Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake
This lovely layer cake perfectly balances sweet strawberries with zesty lemon! Three layers of fluffy lemon sponge are sandwiched together with lemon buttercream and strawberry jam. The cake is coated in naturally pink buttercream made using fresh strawberry puree and is finished using a spatula to create the swirly textured effect.
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 10
Equipment:
Tala Stainless Steel Straight Icing Spatula
For the lemon sponge layers:
- 270g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 270g white caster sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 lemons
- 270g self raising flour
For the strawberry buttercream and jam filling:
- 200g fresh strawberries
- 300g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 600g icing sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp milk
- 4 tbsp strawberry jam
For the decoration:
- 8 whole small strawberries
- Lemon sweets (optional)
Start by making the lemon sponge layers:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan). Grease and line the base and sides of three 6-inch Tala Performance Silver Anodised Baking Tins with greaseproof paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined (you can add a tbsp of the 270g flour to stop the mixture from curdling).
4. Add the zest of both lemons and squeeze in the juice of one (save the juice of the other lemon for the buttercream).
5. Add the flour and fold everything together until smooth and combined.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the baking tins (tip: make a well in the middle of the mixture to bake perfectly flat cake layers).
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen, golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the baking tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To make the strawberry buttercream:
1. Start by making the strawberry puree. Chop the strawberries into small chunks and place them in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat gently for 5-10 minutes until the fruit softens.
2. Use or fork or potato masher to mash the strawberries until no big lumps remain. Leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes until the fruit has reduced and thickened. Strain into a bowl to remove any seeds or lumps, then place the strawberry puree in the fridge to cool.
3. Meanwhile, beat the butter until soft and smooth. Sift in the icing sugar, add the salt and the milk. Beat well until the buttercream is smooth.
4. Spoon one-third of the buttercream into a separate bowl and squeeze in the juice of half of the leftover lemon. Mix to transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
5. Pour the strawberry puree into the other bowl of buttercream and mix to combine. If you find the consistency has loosened too much, place the bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Assemble and decorate the cake:
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand or decorating turntable. Pipe 3 circles of lemon buttercream on top, starting from the outside and moving inwards. Fill the middle with 2 tbsp of strawberry jam.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat, then place the third cake layer on top.
- Use a spatula to spread the strawberry buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Use the spatula to create a swirly textured look, making ‘S’ and ‘C’ shapes in different directions.
Finish by decorating with lemon sweets around the outside and fresh strawberries on top. Then slice and enjoy!