• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. We like to line the bottom of our pans with circles of parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds and set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, ½ cup concentrated lemonade (thawed), lemon extract, and lemon zest. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and softened cream cheese and mix at medium speed until smooth.
• Gradually add the sugar and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears. If using Yellow Coloring Gel, you can add it now or any time during the mixing process.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (We did 3 additions of the dry mixture, 2 additions of wet). Slightly increase the mixer speed just until combined.
• Divide the batter between the three prepared pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack before turning out.
• This recipe makes approximately 8 cups of batter. Works for cupcakes also (although there will be little to no dome).

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• Mix the softened butter on low to medium speed until softened and smooth.
• Add the softened cream cheese to the butter, mixing at low to medium speed until smooth and well combined.
• Add the lemon flavoring. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until blended. Add coloring gel if you are tinting the frosting.
• Continue to mix on low to medium speed until well combined and smooth. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a small amount of milk or lemonade concentrate.
• Store in the refrigerator. If making the frosting in advance, allow to sit on the kitchen counter until it comes closer to room temperature. You may need to remix.

Assembly

• Once the cake layers have cooled, place the first cake layer on a cake pedestal.
• Next, we lightly brushed the top of the cake layer with concentrated lemonade, using a silicone pastry brush. This step is optional but adds a boost of lemonade flavor.
• Next, spread with lemon cream cheese frosting, top with the next cake layer and repeat steps. Top with the third cake layer and lightly brush the top with lemonade concentrate.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. At this point I like to freeze the cake for 10 minutes before applying the final layer of frosting. Decorate however you like! We used a small offset spatula to texture the frosting around the sides and top of the cake, and used a 1M piping tip for the top border.
• Cream cheese frostings are softer than buttercream. If at any time it becomes too soft to easily decorate with, just pop it in the freezer for five or ten minutes to firm it up a bit.
• This cake should be refrigerated. For optimal flavor and texture, remove the cake from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. This will allow the cake and frosting to warm and soften.