Drop of Disney

Happy Friday! Today, Disneyland celebrates its 65th anniversary! The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Disneyland, and all of the Disney parks, is the castle. To me, the castle embodies the magic and grandeur of Disney. Disneyland is home to Sleeping Beauty’s castle and so I used that as inspiration to make this magical strawberry lemon fireworks cake. This moist lemon cake is filled with a layer of fresh strawberries and topped with a strawberry frosting. Of course, all Disney castles have fireworks and so the cake features a red fondant castle and fireworks made from strawberries and sprinkles!

To make this strawberry lemon fireworks cake, start with the lemon cake. First, preheat the oven to 350 F and grease and line your cake pans with parchment paper. For this cake, I used two 6-inch round cake pans from Wilton. I really like smaller cakes, I think they look super cute and I feel like it’s a manageable amount of cake for two people. If you would like to make a bigger cake, just double amount of ingredients and use two 8-inch round cake pans.

Next, combine the flour, baking powder, salt in a small bowl. For this recipe, you’ll need cake flour, which helps the cake be light and tender. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For this recipe, simply remove 2 1/2 tablespoons of the flour and add 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Set the flour mixture aside while you mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.

Divide the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cakes are cool, wrap them in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Have them chilled will make them easier to trim later.

After you put the cakes in the refrigerator, make the decorations and frosting. To make the decorations, roll out a small amount of red fondant on a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Cut the fondant into a castle shape using a castle cookie cutter. I used a 4-inch castle cutter from Tipsy Crafter Co that I got on Etsy. Place the cut out fondant on a piece of parchment or wax paper.

Next, make the strawberry fireworks by slicing fresh strawberries in half and cutting them into star shapes. If you want a bright red star, place the strawberry on the end where the stem is and slice in half though the tip of the strawberry. If you want a lighter pink/white star, place the strawberry on the non-cut side and slice into rounds, starting at the stem. I used the star shape from a package of shaped vegetable cutters. Set the cut out strawberries on a paper towel until ready to decorate. Gather your sprinkles so they’re ready. For my cake, I used red, white, and pink “jimmies” sprinkles from Wilton.

To make the frosting, first you’ll make a strawberry puree. Take 8-10 fresh strawberries, with the stems removed, and place them into a blender. Blend until smooth and then transfer to a small bowl. You’ll only need three tablespoons for the frosting. Save the rest to add to the cake layer. Slice up the remaining strawberries to add to the cake.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and strawberry puree. Beat on low speed until combined and then beat on medium speed until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a large piping bag.

Now, you’ll assemble and decorate the cake! First, remove the cakes from the plastic wrap. Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes so that they’re flat.

Place one of the cakes on a piece of parchment paper and then on top of a cake stand or plate turned upside down. This will make it a little bit easier to frost. Pipe an outline of frosting along the perimeter of the top of the cake. This will make a barrier to hold the strawberries and puree. Then, spoon the remaining puree into the enclosed circle. Spread it out into an even layer and then top with the sliced strawberries.

Place the second cake, cut side down, on top of the first cake. Pipe some frosting on top of the cake and then use an off-set spatula to move the frosting down the sides of the cake. Add more frosting as needed until you have a smooth layer of frosting on the entire cake. Place the fondant castle to the top of the cake, along with a couple of the star shaped strawberries. Add sprinkles around the strawberries to make fireworks.

Enjoy this strawberry lemon fireworks cake! Happy 65th Anniversary Disneyland!

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Strawberry Lemon Disneyland Fireworks Cake

Celebrate Disneyland’s 65th Anniversary with this strawberry lemon fireworks cake! This lemon cake is filled with fresh strawberries and topped with strawberry buttercream, fondant castle, and strawberry fireworks!

Course Dessert

Keyword Cake, Lemon Cake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Lemon Cake

• 1 ½ cups cake flour*
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Strawberry Puree

• 8-10 medium or large fresh strawberries

Strawberry Frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons strawberry puree

Decorations

• 2-3 fresh strawberries
• red fondant

Equipment

• 2 6- inch round cake pans
• 1 large piping bag
• off-set spatula
• Small star shaped cutter
• castle shaped cutter

Instructions

Lemon Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, butter, and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
5. Add in the flour mixture, alternating with the butter milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until combined.
6. Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Cool cakes for 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Puree

1. Place 8-10 fresh strawberries into a blender.
2. Blend strawberries until pureed.
3. Transfer to a small bowl.

Strawberry Frosting

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and strawberry puree and beat on low speed until well-mixed. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until frosting is smooth.
3. Transfer to a large piping bag.

Decorations

1. Roll out red fondant on a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
2. Cut out a castle using a shaped cookie or fondant cutter.
3. Place the cut-out fondant castle on a piece of wax or parchment paper.
4. Remove the stems from the strawberries and slice in half. If you want a bright red star, place the strawberry on the end where the stem was and slice in half though the tip of the strawberry. If you want a lighter pink/white star, place the strawberry on the non-cut side and slice into rounds, starting at the stem.
5. Place the cut strawberries on a flat surface and use a small star shaped cutter to cut out star shapes. Place cut shapes onto a paper towel.

Assembly

1. Remove cakes from the refrigerator. Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes so that they are flat.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a cake stand or upside down plate. Place one cake on top of the parchment paper.
3. Pipe a circle around the perimeter of the cake to make a frosting barrier. Spread a layer of strawberry puree in the center of the cake. Add some sliced strawberries, if desired.
4. Place the second cake, cut side down, on top of the first cake. Pipe some frosting on top of the cake. Use an off-set spatula to move the frosting around the sides and top of the cake.
5. Once the cake is fully frosted, place the fondant castle on the top of the cake. Add the strawberry stars and sprinkles around the strawberries to make fireworks.

Recipe Notes

*If you don’t have cake flour, remove 2 1/2 tablespoons of the flour and add 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch.