Looking for a sweet and delicious cake that’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo? This strawberry lime margarita cake is bold and flavorful, which is perfect for those hot summer parties.

This cake is a sweet and decadent strawberry lime cake soaked with a tequila syrup, layered with tart lime curd, and creamy tequila strawberry buttercream. The fresh strawberries, lime slices, and a sprinkle of sea salt to complete the best margarita “cake” EVER!

This cake is simple in decoration but doesn’t skip on that beautiful made from scratch flavor.

The strawberries and lime compliment each other beautifully and which has the best balance between sweet, salty, and tart!

Tips for Success:

Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.
In this cake recipe, you need ½ cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use ½ cup whole milk mixed with 2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps.
Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month.
You can make the buttercream, lime curd filling, and tequila syrup a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake:

5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
Offset spatula
8-inch or 10-inch white cake board
Serrated knife or cake leveler
Turntable
Cake scraper or bench scraper
Whisk or sifter
Rubber Spatula
Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this sweet and decadent strawberry margarita cake!

Let’s Get Started!

Light & Fluffy Strawberry Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a food processor, pulse fresh or frozen strawberries for 1 minute until cut into small pieces, then add strawberry jam and buttermilk, pulse until combined. Set aside the strawberry mixture.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Pour in the strawberry mixture, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest.
Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and add a few drops of super red gel food coloring. Mix until combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.

How to Make Zesty Lime Curd

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Continue whisking over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cold butter cubes pieces at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula until each addition is melted and incorporated.
Continue cooking the mixture for 4-5 minutes until it is thickened and coats the back of a spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to fully cool.

How to Make Tequila Syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Continue to heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the tequila. Set aside to cool.

Strawberry Lime Gel for Flavorful Buttercream

In a small saucepot, add the fresh or frozen strawberries. Place pot over medium heat for 5-10 minutes to bring to a boil and break down the berries occasionally stir to prevent from burning on the bottom.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is lump-free. Add the mixture to the boiling strawberries, stirring constantly.
Add lime zest to the strawberry mixture should be opaque and thick. Once thick, remove from the heat and place into the freezer to cool quickly.

Creamy Strawberry Lime Buttercream

In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the cold strawberry gel, lime juice, salt, and vanilla.
Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the tequila. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake).

Putting It All Together

Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even.
Soak each cake layer with the tequila syrup.
Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board.
Layer a chilled strawberry cake, cut side up onto the cake board. Place a thin layer of buttercream on top of the cake then pipe a ring of buttercream. Add 1/4 cup of lime curd inside the circle of buttercream.
Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer—Crumb coat and freeze for 30 minutes.
Then add a thicker layer of frosting and smooth the sides out using an offset spatula and cake scraper.
While turning the cake, use an offset spatula press and move your offset spatula from the bottom to the top holding the offset spatula perpendicular to the cake.
Finally, add the strawberries, lime wedges, and sprinkle sea salt on top.

Happy Decorating!

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