This is an absolutely delicious and moist and sponge cake with pieces of fresh strawberries and lemon zest throughout. These flavors are repeated in the lemon curd filling and the strawberry buttercream. Truly an easy to make a delightful cake for a tea party, Easter, Mother’s Day or any spring or summer occasion.
HERE’S HOW I MADE IT
Grease and flour coat two cake tins. Place a parchment paper round on the bottom of the tin and butter the parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Note: I keep my flour in a self contained canister. Instead of sifting the flour, I shake the container back and forth so the flour isn’t so compact. Then I measure out the flour amount the recipe calls for. If you can’t loosen up the flour like I do, sift all the ingredients together before whisking them.
Using a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time until well incorporated. Add vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. Don’t worry if the juice makes the batter grainy. It will come together in the end.
Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. In a small bowl, coat strawberries in a little flour and add to the batter. Fold the strawberries into the batter using a spatula. Pour batter evenly into cake tins and tap the tins on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes and run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Remove from tin and invert on a wire baking rack to remove parchment paper and cool completely before frosting. This is important or your frosting will melt off the cake.
Remove the silicone pouch from the bag of strawberries – it’s not edible. In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried strawberries until they are a powder and sift the powder to remove any larger pieces. Set aside. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add a tablespoon of half-and-half and mix. Alternate between powdered sugar and half-and-half until all the powdered sugar has been added. Make sure you scrape the sides down as you go to incorporate all the ingredients. Depending on your climate, you may need less half-and-half. Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, add the freeze dried strawberry powder and beat until mixed well and fluffy. This frosting is so good and the strawberry flavor comes through! I couldn’t stop licking the paddle attachment!
Note: if the frosting is too dry, add a little half-and-half and if it is too wet, add a little more sugar.
Place a cake layer on a cake plate and pipe a buttercream rim or dam around the edge. Fill it with a layer of lemon curd. Frost the sides and the top using an offset spatula. Use the spatula, create the swirl design on the top by indenting the spatula into the frosting and moving the spatula in a circular motion.
Note: I am in love with Olivier’s Meyer Lemon Creme. I special order it from California. Any grocery store brand will work, Trader Joe’s has a great and inexpensive lemon curd.
Decorate the cake with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. It’s a stunning presentation. This recipe is adapted from The College Housewife’s. Next time I make it, I’m adding a little limoncello.
Strawberry Lemon Curd Cake
A moist strawberry sponge cake with lemon curd filling and strawberry buttercream. Perfect for a tea party, Easter, Mother's day or any springtime event.
Ingredients
Strawberry Lemon Sponge Cake
- 2½ cups All Purpose flour, sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature save the whites for meringue cookies
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 1 cup buttermilk, full fat
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced and drained on paper towel
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (to coat the diced strawberries with)
Lemon Curd Filling
- 1 jar store bought Lemon Curd, like Trader Joe's or Olivier Meyer Lemon Creme
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries Trader Joe's
- 2½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4-5 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- ¼ cup half and half (or whole milk)
Instructions
Making the Strawberry Lemon Sponge Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour coat two 8-inch cake tins. Line the bottom with a parchment round and lightly butter the parchment paper.
Note: The parchment paper will ensure you can easily remove the cake from the tin intact and it creates the perfect smooth surface to spread the frosting on.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
-
Using a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides down.
Note: If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large bowl and a hand held mixer.
-
Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time and mix on low until well combined. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice until well combined. Scrape the sides down.
Note: the lemon juice will slightly curdle the batter, don't worry it will tcome together in the end.
-
Alternate adding the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape the sides down as. you go.
-
In a small bowl, toss together the diced strawberries with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.
Note: Draining the strawberries on a paper towel will remove excess moisture and coating the strawberries in flour will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
-
Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared cake tins. Tap the tins on the counter to remove any air bubbles and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
-
Cool for a few minutes before running a knife around the edge of the tin. Invert onto a wire rack, remove the parchment round at the bottom and plastic wrap the cake layers. Pop them in the fridge to cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
-
Pulse the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until you have a powder consistency. Make sure you remove the silicone pouch that's included in the bag to retain freshness. Set aside.
-
In a stand mixer beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and salt and combine.
-
Alternate adding the powdered sugar and and half-and-half to the butter mixture, beginning ending with powdered sugar, until you've mixed in all the ingredients, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat until well incorporated.
Note: Depending on your climate, you may use less or more half-and-half. Adjust the buttercream frosting until you've reached desired consistency.
-
Add the powdered freeze dried strawberries and beat until well combined and buttercream is light and fluffy. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Assemble the Cake
-
Dollop a little frosting on the cake plate and place your first cake layer.
Optional: Add small pieces of parchment paper between the bottom layer and the cake platter. After you frost the cake you can pull the parchment paper away and remove excess frosting, leaving a clean cake platter. Great technique for easy clean up and a professional look.
-
Using a piping bag, create a buttercream rim or "dam" around the edge of the cake. This will hold the lemon curd filling inside.
-
Fill the center with lemon curd and top with the second cake layer. Using an offset spatula, frost the sides and top of the cake. Use the offset spatula to indent the frosting on top of the cake in a circle from the center out. This will help nestle the cake decorations.
-
Drain the cut strawberries and lemon slices on a paper towel to remove excess juice. Decorate the cake with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. Serve and enjoy!
