Soft and zesty lemon cake layers with bright strawberry buttercream that’s bursting with authentic flavor – this is the BEST strawberry lemon cake and it’s unbelievably easy to make. You’ll use every part of the lemon to infuse this cake with zingy natural flavor and freeze-dried strawberries make the buttercream shine. It’s deliciously refreshing, a classic flavor combination, and beautiful inside and out with the naturally pink strawberry-flecked buttercream. And while it’s the ideal cake for a brunch or any Spring/Summer gathering, no one will complain if you make this strawberry lemon cake year round!
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Lemon Cake
- Easy to Make. There are only two elements to make here: lemon cake and strawberry buttercream. Both are super easy and quick to make with simple ingredients and techniques.
- Classic Flavors. Lemon and strawberry are a beautiful flavor combination that is tried and true. The flavors really compliment one another and keep this cake so light and refreshing!
- Naturally Beautiful. No food coloring going on here. The natural pink color of this frosting comes from freeze-dried strawberries (my favorite way to flavor strawberry buttercream)! If you can’t find freeze-dried strawberries easily, I have an alternative recipe for strawberry buttercream using fresh or frozen berries in the notes of the recipe card. You’ll still end up with a beautiful naturally pink buttercream!
- Perfectly Sweet and Tart. Between the zesty lemon and sweet strawberries, this cake is vibrant, beautifully refreshing and balances sweet and tart effortlessly.
Soft & Zesty Lemon Cake
I developed the recipe for this lemon cake years ago for my book Anyone Can Cake and have been obsessed with it ever since. It’s super soft and fluffy, perfectly moist (and stays that way for days!) and the lemon flavor comes through beautifully. The recipe begins by blending lemon zest with granulated sugar until the natural oils are released, infusing the cake with powerful flavor from the beginning. You’ll also add fresh lemon juice to the milk in the recipe for adding at the end, which not only bumps up the lemon flavor slightly but creates a homemade buttermilk that adds tons of moisture to the crumb. I like adding a little lemon extract to take the flavor beyond, but it’s optional. Either way, the lemon flavor really shines.
Bright & Flavorful Strawberry Buttercream
The strawberry buttercream uses my favorite ingredient for creating the most authentic flavor: freeze-dried strawberries. Contrary to fresh/frozen berries which contain lots of extra liquid (which compromises buttercream consistency), freeze-dried berries use a process that freezes them, then evaporates all the liquid. What’s left is a crunchy strawberry with amplified flavor. This makes it possible to grind the freeze-dried strawberries into powder that is then added to the buttercream to create amazing strawberry flavor and beautiful natural color – all without watering down the buttercream! The end result is silky smooth, perfect consistency for cake decorating, and packed with natural strawberry flavor.
Freeze-dried strawberries can be found in the snack section of most grocery stores (I’ve found them at Kroger/Fred Meyer, New Seasons, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and even Target). If you are having a hard time finding them locally, they are available on Amazon. I also have included a recipe for fresh strawberry buttercream in the notes section of the recipe card below if you’d rather use fresh or frozen strawberries.
How to Decorate this Strawberry Lemon Cake
Once you have your lemon cake layers baked and cooled and have your strawberry buttercream ready to go, you can decorate this cake in any way and it’s sure to be a showstopper. The strawberry buttercream is so beautiful to look at! Here’s how to decorate this strawberry lemon cake as pictured if you want to replicate the look:
Step 1: Build the Layer Cake. Use a cake leveler or serrated knife to level the cake layers (optional). Place the first cake layer onto a cardboard cake circle, then add strawberry buttercream and smooth it down until it’s about ½ inch thick. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat the filling and stacking process until you reach the final layer, which you’ll place upside down so that the bottom of the cake layer becomes the top of the cake.
Frost a thin layer of strawberry buttercream all over the cake as a crumb coat, then place the cake in the refrigerator to let the frosting firm up before moving on. This step locks in the shape of the cake.
Step 2: Frost a Smooth Finish with Rustic Edges. First add strawberry buttercream to the top of the cake and use an angled spatula to swipe some rustic textures, then add the rest of the buttercream to the sides of the cake. Use an icing smoother to frost a smooth buttercream finish on the sides, but keep the top edges rustic and jagged (aka don’t swipe them inward).
Step 3: Top with Strawberries, Lemons, and Chamomile. Slice some fresh strawberries in half, quarter some lemon slices, and alternate adding them to the top of the cake halfway around (or all around if you feel like it!). Fill in some of the spaces with fresh chamomile flowers.
