Strawberry Lemon Cake
Extra fluffy and moist lemon cake layers paired with my favorite freeze-dried strawberry buttercream. This cake is light, refreshing, and bursting with natural flavor!
Servings 15 slices
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
*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: if you can’t find cake flour locally, here’s how to make a homemade version using all purpose flour and cornstarch. Keep in mind that if you do use the homemade version, the gram measurement will weigh more (295g instead of 265g) since all-purpose flour is heavier than cake flour.
*Freeze-Dried Strawberries: You can find these in the snack section of most grocery stores (especially natural foods stores) like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, New Seasons, Kroger, etc. They're also available on Amazon. If you'd rather use fresh or frozen strawberries, make a 1.5x batch of this fresh strawberry buttercream
Make Ahead Tips:
- 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.