Go Back
How to Make the Best Strawberry Cream Lemon Cake

Strawberry Cream Lemon Cake

A tender two-layer lemon cake filled with fresh strawberry whipped cream and finished with sliced strawberries, whipped cream, and lemon zest. Serve it chilled for the cleanest slices and brightest flavor.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Lemon Cake
  • 2½ cups (300 g) All-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoons Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Fine salt
  • ¾ cup (170 g) Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ cups (300 g) Granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs Large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons, from about 2 lemons Finely grated lemon zest
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) Fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) Buttermilk, room temperature
Strawberry Cream Filling
  • 1½ cups (360 ml) Cold heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup (60 g) Confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (about 300 g) Strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons Confectioners' sugar for berries, optional
Optional Topping
  • 1 cup Strawberries, sliced
  • ½ cup Whipped cream
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest or a few slices Lemon zest or small lemon slices

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  3. Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest for 3–4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then mix in the vanilla.
  4. Stir the lemon juice into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the lemon-buttermilk mixture, and mix only until combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
  6. Cool the cakes in their pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and cool completely.
  7. Whip the cold heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla to medium-stiff peaks. Fold in the chopped strawberries shortly before assembly.
  8. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the strawberry cream over it, leaving about a ½-inch border, then add the second cake layer and finish with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.
  9. Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. Serve chilled with extra berries or lemon zest if desired.

Notes

Use room-temperature butter, eggs, buttermilk, and lemon juice for an even batter and rise. Add strawberries to the cream just before assembly because their juices can loosen the filling. For clean slices, chill the cake thoroughly and wipe a sharp knife clean between cuts.