Lemon Strawberry Cake
Celebrate warm weather season with this Lemon Strawberry Cake! This dessert features an eggless lemon cake topped with a luscious strawberry buttercream frosting.
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Every spring we go and pick strawberries at a local farm. It’s a fun family activity, and I like that my son sees where his food comes from. Sure, we pick up strawberries at the grocery store, too…but they just don’t compare to the ones picked right at a farm!
Since strawberries arrive early in the growing season, our trip to the strawberry farm feels like the unofficial beginning of warm weather season. And of course we always end up picking way too many strawberries. Last year, we picked 3 buckets worth. 1 bucket would probably have been plenty…but it’s too easy to get carried away.
Lemon Strawberry Cake
With so many strawberries in the kitchen, I always end up trying to find ways to use those berries in recipes. This Strawberry Lemonade Cake made a recent appearance in our kitchen…and it didn’t last very long at all! It’s hard to beat a cold glass of Strawberry Lemonade on a hot summer day, and this cake channels those same flavors.
Eggless Lemon Cake
The base of this Lemon Strawberry Cake is a flavorful lemon cake. But get this – it’s an eggless cake. I know eggs go hand-in-hand with baking, but a neighbor had shared an eggless white cake recipe with me a while back, and I wanted to try it out. Some simple changes to that recipe turned it into a lemon cake.
We found that this eggless lemon cake was a bit denser than a ‘traditional’ cake where you cream the butter and sugar together with eggs. That’s not to say it was dense like a pound cake. In fact, it was delicious! Truthfully I’m not sure anyone would know that the cake didn’t have any eggs unless you told them. Plus, this cake was super easy to make!
Ingredients in Eggless Lemon Cake
- All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Granulated Sugar. This cake uses a bit more baking powder than you might find in traditional cakes with eggs. The baking powder helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice. Gives the cake a wonderful tart lemon flavor.
- Melted Butter and Water. Provides the liquid for the cake. Milk can be used in place of water, but water works well.
Strawberry Buttercream
For the frosting, I went with a classic strawberry buttercream. To give buttercream frosting a strawberry flavor, you just need to add pureed strawberries. That’s it. No need to cook the strawberries or anything fancy. Just blend up a handful of chopped berries in a food processor and mix it straight into the frosting. (For jobs like this, an immersion blender with a mini-chopper attachment is a great tool.)
The frosting will need a bit more confectioner’s sugar to offset the liquid from the berries. All together, this strawberry frosting is delicious. I might have eaten a spoonful by itself…you know, just to confirm it tasted ok and all.
Ingredients in Strawberry Buttercream
- Chopped Fresh Strawberries. You only need ~¾ cup of chopped berries. Just blend them up in a food processor or mini chopper and add the strawberry puree directly to the frosting.
- Unsalted Butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you make the frosting. If the butter is cold, it will be difficult to whip it into a fluffy frosting.
- Vanilla Extract. For added flavor – make sure to use real vanilla extract instead of the imitation stuff.
- Confectioner’s Sugar. This finer sugar blends into frostings better than granulated sugar. Feel free to add a bit more if the frosting is too loose.
The combination of lemon and strawberry flavors in this cake is fantastic. This dessert is great for backyard parties or summer gatherings with friends. And since it’s baked as a sheet cake, there’s no need to layer or decorate the cake. Just add some sliced lemons and berries on top, and you’re all set. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do around here – Happy Baking!
Did you bake this Lemon Strawberry Cake recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Lemon Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1¾ cups water
For the Strawberry Frosting
- ¾ cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar
- sliced lemon and additional sliced strawberries for garnishing
Instructions
For the Cake
- Line a 9”x13” baking pan with parchment paper. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; set pan aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and lemon zest; mix until well combined.
- Add lemon juice, melted butter and water; mix on medium-low speed until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean. Place pan on a wire rack and let cake fully cool before adding frosting.
For the Strawberry Frosting
- Place strawberries in a food processor or mini-chopper and puree until smooth. Set strawberry puree aside.
- Using a countertop mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add strawberry puree and vanilla extract; mix until well combined.
- Add 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar; beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: If frosting is still too loose, add remaining confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth.)
- Increase speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes, or until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Using an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Place frosted cake in refrigerator for 30 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish top of cake with sliced lemons and additional sliced strawberries before serving.
Looking for more strawberry dessert recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I need to try this soon for me BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me
I hope you enjoy this cake, Ramya – it’s quite delicious!
Looks like Spring on a plate, David! Happy Easter to you and yours.
This cake is perfect for Spring days, Frank! Happy (belated) Easter to you and your family as well!
Local strawberries…mmm here down Nova Scotia, strawberries will probably appear at farmers market no earlier than
end of May haha. And this lovely cake screams “spring!” – it looks so fresh, bright, and happy!
I remember that timeline of strawberries back when we lived in New York. It’s still a bit strange to see local strawberries in April, but I’m getting used to it!
An eggless cake that looks so light and fluffy! Love those light, summery flavors in the cake!
Oh this cake is SO easy to make…and perfect for the warmer days that are arriving. Thanks, Michelle!
Lemon and strawberry are fab together – but unsalted butter? The devil’s work – hehehehe :=)
Happy Easter
sherry
Haha – I always recommend using unsalted butter when baking. But I always add salt. The thing about salted butter is there is no ‘standard’ so some are much saltier than others. By using unsalted butter but then adding your own salt to the recipe, you can control the amount of salt. Happy (belated) Easter to you and Mr. P!
With the price of eggs these days, I just love that this cake is eggless! And what a fantastic and fun combo! The lemon cake with that fresh strawberry frosting sounds like summer! Thanks for the time on just blending the strawberries to add to the frosting – I am going to have to try that soon!
Tell me about it! I know the price of eggs is supposed to return to normal, but it sure can hurry up. This cake is absolutely fantastic for warmer Spring days. You’re probably in the middle of strawberry season there in Georgia – go pick some!! 🙂
So it doesn’t look like anything takes the place of the egg … it just doesn’t have egg! Is that it? Very interesting. The crumb does look nice. I love this idea. I also love local strawberries. They are SO much better than what you get in a grocery store. I always look forward to that short season.
That’s basically it, Jeff. I know it sounds odd, but it absolutely works. Give it a try sometime! I bet you could do a version with blueberries once that season arrives?
okay i think this is comment no. 5 from me 🙂 Just not working. I was saying how lemon and strawberry go well together but no to the unsalted butter – it’s the devil’s work don’t ya know ? hehehe
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
I’m seeing all of your comments, Sherry! I think there is just a delay for them showing up on your end. But they are here – never fear! 🙂
That combo of lemon and strawberry screams spring! 🍓🍋 Love the idea of using fresh-picked berries, and that eggless lemon cake sounds like a winner, definitely trying this the next time I come home with way too many strawberries!
This is the perfect cake for strawberry season, Raymund! It’s bright and fresh…and delicious. 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious David, and so attractive. When our Spring strawberries are available I’ll make this one. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Thank you so much, Pauline! Happy (belated) Easter to you as well. And, yes, do hang on to this recipe for strawberry season. I promise it’s worth the wait!!
The combo of strawberries + lemon is divine! This recipe sounds delicious.
I couldn’t agree more, Nicole! The tartness from the lemon + sweetness from the berries is pretty magical. And it’s overall a pretty easy recipe which makes me happy, too!