Gluten-Free Summer Lemonade Cake!

       Summer has arrived here in the sunshine state!  And what goes better on a hot summer day than a cool glass of iced Lemonade?  You may say a bowl of ice cream or (if it’s your 'cup of tea' haha) a glass of iced tea.  But for me, summertime means lemonade!  So off to the kitchen I went to create a dessert inspired by that classic drink...

You'll need:

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tsp butter flavor

1 tbsp lemon extract

1 tsp coconut extract

Zest of one large lemon

4 eggs

3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour

 

1 ½ tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp lemon juice

       Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare two round 9” pans by greasing and flouring with gluten-free flour.

        In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add in the sugars and flavorings then continue whipping until fully creamed.  Next, mix in the eggs and lemon zest.

       Add the lemon juice to the milk then set aside until needed.

        In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Then stir into the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the lemon milk.

       Pour batter into prepared pans then bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center and the tops are a light golden brown.  Allow to completely cool before frosting.

 Lemon Cream Frosting

1 cup salted Kerrygold butter

1/4 cup lemon curd

1/4 cup palm shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp lemon extract

Whipping cream, as needed

       In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, whip the butter, lemon curd, and palm shortening until creamed.  Then whip in one cup of powdered sugar followed by the lemon extract and a splash of cream.  Next, whip in the final two cups of powdered sugar followed by enough whipping cream to thin the mixture to a nice butter cream consistency.

   Spread the frosting over the bottom layer of cake for the filling, then place the second cake on top.  Finish frosting the top and sides of the cake with the REMAINING frosting.

 Enjoy!