Gluten Free Strawberry Lemonade Tiered Cake

Summers are for lemonade and sunblock and big, cloudless skies that seem to expose more of the world than in any other season. If you’re still stuck inside (or if you also live in San Francisco or various areas up in the PNW) then those big skies might still be a little out of reach, depending on your windows. But lemonade and sunblock are totally in-season, and anything that involves the two sounds like a plan for a great sun-soaked day. One positive adjustment that many folks seem to be making during shelter in place is a newfound love of parks. Now, it’s arguable whether your neighborhood 2×2 block green space is safer than small house get-together when packed with hundreds of cabin-fever-ridden locals, but at least each family and friend group seems to have a carefully-placed picnic blanket pod that’s at least 10 feet from anyone else. Somehow, we managed to luck out last weekend and got to partake in the park take on quarantine: with extra sun! Thanks, San Francisco.

This gorgeous park day, super-saturated with clear summer sun and the chatter and laughter of so many people (a sound that has been eerily absent these past few months), was a bright spot in what has become the new-normal of staying inside. Thankfully, the day was especially special because it also involved a birthday! Happy birthday, Jenn! And with birthdays, comes cake – this time, in the shape of this four-tiered gluten free strawberry lemonade cake commissioned by another dear friend, Julia. Here’s to friends baking friends cakes, no matter what the time of year, though this one was particularly fun and seasonal. When the prompt is: not chocolate, it makes things a bit more interesting, hence this strawberry lemonade cake was created. Sometimes, an extravagant cake, with enough decorating to rival Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe, is just the ticket for feeling that summer bliss.

Shout out here to the other sister of Sisters Sans Gluten for ensuring that this cake was not a disastrous mistake. For those of you who don’t know us yet, we’re a pair of sisters, Amelia and Kendra, and the one you’re reading now is Amelia (hi). Kendra has a spectacular talent for creating professionally-decorated cakes – with perfectly-formed piping and structure. Me, on the other hand, I find the entire ordeal unimaginably stressful, so when Julia commissioned this cake, I promptly FaceTimed Kendra (a bit earlier than she would have liked on a Saturday morning) and proceeded to keep her on the phone for hours, asking her how I should manage every step of the cake structuring and decorating process. Here’s to siblings and their infinite patience (and their bluntness, when that patience runs out). Through careful coaching from the cake master herself, I managed to get the below cake stacked, frosted, and boxed without a hitch, though carrying it two blocks to the park party was surprisingly hard (four layers of cake weighs quite a bit more than you would imagine).

So, all in all, the party was fantastic, that cake was a hit, and if you have a safe chance to get outside and soak in some much-needed sun and vitamin D, go for it. If you’re looking for other lemony treats, try our lemon bars or Kendra’s lemon ricotta cupcakes. If you’re more into the strawberry side, check out these strawberry rhubarb cupcakes, or this simple summer strawberry sheet cake (how’s that for alliteration)! Bake well, friends!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Strawberry Lemonade Tiered Cake

This four-tiered strawberry lemonade cake is bursting with summer, tangy lemon, and fresh strawberries

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Cooling time20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: banana cake, buttercream, gluten free, lemon, strawberry, strawberry lemonade, summer, tiered cake

Servings: 20 people

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 9-inch cake pans
• Piping bag
• Butter knife or cake scraper

Ingredients

For the strawberry cake layers:

• 2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if the mix doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 Cup almond flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp powdered and sifted freeze dried strawberries instructions below
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 Cup canola oil
• 3/4 Cup sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1 Cup pureed fresh strawberries
• 1/2 Cup milk
• pink food coloring optional

For the lemon cake layers:

• 2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if the mix doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 Cup almond flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 Cup canola oil
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Cup white sugar
• 1/2 Cup milk

For the strawberry buttercream:

• 2 Cups salted butter room temperature
• 5 Cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 Cup powdered and sifted freeze dried strawberries instructions below
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbsp pureed fresh strawberries

For the lemon buttercream:

• 2 Cups salted butter room temperature
• 6 Cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 3 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• yellow food coloring optional

Instructions

• First, make the strawberry cake layers. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter or cooking spray. First, blitz up the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor or nutribullet, then sift the powder (to remove the seeds) into a small bowl to measure out. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and powdered freeze dried sifted strawberries. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream, vanilla, sugar, pureed strawberries, and milk until smooth. Add in the whisked dry ingredients and stir to combine (but don't overstir). If using, add the food coloring to your liking and stir. Pour the batter into the two greased cake pans, ensuring both pan is evenly-filled. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool and then remove from pans (let rest on a parchment-lined counter or cookie sheet) and wash to re-use pans with lemon layers.
• Then, make the lemon cake layers! Use the same two 9-inch cake pans (cleaned). Grease pans with butter or cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream, vanilla, sugar, lemon zest, juice, and extract, and milk until smooth. Add in the whisked dry ingredients and stir to combine (but don't overstir). Pour the batter into the two greased cake pans, ensuring both pan is evenly-filled. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool and then remove from pans (let rest on a parchment-lined counter or cookie sheet).
• While cake layers are cooling, make the buttercream. Start with the strawberry buttercream. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the room temp butter, vanilla, and one cup of the powdered sugar until smooth. Add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar at a time until thicker and smooth. Add in the powdered sifted freeze dried strawberries and pureed strawberries and blend until smooth, then set aside.
• Make the lemon buttercream. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the room temp butter and one cup of the powdered sugar until smooth. Add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar at a time until thicker and smooth. Add in the lemon zest, juice, and extract and beat until smooth. Add in just one or two drops of yellow food coloring if using (I like a very light icy yellow so less color is more). Then set aside.
• Before constructing, slice off the round tops of each cake layer if they aren't totally flat. Then place one lemon layer on a plate or cake stand. Add about 3/4 cup of the lemon buttercream and spread using a butterknife or frosting knife. Spread to the edges, then place one of the strawberry cakes on top. Frost this layer with strawberry buttercream, then place the second lemon layer on top and frost with more lemon buttercream. Add last strawberry layer and frost top (carefully and smooth the frosting for presentation).
• At this point, you can freeze the layered cake for one hour to stiffen it up and make it easier to frost the outside. Then frost the outside with the remaining buttercream – I use blobs of each flavor and then scrape around the side so that the two colors blend together per the photos. If you want to, put excess buttercream into two piping bags and pipe on top for presentation. Add sliced strawberries in a pattern (optional) on top, then serve! I recommend freezing the cake again for 30 minutes to an hour if you'll be transporting the cake anywhere.

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cake!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber