Ingredients

• Cake
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• red food coloring
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• 1 recipe Lemonade Buttercreme (recipe follows)


• Lemonade Buttercreme
• 3 cups (6) sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 16-oz. jars marshmallow creme
• 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract

Directions

Cake
Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease two 9x2-inch round pans. Line bottoms with greased parchment paper (cooking spray, oil or butter may be used). Flour sides of pans and top of parchment paper, tapping to remove excess; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In an extra-large mixing bowl, beat butter with mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then beat 2 minutes more. Add 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring, then, beat 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon extract. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Remove half (about 3 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon) of batter and spread around in one of the cake pans. To remaining batter in electric mixer bowl, stir in an additional 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring, then mix on low speed until thoroughly blended. Spread batter into second cake pan.

Bake about 25-35 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. While cake is baking, prepare Lemonade Buttercreme.

Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove layers from pans, then discard paper. Cool completely on wire rack. Trim off domed tops of layers so cake tops are flat. Cut each layer horizontally in half to create four layers. Gently brush off crumbs from layers.

Place dark pink layer, cut-side down, on a plate or cake tray. Spread 1 cup of frosting just to edges of cake layer. Top with a light pink layer, followed by another dark pink layer, spreading 1 cup of frosting on each just to edges. Stack final light pink layer on top, cut-side down. Spread frosting on top and sides as desired. (Note: Depending on how much frosting you like to use, you may have some left over, which you can choose to save or discard.)

Lemonade Buttercreme
In clean electric mixer bowl or a very large mixing bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 30 seconds). Add marshmallow creme and lemonade concentrate and beat again until smooth, scraping sides of bowl to incorporate all ingredients. Add powdered sugar and extract, then beat again until light and fluffy.

May be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen in freezer up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before frosting cake and whip with fork or electric mixer before applying to cake. (Note: Jars of marshmallow creme vary in size, so you will need to figure out how many jars will equal 32 ozs. In some cases, you might have to buy an extra jar and use only a portion of the creme.)

(Tip: Frosting can have a firm, whipped consistency or a soft and almost runny consistency, depending on the room temperature. To firm up frosting that is a bit too runny, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes then whip again and apply to cake.)