We are starting to cross things off of our Summer Bucket List, and I have to say that having a list is proving to be the best thing that we could have done. As a family, we have always been up for an adventure. But when we lived in Kansas, it was so easy to not go anywhere, the kids played outside all day and there were about a million kids to play with. When we would offer up an adventure, they would rather stay home. Now that we have moved, life is different. I think that their sense of adventure is renewed, and we are all forcing ourselves to go out and have some fun. The weather has not been beach weather yet so we decided to head to Philadelphia and check out The Franklin Institute. We bought a membership because there is so much to see and do, that we could not get it all in one day. Now we have a reason to head back into the city and explore some more.
You know that I have a problem saying no to anything lemon. I saw this cake on Pinterest, from BHG, and I knew that it would be something that I would be into. I was truly surprised at how flavorful this simple cake is. Tart, and just sweet enough. Even the kids loved it. This cake is really easy to make, and I often forget that making a cake in a 9×13 is so much easier than a layer cake. I am going to remember to make this cake next winter when I am tired of the cold, and need a little sunshine.
Cake
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
Frosting
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat butter and sugar together.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add lemonade concentrate and vanilla.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture.
Add 1/2 of the buttermilk.
Repeat until all of the buttermilk and flour is incorporated.
Pour into a 9×13 that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar. Add in 1/3 cup of the lemonade concentrate and vanilla.
Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar. Add remaining lemonade until you get a nice consistency.
Spread frosting over cooked cake.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time. Add lemonade concentrate and vanilla.
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat until all of the buttermilk and flour is incorporated.
- Pour into a 9×13 that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.Cool completely.
- Beat the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar. Add in 1/3 cup of the lemonade concentrate and vanilla. Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar. Add remaining lemonade until you get a nice consistency.
- Spread frosting over cooked cake.
I am Bree. I love to cook. Even more than I love to take pictures.
Lovely cake Bree. I can’t say no to anything lemon as well. I know for a fact I will be baking this delicious looking cake soon.
Jennifer | Mother Thyme recently posted..Peach-Ginger and Ricotta Crostata plus Giveaway
I hope that you do! I wish that I could say no to lemon, but I cannot.
This looks DELICIOUS! I love the first photo – I think I probably would make anything as long as it were accompanied by that picture! It’s such a pain that you can’t buy lemonade concentrate in England; I really don’t know what I would substitute it with… Oh, well, I’ll just dream of its lemon-y goodness! I’m glad you’re enjoying the summer.
Georgiana recently posted..Morningtime.
Really? Someone above mentioned that they made their own concentrate. I would imagine a really lemon heavy simple syrup would work as a substitute.
Everything about this cake sounds delightful. Awesome idea!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar recently posted..My Favorite Pesto
It is delightful! Sweet and tangy!
The lemonade cake looks awesome. I will have to prepare it sometime using the recipe you have provided.
Jenna Grimes recently posted..kimkardashiantapenews.com
Please do!
Did I miss where you moved to? Are you in PA or NJ ? I am so jealous you can get into the city so quickly. I loved the Franklin Institute as a kid. We will be in Ocean City, NJ for a week in August and your pictures make me want to head out to visit now. Good luck with the move and everything.
ps. the cake looks delicious.
We are NJ for the summer, but heading to DC in August.
I grew up in the Philly area and we went on yearly trips to the Franklin Institute with school – it never gets old!
Never, ever! Love it.
I was so excited to see this recipe this morning! I made frozen lemonade concentrate out of my Meyer lemons & it just didn’t have the perfect tartness that regular lemons give it. I was thinking about throwing it all out, and now I have something better to do with it! As always, thanks for sharing!
Yum! How awesome are you? How do you make your own concentrate?
[...] Cake June 16, 2012 By bakedbree 3 Comments If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for [...]
I can’t beleive you made that perfect of a cut on the first try in the first photo. If I tried that I wiuld probably masacure the cake, haha xD
But this looks so delicious, and I love the taste of lemon in the summer. It’s a perfect seasonal flavor
Becca- cookie jar treats recently posted..Double Chocolate Pudding
I let it sit overnight. It helps make a clean cut.
I just read your “about” box, and it says you live in KS, but from today’s post, it sounds like you’ve moved. Where to? I have a son in the Navy and have lots of sympathy for all those moves! Btw, the cake looks great, love the lemonade in the frosting to add oomph, and have saved it to try when the grandkids are here – thanks!
We JUST moved, like a week ago. I need to update my about page. We are in NJ for the summer, but headed to DC.
What a fun cake! And as Becca had said, your first cut is perfect! It usually takes like 2-3 cuts before I get a decent one.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious recently posted..Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce
Thanks, the key is to let it sit overnight. I did not cut it into until the next day.
Yum! I love anything citrus. The possibilities are endless with this. I can’t wait to try it!
kelley {mountain mama cooks} recently posted..Summer Veggie Saute
Another reader had the great idea to make an orange version. Pink lemonade would be fun too.
You have such stunning photos!!! I love it. That cake looks fantastic! I love sweet citrus food.
Carla @ Carla’s Confections recently posted..Salted Caramel Frosting (Giant Cupcake Mold Giveaway)
thank you so much. This ones was hard to shoot for some reason. But I loved the cake so much, I had to share it.
This looks so spectacular! I can’t wait to try it! Only one thing – I don’t see a temperature that you baked it at – is it 350 F? Thanks
Bewildered Bug recently posted..Big Top “Cupcake” Review & Giveaway
Thanks! I fixed it.
