Pink Lemonade Cake Is My Favorite Summer Dessert

If you’re a lemonade lover, then this cake is for you. It’s citrusy, punchy, and just sweet enough—pink lemonade in cake form! 

It’s also easy to make, thanks to a few clever tricks. The secret ingredient is thawed frozen pink lemonade concentrate, which adds lots of flavor without adding too much liquid. The batter is made using the reverse creaming method, combining the dry ingredients and butter before adding the wet ingredients. This foolproof method yields a more tender cake with a flatter top, perfect for frosting.

Speaking of frosting, a cream cheese buttercream with a little more lemonade concentrate completes the dessert. It’s easy (no stacking or fancy decorating skills required) and feeds a crowd—perfect for a barbecue, potluck, or family dinner.

Quick Tips for Making Pink Lemonade Cake

• Make sure the butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature before mixing up your cake and frosting. This ensures your cake batter will mix up evenly and have a tender crumb.
• For the perfect creamy, dreamy frosting, don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar.
• If you can’t find pink lemonade concentrate, use regular lemonade concentrate instead. To make a lemonade cake that’s not pink, swap the concentrate and leave out the red food coloring.

Make It Ahead

The frosted cake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or tightly covered for a few days, but you can get further ahead if you like. The baked, cooled (and unfrosted) cake can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to a month. Let thaw at room temperature before frosting and serving.

The frosting can also be made ahead. Whip it up as far as a week before serving and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, or until spreadable, before frosting.

Summer Sheet Cakes

• Pistachio Cardamom Tres Leches Cake
• Banana Sheet Cake
• Gooey Butter Cake
• Easy Vanilla Cake
• Lazy Daisy Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Spray a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray; set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients and butter:

To make the cake, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined. Slice the butter into about 8 pieces and add to the flour mixture. Beat on medium-low speed until flour is sandy, about 1 minute.

Make the cake batter:

Add the pink lemonade, milk, lemon zest, and juice. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed until each egg is incorporated (the mixture will look curdled). 

Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture no longer looks curdled, about 30 more seconds. Add the food coloring and beat on low speed until evenly colored. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake:

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (no wet batter), 28 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour.

Make the frosting:

While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the lemonade and lemon juice and beat until combined, about 1 minute. 

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add food coloring and beat on medium speed until the color is fully incorporated.

Frost and serve:

Remove the cake from the pan and place on a serving platter. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Garnish with lemon slices. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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