream is still too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time and beat that in to help loosen your buttercream. The frosting should be stiff enough to stick on the sides of your cake without sliding down.
Assemble the Cake
- Trim the caramelized edges off the four cake rounds. Trim the tops off the cakes so they are level.
- Place the first cake layer in the center of a plate or cake stand. Spread out a few large dollops of the buttercream on top of the first layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream, making sure this cake layer is centered on top of the first layer. Spread out a few more large dollops of the buttercream on top of the second layer. Repeat for the third and fourth layers of the cake.
- Spread the remaining buttercream on the sides of the cake. Use a butter knife or a pallet knife to get the buttercream even and smooth on the top and the sides. Top with fresh strawberries & sliced lemons.
If you plan to transport this cake somewhere, refrigerate the cake for at least one hour, so the buttercream has time to set and harden a bit.
Notes
- Homemade Buttermilk: Combine one tablespoon of lemon juice with one scant cup of milk. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to curdle slightly.
- Storing: Cover any exposed cake slices with plastic cling wrap & store leftovers in the fridge. If you decorate your cake with fresh strawberries, the red color might bleed onto your buttercream, so I usually remove the fruit topping when storing it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 16)Calories: 711kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 6gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 347mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 2gSugar: 67gVitamin A: 782IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!