I am so excited to share with you a delightful, and surprisingly easy, recipe for a rectangular strawberry and lemon layer cake. This strawberry cake base comes from a box mix, and it comes with a zesty twist: lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream. Finally, it is topped with a sleek layer of fondant. Now, to be straightforward and honest with you, this cake took some time to decorate! I cheated and used a box cake mix and pre-made lemon curd for the filling. Even so, though this takes time and practice! This post contains a lot of information! If you want to save it for later, you can click the image to the left to pin this post.
If your first attempts at baking a pretty layer cake don’t turn out the way you want, that’s okay!! I have baked many an ugly cake in my day! In fact, I’m not even super pleased with how this cake turned out on my first attempt. I’m going to update this post with some better images when I have more time to bake this cake again. I promise, even if your cake doesn’t come out looking wedding magazine-worthy, it will still taste delicious. This rectangular strawberry lemon layer cake with fondant has a rich and unique flavor profile that will please even a picky audience!
Special Ingredients for this Cake
Before we embark on this flavorful journey, let’s gather the special ingredients that will make this cake an absolute standout:
Lemon Curd:
This will bring a tangy and refreshing flavor to the cake. You can either buy it pre-made or make your own using fresh lemons. I’m not sure if all grocery stores typically sell lemon curd, but I got mine at Wegmans, because they usually have everything. If you want a homemade lemon curd recipe, this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction looks really good!
Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest
For that vibrant lemony punch in both the filling and the buttercream, use some fresh lemons, not just bottled lemon juice.
Fondant:
Perfect for creating a smooth and professional finish on the cake. This is kind of optional. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of fondant, I don’t blame you at all!! You can more easily just make some extra lemon buttercream, and add some swirls of frosting on top of your cake and pipe a nice border around the bottom.
However, if you’re up for an adventure, fondant is one of those things that is easier to work with than I would have thought! You can buy pre-made fondant or make your own. I made my own using instructions from Tastes Better From Scratch. It took me about 35 minutes to make my homemade fondant, but this was also my first try making my own fondant. I would imagine it gets easier and faster the more you make it.
Supplies Needed to Decorate a Layered Caker
Now, let’s make sure we have all the supplies necessary to decorate this beautifully layered creation. Making layered cakes look pretty takes time and practice! Emphasis on the practice part! Having the right tools makes the process a little easier and smoother.
Rectangular Cake Pans: You can use these rectangular layer pans from Wilton. Or, I used a regular 9×13 baking pan, and cut it. Keep reading to see how!
Parchment Paper: To ensure your cake doesn’t stick to the pans.
Cake Leveler: For leveling off the cake layers. You can use a knife, but I am just not that skilled to cut in a perfectly straight line. And for layer cakes, you really want your cuts straight and precise.
Offset Spatula: Perfect for spreading the lemon curd and buttercream.
Turntable: Makes frosting the cake a breeze and ensures a smooth finish. This is optional, but it does make things easier.
Rolling Pin: For rolling out the fondant to cover the cake.
Fondant Smoother: Achieves that flawless fondant finish.
Bench scraper: For flattening your buttercream frosting.
Cake board: A cake board holds your cake in place while you decorate it. I actually didn’t have a rectangular cake board, but I had a flat, long rectangular plate. Whatever you decorate your cake on, make sure it is sturdy, flat and will have some friction so your cake doesn’t slide around while you decorate it.
Piping Bag and Tips: I like to use a large, round tip for between the layers, and then a drop flower tip to decorate the flowers outside of the cake.
How to Make a Rectangular Shaped Strawberry Lemon Cake Topped with Fondant
Make the Cake Layers
Prepare the Cake Pan(s): Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and line it with parchment paper. I trace the bottom of the pan on parchment paper and cut it out with scissors. Then, it fits perfectly in the bottom of the pan. OR, if you have pre-made rectangular layer pans, do the same for all of those pans.
Prepare the Cake Batter: Mix your favorite strawberry cake recipe or use a boxed mix. I used the Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix.
Bake the Cake: Bake the cake according to the instructions on the box. Let it cool completely before attempting to shape and frost it.
Level the Cake: Using a cake leveler, level off just the top of each of your cake. Do each individual layer if you used layer pans.
If you used rectangular layer pans, skip the next step.
Cut your cake layers: Carefully turn your cake upside down to get it out of the pan.
Cut your cake the long way, down the middle. Then, using your cake leveler, carefully cut each of those pieces through the center so that you have 4 long, thin rectangular layers of cake.
If you see that your cake layers aren’t quite the same size when you lay them one on top of the other, cut them so they are the same size. Place all of your layers one on top of the other, lining them up very carefully, then trim off any excess you see so that all of your layers are the same size and shape.
Make the Filling and Frosting
Make or Prepare the Lemon Curd: If making from scratch, combine fresh lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Let it cool. If you are using store bought lemon curd, skip this step.
