Lemonade Cake

We like to make birthdays extra special – especially for the kids (adults love it too)!  There are balloons, birthday banners, birthday shirts and of course a very special birthday cake!  For the kids, I like to make a custom design cake into something tailored to their current interests.  For Greta’s first birthday, she had a bear cake.  It was chocolate with chocolate frosting, and she really seemed to enjoy it!

For his 4th birthday, Adam had an elaborate plan for his cake. For months, he talked about a basketball cake with basketball hoop design. It also had to have his name on it and had to be 3-dimensional.  I really had to flex my creative muscles to come up with something. He was not only excited to see his idea made into cake, but it was also covered with his favorite candy!  Prior years he had a baseball cake (3rd), fire truck cake (2nd) and monkey cake (1st). They were all really fun.

Both of the kids’ birthdays are in the winter. So with Mike’s birthday as our only summer birthday, we like to play to the season. This year we enjoyed a Lemonade Cake. Adam and Greta helped decorate daddy’s cake with the sprinkles, which made the cake extra festive! The cake has lemonade added to the cake, which gives an incredible lemon flavor. The frosting is very simple lemonade marshmallow buttercream.  The combination was so delicious, that several party goers went back for seconds! 🙂

Making celebration cakes is one of my favorite things to do, but I will be honest with you. It’s a lot of work!  Even the simplest cake can be time consuming.  Over the years I have come up with a couple strategies to help alleviate some of the party planning pressures so that I can focus on what matters most – enjoying the celebration!  Since the cake is so involved, we make meals simple.  We grill something easy, order take-out, or even make a frozen pizza. It may not be a Pinterest-worthy meal, but everybody is happy!

Another quick party tip is to use Dixie Ultra Moments® Tableware.  Using Dixie Ultra Moments® Tableware helps take care of the details so we can enjoy the moment now. They are unique 8-sided plates built with a deep rim, durable construction, and Soak Proof Shield® (perfect to enjoy cake and ice cream on one plate without worrying if anything will roll off the plate or soak through!). These plates are strong enough to hold up for any gathering and you can “Celebrate with Style and Strength™”!  Dixie Ultra Moments® premium coordinating designs bring style to any occasion and gave our casual party a perfectly polished Pinterest-worthy presentation.

Lemonade Cake

 

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Yields: 24 servings

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1⅓ cups milk (I used skim)
• ¼ cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with baking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, add butter to a large bowl and beat on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar ¼ cup at a time, beating on medium, until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, stir milk, lemonade, and vanilla.
5. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating after each addition, until just combined.
6. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place cake in pan on wire rack to cool completely.
7. MAKE FROSTING: Put butter and marshmallow cream in a large bowl fixed with a mixer and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemonade and beat again until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or lemonade until desired consistency is achieved. Spread over cooled cake and decorate as desired.

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Disclaimer: This post was in partnership with BlogHer for Dixie Ultra Moments® Tableware. All opinions, tips, and photos are my own.