Really original recipe! Love the food styling props. The lemon colour comes out beautiful in the picture.
Jacqueline @howtobeagourmand recently posted..Coconut Madeleines for Dad
thank you so much Jacqueline!
In Australia we don’t get Lemonade concentrate (not the I know of anyway) but I can just imagine the delicious lemon bite this cake would have! Great recipe!
marcellina recently posted..Assyrian Spinach Pies – "A Baker’s Odyssey" Personal Challenge #17
Really? It boggles me what you cannot get in Australia.
The perfect summer recipe. And this looks so exotic too.
Minnie(@thelady8home) recently posted..Saffron-rose ice-cream; eggless, cream less, machine less
thank you Minnie!
cool recipe .. i have 2 Questions ..
i didn’t understand what do you mean about ” 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed ”
can i use a normal lemon juice ?
and i don’t have any butter milk can i use the normal milk ?
sorry > i am shy of asking you all of that >> but i really want to try it
thank you ()
No, lemonade concentrate is sold in the freezer section. You add water to make it drinkable.
You can make buttermilk by adding a teaspoon or so of vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes.
Hi Bree. I am making this cake today for father’s day! I didn’t see the oven temperature setting on the recipe. I am assuming 350, but can you pls confirm? Thanks!
It is. 350. I’ll fix it.
[...] your own fabric with Poppytalk! The most adorable nail art how-to at The Beauty Department Make a lemonade cake!Here’s our EXTRA good Clip of the Day: googletag.cmd.push(function() { [...]
Something about that white frosting on top of the cake looks so fantastic to me. I love lemon too and really need to make something simple and sweet like this. We have moved a lot too. We used to life in Basehor, KS (right down the road from Leavenworth). It is so beautiful out there…green and lush hills. We enjoyed Kansas City alot. Now we are in Houston, TX and well…not in love with this megalopolis so much!
It is always a gamble isn’t it? Moving is not for the weak of heart.
A kid-friendly and delicious cake!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Canarian Potato Salad aka Potato Salad with Mojo de Cilantro
Yes it is!
Could you make these into cupcakes? I have a bachelorette party/bbq this weekend and they would be a perfect dessert to bring!
I think that you could, but I have never done it before.
I can’t wait to make this! LOVE anything lemon….or really any citrus flavor. I can imagine this with orange too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Pat
Pat recently posted..~ Take a look! ~
Orange would be amazing! You are so smart!
That cake is absolutely fantastic! I’m baking it right now and I so much hope it will turn out to be as good as yours! Smells fantastic! Thank you for such a lovely recipe!
Greetings from Saint-Petersburg, Russia!
I hope that you love it Inna!
This is the second lemon cake recipe I’ve looked at in 20 minutes and both have used frozen lemonade concentrate, which sadly doesn’t exist over here. Using anything else just wouldn’t be the same! I’ll save it under my “make in the US” list because it sounds amazing.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking recently posted..Honey Sweetened Strawberry Jam (without pectin)
Bummer! Isn’t it strange what other countries do not have that we don’t think twice about?
Bree! Made this cake yesterday and it was a HUGE hit! Thanks for sharing!
Anything with lemon and you’ve got me !! I love the fact that you baked it in a ‘sheet cake’ form….great for the family, and so much easier to portion…no arguments over the larger slice !
Mary @ mary mary quite contrary recently posted..Homemade Crusty Bread…..oh the Possibilities !
You and me both! No kidding, so easy, I don’t know why I don’t do it more often.
You had me at buttermilk!! I just popped this in the oven for my 4th of July celebration tomorrow. Shhh….Don’t tell the food police but I tasted the batter and I can already tell this is going to be a new favorite of mine. And I’m thinking pink lemonade will be perfect for a baby shower cake later this summer. From one Brie/Bree to another…. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah! This cake is really good. Tender and tangy.
I made this for my 4th of July party today. I made the cake into cupcakes and used raspberry lemonade concentrate becuz thats what i had in the freezer and added some lemon zest to the batter. The cupcakes were delicious and a huge hit! the frosting was amazing!!!! I wanted to eat all of them! thx for sharing!
Yum! That sounds good. You are very welcome!
Oh, I made this cake yesterday! It got rave reviews
. The entire pan was gone after the BBQ, even though there were numerous other desserts to be had. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I used cake flour (because I had it on hand), and I am not sure how this may have changed the consistency, even just a bit, but it had a spongy but denseness to it. DELICIOUS! I will be making this again!
I bet that it was so light and fluffy with cake flour. I am glad that it was so popular!
Bree, I am on vacation, left recipe for Giada’s meatballs at home. Not on Food Network website. Googled and found you. So, first, thank you for posting it as I made them today. While on your website, read this lemonade recipe, so made it too. Delicious – sweet but lemony sour. A great dessert. Thank you!
Leslie recently posted..Margarita Pie
You are welcome! Enjoy your vacation, it sounds like you are eating well!
I’m going to try these as pink lemonade for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. Can’t wait!
How fun!
Looking at this recipe again. I made the recipe as instructed but as mini cupcakes, with a strawberry lemonade frosting. They were so good. thank you for the recipe!
[...] bread recipe vanderbilt evan mathis staff sgt. robert bales jason russell norfolk state st patrick s day parade This entry was [...]
Hello there!
Was wondering what camera did u use for these photos? They are absolutely GORGEOUS!!
Nikon D700.
An u use self rising flour instead of other dry ingred.
I don’t know, I use all-purpose.