Name: Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 4 large eggs, separated; 2 cups granulated sugar; 3 cups cake flour; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon regular table salt; 1 cup milk; 1 tablespoon lemon zest; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 cup seedless strawberry jam; 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened; 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided; 2/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake is so good! A tender lemon layer cake is filled with strawberry-lemon jam and topped with cream-cheese strawberry frosting.

I love Southern Living magazine. If you live in the south, you are required to subscribe to Southern Living – it’s actually young, hip, cool, chic – well, you get the picture. One month, the cover photo of a Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake captured my attention immediately! I knew I had to make it.

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and strawberries are always a big hit with my taste buds, so just imagine the two flavors married together in a cake.

Of course, I have to change a few things up when I try a new cake recipe.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake Ingredients At A Glance

butter
eggs
granulated sugar
cake flour
baking powder
salt
milk
lemon zest
fresh lemon juice
strawberry jam

Strawberry Frosting

cream cheese
granulated sugar
fresh strawberries
heavy cream
fresh lemon juice

Making The Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake

The first time I made this cake, my then 20-something-year-old daughter helped me. She even offered to run to the store to grab the ingredients that I didn’t have on hand.

First of all, This cake is totally from scratch. That suits me because I seldom use a cake mix. Well, it was from scratch until I replaced the homemade jam with store-bought. Shhh. No one has to know.

Secondly, it’s a tad bit more time-consuming. The egg yolks are separated from the whites and the whites are whipped into stiff peaks and folded into the batter. It makes for a very light, airy, moist cake. But it does take a little extra time.

Trust me, it’s well worth the extra effort.

Since I have a stand mixer and a hand-held mixer, I get them both out for this recipe.

Filling That Goes Between The Layers of Strawberry Lemonade Cake

The original filling for this layer cake (strawberry jam) is homemade and you have to strain and cool in the fridge for two hours. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

So I bought Smucker’s Seedless Strawberry Jam and added two Tablespoons of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and mixed well. “With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good,” right? Perfect.

Helpful Hint: Never, ever use bottled lemon juice! It just tastes fake. Fresh is always better! This cake calls for a drop of pink food coloring. I just didn’t think the frosting needed it.

This cake turns out perfectly every single time I bake it! It is tender and moist, with just the right combination of lemon and strawberry flavors. And the frosting is light, sweet (but not cloyingly sweet), and is always a big hit with family and friends.

How To Store Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake

Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. You can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before serving.

The layers can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, and frozen for up to a month.

Need to wow someone? This cake does, indeed, have the wow factor and is the perfect ending to a special meal.

This cake is always a big hit!

Yield: 12 Servings