Prepare the Cake Batter:
Fire up your oven to 165°C line three 6-inch pans with parchment at the bottom Sift together your dry ingredients to get rid of any lumps In a mixer beat the butter powdered sugar and lemon zest till really light and puffy about 3-4 minutes on medium Add eggs one at a time mixing well as you go to avoid curdling Alternate between adding your dry mix and buttermilk starting and ending with dry and mix just until smooth Don’t over beat it or your cake will be tough
Bake the Cake Layers:
Pour your batter evenly into those prepped pans using a kitchen scale if you have one Pop in the oven and start checking at 25 minutes Cakes are ready when the tops are golden the sides pull away a bit and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes then flip onto a rack to finish cooling
Prepare the Fillings:
Simmer up your strawberry compote by heating fresh or frozen strawberries with sugar until thick jammy and bright Cool it down so it doesn’t melt your frosting Whip up your strawberry buttercream until super smooth and easy to pipe For that lemon mascarpone filling beat until soft peaks form Stop there otherwise it gets grainy fast
Create the Lemon Drizzle:
Set your white chocolate and heavy cream together on a double boiler that’s just a heatproof bowl over simmering water Stir until all melted and smooth Take it off the heat then mix in your lemon curd and a dot of yellow food coloring if you want extra sunshine Let this mixture cool until about 30°C Too hot and it’ll run right off too cold and it won’t drizzle properly
Assemble the Cake:
Use a serrated knife to gently make each cake layer flat Place your first layer on a plate or cardboard round Pipe a buttercream ring around the edge to hold in the filling Add nice scoops of strawberry compote and lemon mascarpone chantilly for the middle spreading gently Add layer two repeat the fillings then finish with the last cake layer Cover the whole cake with a very light layer of buttercream called a crumb coat so crumbs stay in place Chill at least 2 hours or freeze for half an hour to set
Finish and Decorate:
Pull your cake out of the fridge and spoon that lemony glaze over the top Help it gently spill down the sides for that cool waterfall look Don’t rush but no need to overthink it Let the drip firm up in the fridge for about 15 minutes Grab the rest of your strawberry buttercream pop it in a piping bag with your favorite tip and swirl on rosettes or big dollops Top with fresh berries or thin lemon slices for a picture-perfect finish Let the cake rest at room temp for 20-30 minutes before you slice in
A slice of cake with strawberries and lemon.
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A slice of cake with strawberries and lemon. | gracefulflavors.com
You Must Know
This show-off cake takes some planning but you can prep all the components ahead
Sweet strawberries and zippy lemon are a dream combo
Loads of fun textures—soft cake jammy filling creamy topping—keep every bite interesting
Lemons and strawberries have always been my favorite flavors to bake with—my first win in the kitchen was mixing the two together. It brings me right back to springtime at my grandma’s, trying the batter and fussing over the flavors until everything clicked. Watching that lemon glaze drip down the sides still makes me smile every time.
Storage Tips
This cake stores best in the refrigerator covered for up to four days Let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture The cake layers can be made ahead and wrapped tightly then frozen for up to one month Buttercream and fillings keep well refrigerated for several days
Ingredient Substitutions
If you are out of mascarpone try cream cheese softened to room temperature for the filling Swap frozen strawberries for fresh in the compote just thaw and drain first Want to make it lighter Use Greek yogurt in place of some heavy cream For different flavors try raspberry compote instead of strawberry or orange zest in place of lemon
A slice of cake with strawberries and lemon on top.
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A slice of cake with strawberries and lemon on top.
