Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Bake the strawberry-lime cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. This helps the pink sponge release cleanly after baking.
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Break up any flour lumps so the rise stays even.
- Beat softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Continue until the mixture looks lighter in color and holds air.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. This keeps the batter smooth instead of curdling.
- Combine fresh strawberry puree with lime juice. Stir until fully blended.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the strawberry-lime mixture with whole milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until each addition disappears to avoid dense cake.
- Stir in vanilla extract. Mix only until uniform.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Tap the pans lightly to release large air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 28-30 minutes, until the centers spring back when touched. A toothpick should come out mostly clean.
- Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. Letting the layers cool fully prevents frosting from melting.
Make lime cream cheese frosting
- Beat softened cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Stop and scrape the bowl so there are no lumps.
- Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Beat just enough to create a thick, spreadable frosting.
- Beat in lime juice and lime zest. Mix until the frosting looks bright and smooth.
Assemble and garnish
- Place one cake layer on a plate and spread frosting on top. Use an offset spatula to make the layer even.
- Add sliced fresh strawberries over the frosting layer. Arrange in a single, fairly even layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top and press gently. This helps the layers stack without sliding.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake. Smooth with a flat edge for clean coverage.
- Garnish with fresh strawberries and fresh mint. Add right before serving so the mint stays fresh.
- Rest the assembled cake for 1 hour before slicing. This sets the frosting and makes clean layers when cut.
Notes
For the cleanest slices, cool the cakes completely before frosting and rest the finished cake for the full 1 hour. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze the baked, unfrosted layers for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost). If you want a lighter option, use half sour cream–half cream cheese is not covered here; instead, swap in reduced-fat cream cheese for a modest reduction while keeping texture close.