Description
My Classic Strawberry Lemon Layer Cake is soft, moist, and layered with sweet strawberry filling and zesty lemon buttercream. This cake is perfect for birthdays, picnics, or family gatherings, and it combines juicy strawberries with bright, fragrant lemon for a dessert full of joy and flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (for buttercream)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2–3 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and lemon zest.
- Alternately fold in flour mixture and milk.
- Divide batter into pans and bake 25–30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Macerate strawberries with sugar and lemon juice.
- Beat butter for buttercream until creamy, gradually add sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
- Layer cake: cake, strawberry filling, cake, filling, final cake layer.
- Frost with lemon buttercream. Decorate. Chill 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Use room-temperature ingredients for best texture. Macerate strawberries to enhance flavor. Bake cake layers a day ahead if needed, assemble before serving. Lemon buttercream spreads best if slightly chilled after mixing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 68 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg