Recipe – Strawberry Lemonade Cake

For another co-worker’s birthday a few weeks ago, I made a strawberry lemonade cake filled with pureed strawberries and frosted with strawberry cream cheese frosting.  It was a huge hit at work and everyone keeps asking me for the recipe now.  One of my co-workers described it as “eating summer”.  And more than one person said it was better than Whole Food’s version – huge compliment!

 

This cake is so easy to make and it’s very moist.  A couple tips – first, make sure the cake pans are greased VERY well.  The cake stuck to the bottom, but not the sides, and was hard to get out.  You might want to use a little shortening on the bottom, as I only used non-stick spray and that apparently wasn’t enough.  I use the Wilton baking strips, which is probably why the cake didn’t stick to the sides.  I highly recommend buying the strips as my cakes bake evenly every time and I almost never have to level the tops off after they bake. 

Second, do not decorate with strawberry slices until you are about to serve the cake.  I decorated mine the night before and forgot that strawberries contain lots of water…had a little mess the next day :)

Strawberry Lemonade Cake (Adapted from CakeCentral.com)

Ingredients:

1. 1 box yellow cake mix
2. 1 package strawberry flavored gelatin
3. 1 package instant lemon flavored pudding
4. 4 eggs
5. 1 stick butter (softened)
6. 1 1/4 cups water
7. 1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9” pans well with lots of non-stick spray or shortening.
2. Beat all ingredients with hand or stand mixer according to directions on cake box (usually on medium speed for 2-3 minutes).
3. Pour even amount of cake mixture into the two pans.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes clean. 
5. Let cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

Strawberry Filling

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups pureed strawberries
2. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
3. 1/2 cup cornstarch
4. 1/4 cup flour

Directions:

1. Cook the pureed strawberries and flour over medium heat until bubbling. 
2. Add the cornstarch and lemon juice.  Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until mixture is thick. 
3. Take mixture off heat and let cool completely.
4. Once cakes are completely cooled, spread the strawberry filling on top of one of the cakes evenly.  Carefully add the second cake on top.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:

1. 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
2. 16 oz. regular cream cheese, at room temperature (do not use light or fat-free as the frosting will not get thick enough)
3. 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4. 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
5. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Puree the strawberries in a food processor.  Separate the seeds from the puree through a strainer and set the liquid aside. 
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in a bowl on medium speed for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
3. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix.  Repeat with rest of powdered sugar. 
4. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. 
5. Add in about 5-6 tablespoons of strawberry puree.  You can add in more if you would like a stronger strawberry flavor.  Mix well and start frosting your cake!
6. Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Decorate with strawberry slices for garnish. 

 

Sharing at: I Heart Naptime, Tatertots & Jello, Paisley Passions, Be Different…Act Normal