A delicious, sweet strawberry-lemonade cake.
As the season of spring begins to take full form, the tastes of fresh fruits and lively flavors fill our palates. This cake brings the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of lemons together to create a delicious dessert that perfectly encapsulates the exciting flavors of spring. This recipe takes time and preparation, but the outcome is well worth the work!
(Recipe courtesy “Southern Living”)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup softened butter
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Strawberry – Lemonade Jam
- 2 ½ cups cut strawberries
- ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Strawberry Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup chopped strawberries
- 1 drop red food coloring (optional)
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350o
- Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until completely blended.
- Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture with milk.
- Beat at low speed until blended.
- Stir in lemon zest and juice.
- Beat egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Gently stir one-third of egg whites into batter, fold in remaining egg whites.
- Spoon batter into 4 greased and floured round cake pans.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pans 10 minutes. Then, remove the cake from pans and cool completely.
Strawberry – Lemonade Jam
- Blend strawberries in a blender until smooth.
- Press through a wire-mesh strainer into a saucepan, using back of a spoon to squeeze out juice.
- Next, stir in the sugar.
- Whisk the lemon juice and cornstarch together.
- Slowly whisk lemon juice mixture into strawberry mixture.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, and cook, whisking often for one minute.
- Remove from heat then place plastic wrap directly on warm jam; chill two hours or until cold.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Strawberry Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar until smooth.
- Add strawberries and food coloring; beat until blended.
- Beat cream and juice until foamy; then, slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Fold half of cream mixture into cheese mixture; fold in remaining cream mixture.
- Lastly, assemble the cake to your liking!
