Pink Lemonade Cake (Print Version)

Ingredients:

01 - 2 ½ cups cake flour.
02 - 1 ½ cups sugar.
03 - ½ teaspoon salt.
04 - 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder.
05 - 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened.
06 - 4 large eggs.
07 - ¾ cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed.
08 - ½ cup milk.
09 - 2 teaspoons lemon extract.
10 - Zest of 1 lemon.
11 - Pink food coloring gel.
12 - 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened.
13 - 16 oz cream cheese, softened.
14 - 2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional).
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon extract.
16 - Zest from 1 lemon.
17 - 6 to 6 ½ cups confectioners' sugar.

Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and flour two 8x2 inch round pans.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder for 30 seconds.
03 - In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pink lemonade concentrate, lemon extract, lemon zest, and milk.
04 - With the mixer on low speed, add sliced butter to the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
05 - Gradually add half of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, then mix on medium speed for 1 ½ minutes until thick and fluffy. Add pink food coloring gel.
06 - Slowly add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition.
07 - Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto racks to cool completely.
09 - To make the frosting, beat softened butter until smooth. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract, mixing until fully combined.
10 - Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth and well-blended.
11 - Once the cakes have cooled, fill and frost the cake layers with the lemon cream cheese frosting. Decorate as desired.

Notes:

01 - This Pink Lemonade Cake offers a bright, citrusy flavor with a creamy lemon cream cheese frosting – perfect for summer or festive celebrations.