Strawberry Sheet Cake with Lemon Frosting

A slice of Strawberry sheet cake on a plate

Strawberry Sheet Cake with Lemon Frosting

Strawberry sheet cake is bursting w/ fresh berries & a hint of tangy lemon! The tender cake & fluffy lemon cream cheese frosting are a must-try!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword How Do I Make Strawberry Sheet Cake, How To Make Strawberry Sheet Cake, Strawberry Sheet Cake, Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe, strawberry sheet cake with lemon cream cheese frosting

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 603kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs large
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons strawberry flavored jello gelatin powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk well shaken
2/3 cups fresh strawberries chopped

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2/3 cups sugar divided
2/3 cups fresh strawberries chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the baking dish with parchment paper with the long sides extending 2-3 inches. Spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
Using a stand-up electric mixer, beat butter (1 cup) until creamy. Slowly add sugar (2 cups) then continue to beat for 4-5 minutes until it's fluffy. Add eggs (2) one at a time, and beat after each addition until they're incorporated. Add lemon juice (2 teaspoons) and vanilla (1 teaspoon) and mix in.
In a small bowl combine flour (2 1/2 cups), strawberry jello (2 tablespoons), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon). Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk (1 cup), beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently stir in strawberries (2/3 cups). Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely. Lift the cake out of the pan, using the parchment paper extensions.
Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese (8 ounces) with 1/3 cup of sugar until the mixture is smooth. Fold in strawberries (2/3 cups).
In a large bowl, beat the cream (1 1/2 cups) and lemon juice (3 tablespoons) until the mixture is frothy. Continue beating on medium-high speed and gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream mixture.
Immediately spread the top and sides of the cake with frosting. Serve :)

Notes

Chopping the strawberries – The berries should be chopped or diced into small pieces. Big chunks will create soggy pockets in the cake.
Folding – The key to fluffy frosting and a light, airy cake is to fold in the strawberries by hand. To fold, pull your spatula through the middle of the batter and fold one side. Continue that until everything is well mixed. Stirring will knock the air out of the whipped cream and cake batter, and it also breakdown the berries.

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