Strawberry-Lemon Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is a super moist and delightful dessert for both special and everyday occasions.
Two television shows fascinated me as a kid. How great it would be to blink my eyes or wiggle my nose to magically make things happen. Chores would be a breeze! Blink and done. Later I realized magic happens in different ways. One is discovering how create everyday dessert magic with Strawberry-Lemon Cake and tons of other cakes with a little inspiration, imagination, and guidance.
How did this magical discovery happen? It started with a book arriving at my door. It was sent to me because of being one of the lucky bloggers in a campaign to announce a new cookbook by Caroline Wright called Cake Magic! What’s my first impression of the book? It’s unique with a new approach to cake baking.
The book is different than a typical cookbook. It starts with a big section of mouth-watering cake photos. Each photo lists the pages where you can find the component recipes (cake, syrup, frosting, etc.). There are colored ribbons to bookmark each one. It allows you to be creative too. Mix and match to your heart’s content.
How is Strawberry-Lemon Cake? Scrumptious is a good word to start. It’s super moist, lemony, and has strawberry cream cheese frosting. You know I’m all over cream cheese frosting. Flavoring it with caramelized strawberry jam is brilliant. This would be a fantastic Weekday Supper dessert.
About the cookbook author: Caroline has created an innovative way to bake cakes. She makes it easy with a five ingredient base plus an assortment of flavorings, fillings, and frosting recipes for lots of cake variations. Take a look at the interview with Caroline for more about her and the cookbook.
You can enter to win a copy of Cake Magic! – You have to do two things. One is scroll way down below the recipe, big collage photo, and lists of more cakes from the book to find the Rafflecopter giveaway entry system. Next step is to enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter. There are several more chances to win on other Weekday Supper posts (see lists of more cakes with links below). Entrants can only win one cookbook via this Weekday Supper campaign.
Keep up with the latest on the author and publisher! Here are some handy links:
- Caroline Wright on Facebook
- Caroline Wright on Twitter
- Caroline Wright on Pinterest
- Caroline Wright on Instagram
- Workman Publishing on Facebook
- Workman Publishing on Twitter
- Workman Publishing on Pinterest
- Workman Publishing on Instagram
Would you like to see more cakes made from the book? Check out the Cake Magic! Pinterest board and follow it too. Also take a look at my Cherry Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Crustless Creamy Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake for more desserts made with cream cheese.
Strawberry-Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake Magic! Cake Mix:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt see Note
For the Cake:
- Unsalted butter at room temperature, for greasing the pans
- All-purpose flour for dusting the pans
- 3 1/2 cups dry Cake Magic! Cake Mix whisked well before measuring
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, melted and cooled, or 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
For the Strawberry Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon strawberry preserves
- 1 tablespoon seedless strawberry jam
- Pinch of salt
For the Caramelized Strawberry Jam
- 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam or preserves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Caramelized Strawberry Jam
- Pinch of salt
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar one 16-ounce box
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake Magic! Cake Mix:
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Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together well to combine. Whisk the mix again before measuring.
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Note: It’s important to use table salt in the cake mix; other types will eventually settle out of the mix.
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Makes 4 cups (enough for one 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake, one 13 X 9-inch sheet cake, one 10-inch bundt cake, or 24 cupcakes)
For the Cake:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and side of the pan(s). Dust with flour to coat, then invert and tap out any excess. (If making cupcakes, use liners instead of greasing and coating the tins.)
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Whisk together the cake mix, lemon zest, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, butter, lemon juice, and eggs until moistened and no lumps remain (be careful not to overmix). Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
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Bake until the layers are evenly golden brown and a few moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, 32 to 36 minutes (40 to 50 minutes for a Bundt, 25 to 35 minutes for a 13 by 9-inch cake, and 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes). (At this point, coat the layers with syrup as directed and let them cool completely in the pans.)
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Makes one 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake (or one 10-inch bundt cake, one 13 X 9-inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes)
For the Strawberry Syrup:
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While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the sugar, water, jams, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the vanilla and liqueur, if using. Remove from the heat and set aside to steep, covered, for at least 20 minutes. Strain the syrup. Use the syrup warm or at room temperature.
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After removing the cake layers from the oven, pierce them (still in the pans) at 1-inch intervals with a skewer or paring knife. Pour or brush the syrup over the layers, dividing it evenly. Set the layers aside, in the pans, on a wire rack to cool completely. (The syrup will soak into the cakes.)
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Makes 1 cup
For the Caramelized Strawberry Jam:
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Combine the jam and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, without stirring, 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir occasionally, and let the jam cool completely before using (it will thicken significantly as it cools).
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Makes 1/2 cup
For the Strawberry Frosting:
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When the cakes are cool and no longer wet to the touch, 1 to 2 hours, make the frosting: Combine the butter, cream cheese, jam, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar and beat on medium speed until the frosting is pale and no longer grainy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until the frosting is very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of one of the cake layers to loosen it. (Turn the layers out of their pans 1 by 1, as you frost them.) Place the layer on a cake plate with strips of waxed, or parchment, paper underneath; these will catch any drips and keep your cake plate clean. Spread the layer with about a third of the frosting on top.
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Frost the rest. Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of the remaining cake layer. Invert it onto the frosted layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
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Makes 4 cups
Recipe Notes
Strawberry Frosting for Sheet Cakes: Use 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 tablespoons Caramelized Strawberry Jam, a pinch of salt; 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 1 ounce cream cheese, at room temperature; and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Proceed as directed in the original recipe.
Recipe copyright © 2016 by Carolyn Wright and used with permission from Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Let them eat cake! Especially as a nice Weekday Supper dessert. Take a look at these recipes from Carol Wright’s Cake Magic! Cookbook:
Week 1:
- Monday – Gluten-Free Strawberry-Lemon Cake by Family Foodie
- Tuesday – Confetti Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Wednesday – Fresh Blueberry Cake by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Thursday – Dream Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Friday – Best Blackout Cake by The Chef Next Door
Week 2:
- Monday – Marbled Chocolate Stout Cake by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
- Tuesday – Strawberry-Lemon Cake by Magnolia Days (recipe above)
- Wednesday – Gluten-Free Confetti Cake by Desserts Required
- Thursday – Peanut Butter Pretzel Cake by Meal Planning Magic
- Friday – Southern Diner Cake by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing Company in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
joni
Sunday 24th of July 2022
I have never tried the strawberry and lemon combination. But it looks and sounds amazing! thanks for sharing this article .
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures
Wednesday 31st of August 2016
I think the combination of lemon and strawberry in this cake must give it great flavor! Those are two flavors of summer and this cake looks so summery! It would be great to enjoy anyday.
Auntiepatch
Wednesday 31st of August 2016
A Wedding cake for my son & his girlfriend!
Sandra Clayton Rose
Tuesday 30th of August 2016
I love anything made with Strawberries and the Lemon just brings out the Strawberry Flavor to me... I really need the Cookbook because I Bake more than I Cook but I'm still in the process of learning all the ins and outs... Rules of Baking
A_Boleyn
Tuesday 30th of August 2016
Delicious looking cake and I like the idea of a mix and math book. :0