Nothing says summer like a tall glass of ice-cold pink lemonade. Whether it’s the cheerful color or the sweet-tart lemon flavor, pool days feel incomplete without a refreshing sip. That same sunny spirit inspired this Pink Lemonade Cake — a bright, fruity cake that tastes like a celebration of warm-weather flavors.
Note: This post originally contained affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through certain links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting CAKED by Katie.
Soft, tender pink lemonade cake layers are filled with tangy-sweet raspberry curd and finished with a bright lemon buttercream. Using thawed pink lemonade concentrate (the frozen variety from the supermarket) adds a straightforward, authentic lemonade flavor that balances sweet and tart. The result is a cake that tastes like summer in every bite.
Pink Lemonade Cake From Scratch
This from-scratch recipe is approachable even if you’re not an expert baker. It starts with a basic vanilla cake formula, substituting part of the milk with thawed pink lemonade concentrate to bring that lemonade flavor into the batter. Because the concentrate is already sweet, the recipe reduces the sugar slightly and adds a little lemon extract to boost the citrus notes. If you want the classic pink layers, add a few drops of pink gel food coloring to the batter — though the recipe works perfectly without color.
Filling: Raspberry Curd
Raspberry curd provides a silky, vibrant filling with just the right amount of tartness to complement the lemonade-flavored cake. I considered a lemon curd but chose raspberry for contrast and freshness — the bright raspberry flavor pairs beautifully with the lemon notes in the cake and buttercream.
How to Make Raspberry Curd
Puree fresh or frozen raspberries in a blender or food processor until smooth, aiming for about 1½ cups of puree. Reserve ½ cup of the puree for later. Combine the remaining puree (about 1 cup) in a medium saucepan with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium, stirring until the mixture begins to thicken and the sugar dissolves.
Whisk in the egg yolks and continue stirring vigorously until the curd thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and a pinch of salt until the butter melts and the curd is smooth. Stir in the reserved raspberry puree to brighten the flavor, then pass the curd through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and any cooked egg bits. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill for at least a few hours or overnight before using.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Lemon buttercream is the natural finishing touch: sweet, silky, and zesty. Start with a standard buttercream base and swap vanilla for lemon extract to intensify the citrus flavor. For a sunny presentation, tint a portion of the buttercream a pale yellow; this step is optional but makes the cake look like a slice of summer sunshine.
Decorating the Cake
For a simple, attractive finish, texture the sides with a cake comb and pipe tall swirls around the top using a Wilton 1M tip. I added lemon cookies between the swirls for an extra playful touch. The textured sides, sunny buttercream, and vivid raspberry filling create an inviting, seasonal presentation that’s perfect for summer gatherings.
More Lemon & Citrus Treats
If you love lemon and summer citrus, try these other sweet recipes for more inspiration:
- Orange Blossom Cake
- Key Lime Pie Cookies
- Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
- Key Lime Pie Cake
Description
Light, fluffy cake layers flavored with pink lemonade, filled with a tangy raspberry curd, and finished with zesty lemon buttercream. This Pink Lemonade Cake captures bright summer flavors and makes a cheerful centerpiece for any warm-weather celebration.
Ingredients (high level)
Pink lemonade concentrate, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, lemon extract, cake flour (or gluten-free 1:1 blend), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, optional pink food coloring.
Raspberry Curd: raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, egg yolks, butter, salt.
Lemon Buttercream: butter, icing sugar, lemon extract, salt, optional yellow food coloring and lemon cookies for decor.
Instructions (overview)
1. Preheat the oven and prepare cake pans. Mix the pink lemonade concentrate with milk, oil, eggs, and lemon extract. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the liquid in two additions and beat until combined. Divide into pans and bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool completely.
2. For the raspberry curd, puree raspberries, reserve some puree, then cook the rest with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch until thickened. Whisk in egg yolks, then remove from heat and add butter and salt. Stir in the reserved puree, strain, cover, and chill.
3. Make lemon buttercream by creaming butter until light, adding icing sugar, lemon extract, and salt, then whipping until smooth and fluffy. Tint a portion yellow if desired.
4. Level the cake layers, assemble by spreading buttercream, piping a border, filling with raspberry curd, stacking, crumb-coating and chilling briefly, then finish with a smooth final coat and piped swirls. Decorate as desired.
Notes
If you choose to color the buttercream, you can crumb-coat first and tint the remaining frosting for the final coat. Coloring is optional and purely aesthetic.
Nutrition (per slice, approximate)
Serving size: 1 slice. Calories and macronutrients will vary depending on ingredients and portion; typical values for a rich, layered cake are high in calories, sugar, and fat.
Made this recipe? Share a photo — it’s always a treat to see your bakes!