Strawberry Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This Strawberry Lemon Cake is a delightful, moist, and fruity dessert featuring a tender lemon-infused cake swirled with sweet strawberry compote and topped with a luscious cream cheese and strawberry frosting. Perfect for spring and summer gatherings, this cake combines fresh strawberries, zesty lemon, and creamy frosting for a balanced, flavorful treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
- 2 cups (260g) fresh or frozen strawberries, quartered
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (5ml) lemon juice
Cake Batter
- 1⅔ cups (235g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (225g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup (120ml) full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60ml) sunflower oil
- ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (80ml) milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80ml) strawberry compote (from above)
- 3 drops red food colouring (optional)
Frosting
- ¾ pkg (6 oz / 170g) cold cream cheese
- 3 tbsp (40g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup (237ml) cold heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) strawberry compote
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make Strawberry Compote: Combine the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Once strawberries release juice and begin bubbling, reduce to a simmer and add lemon juice. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently until thick like jam. Pour into a clean bowl and cool.
- Prepare Pan and Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Rub the sugar with lemon zest in a large bowl until fragrant and yellow-tinted. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend thoroughly.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, vanilla, sunflower oil, melted butter, milk, and strawberry compote until smooth. Add red food coloring if using.
- Combine Batter: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix gently by hand or on low speed with a mixer just until smooth and combined, avoiding over-mixing.
- Assemble and Bake: Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Dollop remaining strawberry compote randomly on top and swirl with a knife. Bake 22-25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 tbsp sugar and beat again to soften. Add 2-3 tbsp heavy cream and beat smooth. Gradually add remaining cream, beating until smooth and free of lumps. Whip to stiff peaks. Mix in remaining sugar and vanilla, then fold in 1-2 tbsp strawberry compote, stopping if frosting becomes too runny. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes to thicken.
- Frost Cake: Spread the chilled frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Swirl additional strawberry compote over the top decoratively. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Using room temperature eggs and milk helps the batter mix more evenly.
- You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for the compote; just thaw if frozen before cooking.
- Adjust the amount of strawberry compote in the frosting based on desired sweetness and texture.
- If you don’t have sunflower oil, a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil works well.
- For a more intense lemon flavor, add an extra teaspoon of lemon zest into the batter.
- Keep the cake refrigerated after frosting to maintain freshness and texture.
- Red food coloring is optional but enhances the pink color of the batter.
