This cheerful little loaf cake feels like a spring or summer picnic with lemonade and sunshine. It’s similar to a pink lemonade cake that my elderly neighbor used to make when I was growing up. She made it for all the neighborhood kids and we always gobbled it up. When I was about ten years old she taught my friend and me how to make it. She used a yellow cake mix in a large baking pan and poked holes all over the cake, then drenched it in a pink, sugary lemon icing. I transformed that happy pink lemonade memory into a delightful loaf cake made from scratch.
To watch the TikTok video, click here.
| Servings |
8 x 4-inch loaf
|
Ingredients
Pink Lemonade Cake
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup (2 oz or 59ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (2 oz or 59ml) sour cream
- 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
- 1-2 drops pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*
Lemon Syrup
- juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz or 50g) sugar
Icing
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tiny drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*
Ingredients
Pink Lemonade Cake
Lemon Syrup
Icing
|
|
Instructions
Pink Lemonade Cake
- Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and strawberry extract until smooth.
- Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir just until combined. Stir in food color a little at time until your desired shade is achieved.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare lemon syrup.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the top of cake with a skewer.
- Brush the warm cake generously with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then top with icing.
Lemon Syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Icing
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the strawberry extract and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Add more lemon juice until your desired consistency is reached. Mix in gel food color.
Recipe Notes
*To find the gel food color I used, click here.