Make Lemon Buttercream (x2 the below ingredients):
-
- -1 cup butter
- -4 cups powdered sugar
- -¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
Whip Up the Buttercream: Beat butter until creamy, then gradually add powdered sugar, lemon zest, and a touch of lemon juice. Beat until fluffy and smooth.
Note: I made one batch of frosting, and got through about ¾ of my cake, and then made a second batch for the rest. I didn’t have a bowl big enough for 2 batches of frosting at once, but if you do, you can make a double batch at once. You will most likely need 2 batches (or more!) of frosting.
Assemble Your Cake
Now, there are 2 ways I thought of to layer this cake. I wish I had gone with version B, as I think version A had a little too much lemon curd for my liking. I’ll outline both versions here, but please note that the pictures are showing version A. version B wouldn’t look very different, though!
Version A Lemon Layer Cake:
1. Place a line of lemon buttercream going down the center of your cake board horizontally. Then place one layer on your cake board.
2. Pipe a ring of lemon buttercream frosting around the outer rim of your cake layer.
3. Using a spoon, place dollops of lemon curd in the middle of your ring of buttercream.
4. Carefully, using your offset spatula, smooth the buttercream and lemon curd so they form a smooth layer.
5. Place your next layer of cake on top of that, and do the same. Make a ring of buttercream, add lemon curd filling and smooth.
6. Do the same thing for the next layer.
7. Finally, place your last layer on top.
8. Make a ring of buttercream frosting around the edges. Then, fill in the layer with more buttercream frosting. Kind of like when you’re coloring, and you first outline the shape, and then you fill it in.
9. Smooth your top layer with an offset spatula so that it’s nice and flat
Version B Lemon Layer Cake
Note: If you want some better visuals of how this layering works with a different kind of cake, check out this post here. I will update this post for strawberry lemon cake in the near future with better images!
1. Place a line of lemon buttercream going down the center of your cake board horizontally. Then place one layer on your cake board.
2. Place a ring of buttercream frosting around the outer rim of your cake layer.
3. Then, fill in the layer with more buttercream frosting. Kind of like when you’re coloring, and you first outline the shape, and then you fill it in.
4. Use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting until it’s flat. It’s okay if a little leaks over the sides, but try not to press too hard so that most of the frosting stays on the cake layer.
5. Place your next cake layer on top.
6. Carefully spread a layer of lemon curd over the top of this second layer. If some of it falls over the sides, try to scrape that off with your offset spatula or a butter knife.
7. Place your next cake layer on top.
8. Repeat steps 2-3 on this third layer. Make a ring of lemon buttercream, fill in the layer with more buttercream, and then smooth it flat.
Finally, place your last layer on top.
Frost the Cake
Apply a thin layer of lemon buttercream to the entire cake. This is the crumb coat that seals in the crumbs.
Start with the top. Spread some lemon buttercream on the top of your cake, and then smooth it flat. Be careful not to press too hard so that your middle layers don’t ooze out on you!
Then, pipe buttercream down the sides of your cake, making vertical lines. Take your bench scraper, and scrape the frosting so that it forms a flat, thin layer. You will definitely be able to see cake through these side layers! That is okay. We’re going to cover them with fondant, anyway!
Chill the crumb coated cake for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Cover with Fondant
Roll out the fondant and drape it over the chilled cake. Smooth it out with a fondant smoother, trimming any excess fondant from the base.
I am no expert when it comes to fondant!! I used this video to help me.
I also got my homemade marshmallow fondant instructions from here, and colored my fondant pink to match the cake.
Decoration:
I won’t lie to you, I was not pleased with how my first time attempt with fondant came out.
I had some lumps in my fondant, and my corners weren’t smooth. So, I decided to pipe some buttercream flowers to kind of hide those imperfections. Believe me, decorating pretty cakes takes time and practice! I repeat: Decorating pretty cakes takes time and practice!
If you are unhappy with how your cake looks covered in fondant, as I was, I recommend you cover those less-than-pretty areas with simple buttercream flowers. Here’s a video to show you how.
If you didn’t even attempt the fondant, I would recommend you add another layer of buttercream, using the methods above for the “Frost the Cake” section. Then, you too can pipe a border around the bottom or your cake and/or add buttercream flowers.
Voila! You made a beautiful cake!! Be proud of yourself, because this is not easy! Decorating cakes also isn’t for the impatient or faint of heart! It takes time and practice to decorate pretty layer cakes.
If anything, if you made it this far in this post, I hope you learned some good cake-decorating techniques. I’ve been baking and decorating cakes for years, and I still have to take my time, and I still mess up my cakes! I just try to go with the flow, and enjoy eating my cakes anyway. After all, at the end of the day, you’re making a delicious treat to be eaten! I hope you found this post helpful and encouraging if you are just learning how to make and decorate cakes!
