Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Prep Time: 25 mins| Cook Time: 40 mins | Course: Dessert | Yield: 12

Strawberry lemonade cake is intensely flavorful with a moist and tender crumb. This cake is made in the style of reverse creaming, where the butter coats the flour before liquids are added. The frosting is a beautiful pink from crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Inspired by Yossy Arefi and The New York Times. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025504-strawberry-lemonade-cake 

3 lemons, zested and juiced to make ¼ cup

1 ½ cups milk

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour + more for dusting the pans

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ cup butter, softened and sliced into tablespoons

¼ cup olive oil

4 eggs

Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream:

1 oz freeze-dried strawberries, finely crushed

1 ½ cups butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 lemons, zested and juiced to make ¼ cup

3 cups strawberries, sliced

Preheat the oven to 325*. Butter or spray oil 2 9” cake pans and dust with a teaspoon of flour, set to one side. Zest lemons and place zest in a stand-mixing bowl, juice the lemons to measure ¼ cup and add the lemon juice to the milk to make homemade buttermilk, allow to set while measuring the other ingredients. 

In a stand mixer, add sugar to the bowl with the lemon zest. Using the paddle attachment, stir a few seconds until the sugar is fragrant. Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and butter. Stir on low speed for 1 minute until the butter is distributed and the mixture looks sandy. Pour in the olive oil, eggs, and homemade buttermilk, mixing for 1 minute to incorporate and develop structure. Divide the batter evenly into the pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. A toothpick tester should come out clean, and an insta-thermometer should read a minimum of 200*. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges and releasing from the pans to a cooling rack. Cool completely before assembling.

Pulse strawberries in a food processor or crush with a rolling pin until finely crushed. In a stand mixer, whip butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest with the whisk attachment. Add in ¼ cup of lemon juice and crushed strawberry crumbs, mixing until the frosting comes together and is smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Place one layer of cake and place on a cake plate or serving board. Spread with a generous layer of frosting, adding ½ cup of sliced strawberries on top in a single layer. Place the second cake layer on top and spread with a generous layer of frosting on top and around the sides. Pipe a ruffle around the top layer if desired, and decorate with the remaining sliced strawberries.