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This Strawberry Lemon Cake combines soft, tender lemon cake layers with a creamy strawberry buttercream made using freeze-dried strawberry powder, perfect for spring and summer celebrations.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 340 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 300 g granulated sugar
  • Zest of one large organic lemon or two small lemons
  • 180 g butter, room temperature (for cake layers)
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 240 g sour cream, room temperature
  • 60 g vegetable oil (e.g., canola oil)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for cake layers)
  • 400 g butter, room temperature (for buttercream)
  • 660 g powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberry powder
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for buttercream)
  • 2–3 tablespoon whole milk, room temperature
  • Fresh strawberries (for decoration)
  • Lemon slices (for decoration)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 170ºC (340ºF) conventional bake setting. Line three 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans with parchment paper.
  2. Sift all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Rub granulated sugar and lemon zest together with fingers until mixture looks like damp sand, releasing lemon aroma.
  4. Add room temperature butter (180 g) to sugar/zest mixture and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs two at a time, mixing on low speed until just incorporated after each addition to keep batter smooth.
  6. Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and mix on low speed until just blended.
  7. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; stir gently to combine evenly.
  8. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep cake tender.
  9. Fold batter carefully with a rubber spatula, scraping sides and bottom thoroughly to incorporate all ingredients.
  10. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans and bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  11. Allow cakes to cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then loosen edges and remove cakes from pans. Cool completely before frosting.
  12. For the buttercream: sift powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberry powder together; set aside.
  13. Beat 400 g room temperature butter on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, scrape bowl sides, then beat another 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  14. Add the sifted powdered sugar and strawberry powder mixture, vanilla extract, and milk in two additions, whipping well after each until fully combined. Optionally add red food coloring for more color.
  15. Scrape down bowl and whip buttercream one last time on low speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
  16. To assemble: place first cooled cake layer on serving plate or cake board.
  17. Spread two generous spoonfuls of buttercream evenly over first layer using an offset spatula.
  18. Place second cake layer on top and repeat spreading buttercream. Add final layer and cover entire cake with a thin crumb coat of frosting.
  19. Refrigerate cake for about 20 minutes to set crumb coat.
  20. Spread remaining buttercream evenly over cake, smoothing and creating decorative waves with spatula if desired.
  21. Decorate cake with fresh strawberries and lemon slices before serving.

Notes

Sour cream was used instead of buttermilk for a softer cake with an extra layer (three layers instead of two)., Use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients in grams for best results., Avoid overmixing the batter to keep cakes tender and soft., Light-colored aluminum pans recommended for gentle even baking and pale crust., Freeze cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic and freeze if making a day ahead. Thaw one hour before assembling and keep buttercream covered at room temperature or airtight container., Cake layers can be made into two layers (double thickness) by splitting batter between two pans and baking for 30-33 minutes instead of three layers., Freeze-dried strawberry powder can be swapped with other berry powders (raspberry, blueberry) for flavor variation., Fresh strawberry puree can substitute some milk in buttercream; adjust powdered sugar accordingly., Add a layer of lemon curd between cake layers for extra zest., Try cream cheese frosting by replacing half the butter with cream cheese and chilling before use., Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend can be used 1:1 as substitute for regular flour; expect denser texture., Add 1–2 tablespoons poppy seeds to dry ingredients for lemon-poppy seed variation., Top cake with macerated fresh strawberries or fresh mint leaves for additional fresh decoration.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/strawberry-lemon-cake-julie-marie-eats/