Lemonade Layer Cake
Lemonade concentrate gives both the cake and frosting fantastic flavor. I like to garnish this dessert with lemon slices and mint leaves.
Lemonade concentrate gives both the cake and frosting fantastic flavor. I like to garnish this dessert with lemon slices and mint leaves.
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- frosting:
- 2 egg whites
- 8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1-1/3 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemonade concentrate thawed
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
- 2 teaspoons lemonade concentrate thawed
- 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- Carbohydrate 59.1109355831256 g
- Cholesterol 62.3922879097929 mg
- Fat 14.6317296694616 g
- Fiber 0.59285971737076 g
- Protein 4.7587592936237 g
- Saturated Fat 8.91180560062241 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (127g)
- Sodium 387.376428668874 mg
- Sugar 58.5180758657548 g
- Trans Fat 1.1885068884282 g
- Calories 382 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add the lemonade concentrate, lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
- Coat two 9-in. round baking pans coated with cooking spray and dusted with flour. Pour batter to prepared pans.
- Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For frosting, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the lemon peel, lemonade concentrate and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Standard yellow layer cakes rely entirely on fresh citrus zest for their aromatic profile, but concentrated fruit bases introduce an entirely different volatile profile and acid content. Thawed frozen lemonade concentrate brings concentrated citric acid directly into the batter. This surplus acid reacts immediately with the half teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of baking powder, releasing carbon dioxide micro-bubbles that aerate the thick fat and sugar matrix during the two-minute creaming phase. Buttermilk provides additional lactic acid to reinforce this leavening action while tenderizing gluten strands for a fine crumb.
Fat selection dictates structural integrity in high-acid batters. Combining cream cheese and softened butter in the frosting yields a dense emulsion capable of supporting high quantities of confectioners' sugar without weeping or sliding off the 9-inch round layers. Cream cheese introduces casein proteins and moisture that temper the sharp sweetness of the powdered sugar, whereas pure butter solidifies firmly when chilled.
Baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 22 minutes requires careful observation of the center crumb using a wooden toothpick to check doneness before structural collapse occurs. Letting the baked layers rest inside their pans for exactly 10 minutes allows residual steam to gently release from the edges, making inversion onto wire racks safe without tearing the delicate crust. Chilling the fully frosted dessert for at least one hour stabilizes the dairy fats so the slice holds a clean edge.
Swapping frozen concentrate for fresh squeezed lemon juice and granulated sugar alters the moisture ratio significantly, requiring careful adjustments to liquid volume to prevent a dense or soggy crumb.
