This Strawberry Lemonade Cake brings together the refreshing flavors of strawberries and lemon in a spectacular dessert. Featuring a moist lemon sponge cake, a homemade strawberry compote filling, and a luxurious lemon mascarpone chantilly cream, this cake is coated with a smooth Swiss strawberry buttercream. Finished with a tangy white chocolate lemon drip, it’s a showstopping treat for any occasion. Follow detailed instructions for baking and assembling this 6-inch layered masterpiece, and serve a truly indulgent dessert that will impress friends and family.
first made this cake for my daughter’s spring birthday party, and the vibrant flavors and beautiful pink and yellow colors made it an instant favorite. Now our family celebrates the arrival of strawberry season with this cake each year.
Lemon Cake
- Unsalted butter: softened to room temperature ensures proper creaming with sugar for a tender crumb
- Powdered sugar: provides a finer texture than granulated and dissolves more easily into the batter
- Room temperature eggs: incorporate more easily and create better emulsion in the batter
- Buttermilk: adds tanginess and reacts with the leavening agents for a fluffy texture
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: provide natural flavor that bottled alternatives cannot match
Fillings and Frostings
- Homemade strawberry compote: offers concentrated fruit flavor without the excessive sweetness of jam
- Strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream: creates a silky smooth exterior that holds shape beautifully
- Lemon mascarpone chantilly: adds a luxurious creamy layer that balances the sweetness of the other components
- White chocolate lemon drip: provides dramatic visual appeal and an additional layer of citrus flavor
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preparing the Lemon Cake:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 165°C and preparing three 15 cm cake pans with parchment paper. Properly prepared pans ensure your cakes release cleanly after baking and maintain their shape for even layers.
- Mixing the Dry Ingredients:
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Sifting is crucial as it eliminates lumps and aerates the dry ingredients, resulting in a lighter cake texture that rises more evenly.
- Creaming Butter and Sugar:
- Beat softened butter with powdered sugar and lemon zest for a full 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes noticeably lighter in both color and texture. This process incorporates air into the fat which creates essential structure in your cake.
- Adding Wet Ingredients:
- Incorporate eggs and vanilla extract gradually, beating for 3-5 minutes until smooth and homogeneous. The mixture should appear fluffy and increased in volume. This extended mixing time creates the emulsion necessary for proper cake structure.
- Combining Wet and Dry Ingredients:
- Alternate adding the buttermilk-lemon mixture and the dry ingredients, folding gently with a spatula rather than an electric mixer. This method prevents overworking the gluten in the flour, which would result in a tough cake rather than a tender one.
- Baking the Cakes:
- Divide batter evenly between the three prepared pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center—it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Assembly and Decoration:
- After cooling the cakes completely, trim any domes to create flat surfaces. Pipe a buttercream dam around the edge of each layer before adding strawberry compote to prevent filling from leaking. Apply the lemon mascarpone chantilly and stack the layers, then crumb coat and finish with strawberry buttercream. Chill thoroughly before applying the lemon white chocolate drip.
Strawberry Lemonade Layered Delight
A vibrant cake blending strawberry and lemon with fluffy layers, creamy buttercream, and tangy fillings.
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10
- Category: Irresistible Desserts
- Cuisine: Western
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
→ Strawberry Filling
→ Strawberry Swiss Buttercream
→ Lemon Mascarpone Chantilly
→ Lemon Drizzle
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F) and prepare three 15 cm (6 inch) cake pans with parchment paper. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Gradually incorporate the buttermilk and lemon juice into the dry mixture to form a homogeneous batter.
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Distribute the batter evenly among the cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Cook homemade strawberry compote and allow it to cool completely.
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Make the Strawberry Swiss Buttercream per recipe instructions.
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Prepare the Lemon Mascarpone Chantilly according to the recipe.
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Level cake layers if needed. Place the first layer on a turntable and add a border of strawberry buttercream. Fill with strawberry compote and lemon mascarpone chantilly. Repeat with the second and third layers. Apply a crumb coating with buttercream and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or 30 minutes in the freezer.
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Melt white chocolate with heavy cream over a double boiler. Stir in lemon curd and yellow food coloring, and cool glaze to 30°C (86°F). Pour over the chilled cake, letting it drip down the sides. Decorate with remaining buttercream and lemon slices. Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Allow sponge cakes to cool completely before assembling.
- Ensure strawberry compote is securely encased to prevent leakage.
- Cool the cake well before pouring the lemon glaze to maintain its consistency.
