Strawberry Lemon Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 26, 2025 
This moist Strawberry Lemon Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is packed with fresh lemon and strawberry flavors and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, making it the ultimate show-stopping summer dessert!
This Stunning Strawberry Lemon Cake Is Almost Too Pretty To Eat
Fresh, zingy, berry-packed and oh so moist and tender, this Strawberry Lemon Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is layered perfection. My birthday is just a few weeks away, and I’m so excited to make this cake… Again.
It’s the greatest blend of light buttery cake, fresh lemon zest, bright strawberry essence, and blushing berries hiding between the layers. Drooling yet?
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Nothing tastes more like summer than this sweet and stunning Strawberry Lemon Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting. The entire cake is slathered with silky smooth lemon cream cheese frosting. Then I spread on a fun ombrè frosting effect with a little pink frosting… and voila! Make sure you take time to savor each bite.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Lemon Cake
- Fluffy cream cheese frosting – The velvety and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly compliments the sweet cake.
- Moist cake layers – Packed with fresh strawberries and lemon, each bite is loaded with moist, tender cake.
- Celebration perfection – This cake is perfect for birthdays, summer parties and baby showers!
Just look at this beautiful jaw-dropping summer strawberry lemon cake! She’s a beaut!
Ingredients and Notes
- Dry ingredients – To make the cake layers, you’ll need cake flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar.
- Strawberries – Use fresh, ripe and trimmed strawberries between layers for a juicy surprise.
- Lemon zest – You’ll need freshly grated lemon zest to get that zing in each bite.
- Extracts – Use a high quality vanilla and strawberry extract to get sweet, floral flavors.
- Red food coloring – This is totally optional, but red food coloring enhances the strawberries’ redness.
- Cream cheese – Use room temperature, softened cream cheese as the base of that luxurious cream cheese frosting.
- Powdered sugar – To make the frosting sweeter, use fine powdered sugar.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the frosting a slightly tart twist.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Berries – Add fresh raspberries and blueberries for a mixed-berry vibe.
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free cake flour mixture and baking powder.
- Dairy-free – Use a plant-based butter and cream cheese, and use oat milk or almond milk.
- Chocolate chips – Fold in white chocolate chips into the cake batter.
How To Make Strawberry Lemon Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Make this moist, tender and gorgeous Strawberry Lemon Cake in just a few simple steps and in under an hour!
Find the full Strawberry Lemon Cake recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Cover the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also cover it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving Suggestions
I love to dig into this gorgeous cake as is, but there are ways to make it even more spectacular…
For example, serve it with a generous mound of fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of strawberry jam. Or you can enjoy it with a refreshing scoop of lemon sorbet.
You can also pair it with an iced tea, sparkling lemonade or a glass of champagne, if you’re celebrating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the flavor of the strawberry won’t be as pungent.
Yep! Bake the cake layers in advance and freeze them. You can also make the frosting and keep it fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Thaw the cake on the day you want to assemble it.
The easiest way to do this is to use a turntable. Using food coloring, tint some of the frosting pink in a large bowl, and apply it to the base of the cake pointing upwards and creating stiff peaks.
Similar Recipes You Might Like
Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Ingredients
For the Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour or 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon strawberry extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of two lemons
- 3-9 drops red food coloring, optional
- 40 small fresh ripe strawberries, trimmed
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 5-7 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
For the Cake:
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Turn the mixer on low and add in the baking powder, salt, eggs, strawberry and vanilla extracts, and lemon zest. Scrape the bowl again and slowly beat in the flour and milk. Mix in food coloring if desired.
- Once smooth, pour the batter into the two cake pans. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans. Then flip the cakes out onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- In a clean mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and beat in the butter. (Do this separately to avoid clumps.) Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the lemon juice. One cup at a time, beat in the powdered sugar, until you reach your desired consistency. Scrape the bowl and beat again until very smooth.
To Assemble:
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spread frosting over the cake in a thin layer. Press the strawberries, trimmed side down, over the surface of the cake Then slather more frosting over the berries, filling the spaces in between. Set the top cake layer over the strawberries and press to level. Dollop frosting over the top and spread in out and down over the sides.
For the Ombré Frosting Effect:
- Leave 1/2+ cup frosting in the mixing bowl. Add 1-3 drop red food coloring into the frosting and beat until the color is consistent. Starting at the bottom, spread the frosting around the edges. Then move upward in sweeping motions. Spread a little pink over the top if desired.
I made this cake today for a relative. The layers are in the freezer. My cake is very dense. I was afraid to flop it over, because I thought it would fall apart. Anyway, the flavor is good. I feel like the cake fell tho. I almost threw it away, but I made a tester and the flavor was there. I dont think I would make it again, but I think she will like it
This was a delicious cake! I made it last year for my 11th birthday, and I am definitely gonna make it again this year! I might us less lemon zest, and add a strawberry puree to the cake, and for the ombre effect, I might use pink and yellow frosting. Cant wait to see how it turns out!😁😁
I am not able to find strawberry extract in my area- any ideas for substitutions, like lemon or vanilla? Or maybe adding diced strawberries to the batter?
Hi Alicia,
Honestly, I would order it instead of using something else. It really does create the best strawberry flavor. Hope this helps!
Girl! You are my hero. I make cake for our monthly birthday party at work. They ate this thing in less than 15 minutes and someone grabbed the cake platter to get the leftover icing!
I decided to add a touch of lemon extract to the batter, but otherwise the props are all yours!
thanks!
We hardly find any person who doesn’t love a cake. We can make a Strawberry Lemonade Cake to a dinner party and everyone will surely love it. It will be the perfect ending to our dinner.
This sounded so good that I made it for my son’s birthday yesterday. Oh my!! He declared it the best birthday cake ever! The cake itself is incredible with plenty of tang from the fresh lemons complemented by the layer of sweet strawberries inside. I couldn’t find small strawberries so I just sliced the big ones I had and layered them in the middle. The frosting was incredible too! So easy and there was plenty of it. Thank you!
Gorgeous!! Happy Birthday!
What a great summer cake!
HI, it doesn’t say what to do with the strawberries , do you cut them small or crush them?
Thank So!
Hi Mare,
The strawberries just go in the cake whole, in a single layer. That’s why there are no directions for slicing them. Please take a look at the post images for clarification. :)
This cake looks like summer. I cannot wait to make it. My birthday was this month and so was my husbands. I think I will make one even though the dates have pasted. It will be happy birthday to us.
So perfect for summer! Love!!
It’s hot today, so this looks good.
Thanks, Sommer.