Lemonade Sheet Cake

Doesn’t this look like the perfect summertime dessert? 

It appears I am not done with my sheet cake variations. I asked my two year old what kind of cake he wanted for dessert tonight and he replied “Lemon!”  When asked what kind of frosting he wanted, the answer was “Pink!” So I took my Vanilla sheet cake recipe and turned it into a Pink Lemonade cake. I am especially proud of the frosting, which definitely tastes more “lemonade” than “lemon” to me. It’s not earth-shakingly new, but it is another successfully yummy variation on my gluten free sheet cake theme :)


Lemonade Sheet Cake

2 c. EGF all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. lemon peel (I used dried peel because that’s what I had)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1 c. water
1/2 c. buttermilk (I use 1/2 c. whole milk plus about 2 tsp. lemon juice)
2-4 Tbs lemon juice (I used about 2 Tbs, but think I will add more next time)
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine flour mix, sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel. In a medium pan, combine butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Pour butter mixture into flour mixture and mix well until smooth. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. The batter will be quite thin.

Pour batter into a greased (or well-sprayed-with-Pam) 13x18 sheet cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (The edges of the cake will pull away from the pan when the cake is done.) Remove from the oven and, while hot, top with the following frosting:

Lemonade Frosting

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
5 c. powdered sugar (about 1 1/3 lb.)
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice
3 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar and lemon juice and stir well. Let sit (stirring occasionally) until sugar is fully dissolved. Once it is fully dissolved, pour 4 Tbs of the lemon juice mixture into a measuring cup (this is almost all of the juice).

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until butter is a very light brown color and aromatic. (If you burn the butter, don't use it. Throw it out and start again.)Turn heat down to low. Add powdered sugar to butter a cup or so at a time, stirring until well incorporated each time and adding sweetened lemon juice and then milk as necessary to keep the mixture mixable (about a tablespoon or two per cup of powdered sugar added). Remove from heat and add any remaining milk and the vanilla. (If you, like my two year old, want pink frosting, add food coloring here.) Mix well with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth (or, if the frosting is already very smooth (sifting the powdered sugar ahead of time will help with this), skip the mixer.

Pour immediately over warm cake (frosting will firm up quickly and spreads best while still hot).