Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Ricotta Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is rich, summery, and bright. It combines lemon pound cake, strawberry lemonade syrup, ricotta cream cheese frosting, fresh strawberries, and buttercream roses to produce the perfect cake for your next (socially distanced) summer gathering! Enjoy!
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2 ⅓ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp (3 g) fine salt
- 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
- 12 tbsp (1 ½ sticks or 170 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (248 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 tsp (5 g) real vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 210 g buttermilk
- 65 g lemon juice fresh or bottled
Cream Cheese Ricotta Frosting
- 4 oz (½ a block) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup smooth ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2-3 cups confectioner's sugar
Lemonade Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 5 strawberries de-stemmed and chopped
Toppings
- Fresh strawberries
- Buttercream flowers optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350º F/180º C. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream for 1-2 minutes, then add the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. In a third bowl, mix together the buttermilk and lemon juice.
- Make the Cakes: Add the buttermilk/lemon juice and dry ingredients to the stand mixer by adding 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture, then 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then repeating until done, making sure you end with the dry ingredients. Grease and flour three 6" cake tins, then split the batter evenly between each one. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. I used cake strips for flatter, more even layers (see notes below).
- Make the Syrup: Remove the cakes from the oven but leave them in the tins. Add all the simple syrup ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pass through a strainer into a small saucepan, then bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Once boiling, remove from heat. Use a skewer or a toothpick to poke lots of holes through the warm cakes and pour the syrup evenly over the three layers. Let soak in for about 10 minutes.
- Cool the Cakes: Turn the cakes out (wiggle a knife around the outside if needed) onto a cutting board covered in parchment paper. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or until very cold and not sticky to the touch.
- Make the Frosting: Meanwhile, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, vanilla, and salt. Add the confectioner's sugar ½ cup at a time, beating to combine after each addition. The frosting is done when it's a thick, spreadable consistency. If it's still too thin after adding 3 cups of sugar, put it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let it thicken up.
- Assemble and Crumb Coat: Add a dab of frosting to the center of a rotating cake stand and place the first cake layer on top of it. Use an offset spatula to add a thin layer of frosting on top, then add the second cake layer and repeat. Add the third layer and place a large dollop of frosting on top. Smooth it down the sides and use the spatula to even it out. The frosting should be thin – the purpose of this coat is to stick the crumbs to the cake. Make sure the layers are perfectly in line. Once the frosting is smoothed to your liking, refrigerate or freeze the cake until solid.
- Decorate: Once the crumb coat is set, you can decorate the cake however you want. I added another thin layer of frosting so the pink cake could still show through, but you could add a thicker layer to make the outside of the cake completely white. I arranged fresh strawberries and buttercream roses on top; the roses are somewhat advanced and totally optional.
Notes
Cake strips are fabric bands that go around the outside of the cake tins while they're in the oven. You can purchase them online from most cake decorating stores, or you can make your own out of scrap fabric or pieces of damp paper towel wrapped in aluminum foil.