Even though this series is about finding the bright spot in all kinds of circumstances, I can’t resist taking the lemon and lemonade parts literally.

At least a few times this month.

And by “few times” I mean once a week. Yes, that’s right. Though lemon is not actually my favorite flavor, I’m going to try and then share some kind of lemon recipe with you each Friday. And today I’m starting with one of the most fun recipes I’ve tried over the past few years.

I present to you . . . Pink Lemonade Cake.

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Well, don’t be deceived by my fancy photography. Here’s what it looked like shortly before I sliced it (and shortly after our company arrived, just to keep me honest):

Cake decorating – NAILED IT!

Heh.

Let this be a lesson to all of us in thinking you’re too good for frosting out of a can. Or adding too much milk and thinking it’ll be okay and let’s just frost the cake anyway. Don’t be like me.

[But . . . um . . . look! Frosting disaster = LEMON. Story about giving up on perfect = LEMONADE CAKE. Yup.]

This cake really is easy to make and fun to look at. And, oh yeah! It tastes good, too! It’s great for baby showers, summer picnics, tea parties and little girl birthdays. Or anytime you want a pretty, pretty pink cake.

Pink Lemonade Cake

1 white cake mix
3 eggs
1 ¼ cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp pink lemonade mix
A few drops red food coloring

Frosting:
1 lb. powdered sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
3 tbsp pink lemonade mix
pink sprinkles

Mix the cake ingredients as directed on the box, then add lemonade mix and food coloring to desired color. (My mix called for egg whites only, but I didn’t mess with that. And the cake was neither the wrong color nor the wrong consistency.) Pour batter into two greased round pans. Bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean).

While the cakes cool (if you’re not also frantically picking toys off the floor and brushing cat hair off your couch), mix sugar, butter and mix together for frosting. I found that to be too stiff, so I added a few splashes of milk. Be careful with that. Don’t be like me. (And if you add too much milk, making the frosting runny, just add in more sugar.)

Place one cake on plate and frost the top. Add the second cake and frost the whole thing. Shake on a few sprinkles if you’d like. (And believe me, if you happen to have a small girl in your house, you’d like.) Keep covered in fridge and serve chilled.

It would probably look pretty to garnish with slices of lemon and/or strawberries. Which is why I bought a lemon and new carton of strawberries. Since rushing around to fix the gloppy frosting didn’t allow for such fanciness, though, I’m only guessing here.

What’s your favorite lemon recipe?

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