Lemonade Cake

Remember when you were a kid and you used to BEG your mom to make homemade lemonade? (and by homemade lemonade I mean Kool-aid). Man that stuff was delicious.... I would ask her to keep adding more sugar, then more until she said "that's enough Veronica". Enough sugar? Never!


Well this weekend was my moms 60th birthday! I scoured the internet until I found the idea of a lemonade cake. Any excuse to add frozen lemonade concentrate is enough for me and when she was game I knew this HAD to be her birthday cake! I also think its a perfect Valentines Day dessert because while your cheeks are puckering from the intense lemony flavor you can keep 'em puckered for your sweetie!

For the Cake: 
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light


1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind (I used meyer lemons!)
1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Place first 5 ingredients in a mixer and beat at medium speed until well blended.Add eggs and egg whites one at a time until fully incorporated. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beat well after each addition. 


Pour the batter into 2 parchment lined, greased, 9" round cake pans. Holding pans level tap against the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. 

(Batter will look thin, don't worry this is right!)

For Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 teaspoons lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1- 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar


Place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.


Frost top of one 9" round and place the second on top. Frost entire cake and decorate to your liking. 

(^^^Not a professional cake decorator^^^)

This would be great in the summer, winter, fall, spring, tomorrow, today, um any day. Its lip-smackin' delicious! Enjoy :)