Tip: I found chamomile at my local Trader Joe’s but you might be able to find them at any natural food store that has a floral section. They’re most popular in April and May. If you can’t find them, don’t worry! This cake looks eye-catching and gorgeous even without the chamomile.
I think this strawberry lemon cake would look amazing frosted with rustic texture or decorated any way – you really can’t go wrong with these natural colors! However you decorate, it’s going to be absolutely delicious.
Similar Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re a fan of this strawberry lemon cake recipe, here are some similar recipes from my blog that you might love as well:
- Strawberry Layer Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Lemon Lavender Cake
I hope you love this strawberry lemon layer cake as much as I do! Let me know if you make it in the comments below (don’t forget to rate it!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you create!
Strawberry Lemon Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Layer Cake
- 1 1/4 Cups (300ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice about 1 medium lemon
- 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest about 1 medium lemon
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract (optional)
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 Cups (29g) freeze-dried strawberries*
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Garnish
- 2 lemon slices, quartered
- 3 strawberries, halved
- fresh chamomile flowers
Instructions
Make the Lemon Layer Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC). Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans.
- In a jar or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice with the milk. Stir and set aside. It will curdle by the time you add it to the recipe at the end, and the curdling is the chemical reaction we want!
- Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute. Add the butter and cream it together with the lemon-sugar mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the egg whites one at a time. Add the vegetable oil and lemon extract (if using) and beat at high speed for one minute.
- Turn the mixer off and add the cake flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the lemon-milk mixture. Mix until smooth and fully combined, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool for 5 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Transfer the cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Make the Strawberry Buttercream
- With a food processor, grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder and set aside. After grinding, you'll be left with a little less than 1/3 Cup of strawberry powder.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer and large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until it’s creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes. Add the strawberry powder, vanilla, and milk. Continue to mix on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping down the bowl and paddle afterwards.
- Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition. Add the salt and continue mixing on low speed until the buttercream is fully combined and silky smooth.
Assembly
- Once the lemon cake layers are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of strawberry buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake layers with strawberry buttercream. Crumb coat the cake with strawberry buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- To create the design pictured, add about 1/3 Cup of strawberry buttercream onto the top of the cake and smooth it down before creating rustic texture with a small icing spatula. Frost a smooth buttercream finish onto the sides of the cake but keep the top edge raw, meaning don’t swipe it inward to create sharp edges. Alternate adding quartered lemon slices and halved strawberries halfway around the top edge of the cake. Fill in some of the gaps in the design with chamomile flowers.
Notes
- The lemon cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The strawberry buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.
- The decorated cake can be stored at room temperature (covered) or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend placing the fresh fruit on top the day you’re serving it and if stored in the refrigerator, take it out a couple hours before serving so it’s room temperature.
What would you recommend doing if I don’t have a food processor for the strawberries?
Hi Karoline! The best alternative to a food processor would be adding the freeze-dried strawberries into a Ziploc bag and crushing them down with a rolling pin into a fine powder. If you have a mortar and pestle that would work as well. Hope that helps!
Can you use cream cheese icing for this?
Hi Rebekah! Sure, cream cheese buttercream would be delicious on this lemon cake. You could alternatively substitute some of the butter in the strawberry buttercream with cream cheese to make a strawberry cream cheese frosting. Hope that helps!
Could we substitute the lemon for lime? So lime zest, juice and extract? I love raspberry lemon but I also would love to try lime, you dont have any lime or key lime cake recipes on here so I figured I’d inquire about substitutions. Speaking of which you should do a key lime pie inspired cake! Or coconut lime! Thank you you always have the best recipes.
Hi Jaclyn! Yes, you could absolutely sub the lemon for lime. That sounds delicious! And I will certainly add those lime cake ideas to my recipe list! Thank you for the recommendations 🙂
Can you sub avocado oil for the vegetable oil?
Hi Nancy! Yes, you can sub avocado oil or any neutral oil. Enjoy!
Curious, can one not substitute buttermilk for the milk and lemon juice?
Hi Linda! You can sub buttermilk in for the milk and lemon juice, but you might lose some lemon flavor in the cake. Most of the lemon flavor does come from the zest and optional lemon extract though, so it should still taste mildly lemony with just the zest and more lemony if you add the extract. Hope that helps!