Summer is calling! Fresh strawberries and lemon brighten every component of this refreshingly decadent four-layer cake.
This cake is a showstopper.
You need this in your life, stat.
Layer cakes can feel intimidating, but the finished result is absolutely worth the effort — elegant, impressive, and delicious.
I wanted to make something special for Father’s Day, and after a few weeks with limited kitchen time because of a sprained ankle, I was ready to go big. This is the tallest layer cake I’ve made so far; my first real layer cake was only two layers and intentionally rustic in its frosting. This time I aimed higher.
I only own two cake pans, so I baked two layers, cleaned and prepped the pans, then baked the last two. While the first pair baked, I chilled the remaining batter in the refrigerator. I also cut parchment rounds for each pan and greased, lined, greased again, and floured them. It felt fussy, but the cakes released from the pans beautifully.
Another wrinkle: I didn’t have cake flour and didn’t want another large bag in the pantry. A simple substitution works well — replace two tablespoons of each cup of all-purpose flour with cornstarch and sift several times for a lighter texture. It takes a bit of extra work, but it produced tender cake layers.
The final cake turned out beautifully: moist layers that held up during assembly, a sticky-sweet jam that added the perfect pop between layers, and a light, fluffy frosting that looked as lovely as it tasted.
My son watched me cook all day and had to wait until after dinner. One bite and his verdict was immediate: “MOMMY!! This cake is DEEEEE-licious!” — high praise from a three-year-old. The adults agreed. It quickly became the best cake I’ve made and was worth the time for a special occasion.
Leftovers kept well refrigerated for several days. I stored extra frosting separately and used it to freshen up slices as we ate them. The recipe notes say the assembled cake can be kept at room temperature for two days, but I preferred refrigeration. Freezing baked layers (well wrapped) is a great time-saver if you want to bake ahead and assemble the day of.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake
Southern Living
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs separated
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Shortening (for pans)
- 2 ½ cups coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
- ⅔ cup sugar divided
- ⅔ cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 drop pink food coloring (optional)
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
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For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
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Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in lemon zest and juice.
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Beat egg whites at high speed in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the batter into four greased and floured 9-inch round pans.
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Bake at 350°F for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
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Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread about ½ cup Strawberry-Lemonade Jam, leaving a ½-inch border. Spoon 1 cup Strawberry Frosting into a zip-top bag and snip a corner to pipe a small ring of frosting just inside the top edge. Top with the second and third layers, repeating the jam and frosting between each. Place the final layer on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
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For Strawberry-Lemonade Jam: Process strawberries in a blender until smooth. Press through a wire-mesh strainer into a saucepan, using the back of a spoon to extract juice; discard pulp. Stir in sugar.
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Whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch; gradually whisk into the strawberry mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the warm jam, and chill for 2 hours or until cold. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.
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For Strawberry Frosting: Beat cream cheese and ⅓ cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add chopped strawberries and food coloring if desired; beat until blended.
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Beat heavy cream and lemon juice at medium speed until foamy. Increase to medium-high and slowly add the remaining ⅓ cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the remainder. Use immediately to fill and frost the cake.
Notes
Jam yields about 1 ⅔ cups. Frosting yields about 5 cups.
Tip: You can assemble the cake up to two days ahead and store at room temperature, or freeze cooled cake layers (well wrapped) for up to a month to make day-of assembly easier.
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