My Birthday Strawberry Lemon Chamomile Cake

Another year older and another year around the sun!

Let’s be real: birthdays are wonderful, but they also bring that existential “What am I doing with my life?” vibe. As someone who is practically powered by nervous energy, I decided my birthday cake this year needed to do double duty. It couldn’t just taste amazing; it needed to be a literal hug for my nervous system.

Entering: The BEST Spring/Summer-Forward Strawberry Lemon Chamomile Cake.

I am a die-hard fan of classic berries-and-cream cakes, but I wanted to elevate it into something super seasonal, incredibly lush, and mildly therapeutic. Since chamomile is famous for its calming remedies, I figured infusing it into my birthday cake was the perfect way to bake some peace of mind right into the celebration.

And instead of standard whipped cream? We’re upgrading to a whipped mascarpone cream because, frankly, we deserve that extra rich, velvety goodness this year.

---

Why This Cake is Perfect for Spring/Summer

• The Chamomile Calm: We steep chamomile tea directly into the milk for the cake and into a simple syrup that soaks the layers. It’s subtle, floral, and deeply comforting.
• The Bright Lemon Zest: Rubbing lemon zest straight into the sugar releases the essential oils, giving the cake a vibrant, sunshiny lift.
• The Upgraded Cream: Mascarpone adds a tangy, thick, luxurious texture to the whipped cream that holds up beautifully between the layers.

This cake is exactly what my anxiety-ridden, spring-loving soul needed. The warmth of the chamomile cuts through the sweetness, the lemon keeps it bright, and the mascarpone cream makes it feel like an absolute luxury. It’s light, fresh, and deeply satisfying.

If you’re celebrating a spring/summer birthday—or just need an excuse to bake your feelings into something beautiful—I cannot recommend this enough.

---

Strawberry Lemon Chamomile Cake

Created by Sue Mun

Makes One, 3 layered 6″ cake

Ingredients:

Chamomile Lemon Cake:

• 180g whole milk 
• 4 chamomile tea bags 
• 300g granulated sugar
• zest of 1 lemon 
• 270g flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 170g unsalted butter, softened and cut into slices
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g sour cream

Strawberry Jam:

• 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
• 1 lb Fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces
• zest and juice from 1/2 small lemon 
• 50g sugar

Chamomile Simple Syrup:

• 140g sugar
• 120g water
• 1 chamomile tea bag

Whipped Mascarpone:

• 500g heavy cream
• 80-100g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Strawberry Topping

• 6 oz fresh strawberries (or more if desired), thinly sliced
• fresh flowers for decoration

Instructions:

Make the Strawberry Jam:

1. In a small pot, add in the strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and cornstarch slurry. Cook over medium high heat until it begins to simmer. Continue simmering while stirring constantly until the jam thickens and the strawberries begin to break down. Removed from the heat and pour into a bowl and cover and set aside to cool off completely before using.

Make the Chamomile Lemon Cake:

1. In a small pot, heat the milk over medium high heat until hot. Remove from the heat and add in the chamomile tea bags to steep into the milk. Allow it to steep for 15 minutes. Then squeeze the excess milk from the tea bags and discard the tea bags. Set the chamomile milk aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 3, 6” round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. 
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In the large mixing bowl, add in the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingertips to release the essential oils from the zest and absorb it into the sugar.
5. Add in the softened butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until light and fluffy. 
6. Beat in the eggs on medium speed, one at a time. Then add in thee sour cream and vanilla extract.
7. Alternately add in the dry ingredients and chamomile milk in 4 increments. Folding in between each increments.
8. Divide the batter between the three cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool down for about 15 minutes and then remove from the cake pans and allowing them to cool off completely before decorating.

Make the Whipped Mascarpone:

1. In a large bowl, whip together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Continue whipped in medium high speed until the cream thickens and turns into soft peaks. Add in the softened mascarpone cheese and continue whipping until you get stiff peaks.

Make the Chamomile Simple Soaking Syrup:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, mix together the sugar and water. Microwave the sugar water for about 1 minute until the sugar dissolves completely when being mixed. Add in one chamomile tea bag into the hot syrup and allow it to steep for 15 minutes before removing the tea bag. Set the syrup aside.

Assemble:

1. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cakes. Using a serrated bread knife, top the domed tops off of the cakes in an even layer. Brush with chamomile simply syrup until all of the cakes are soaked.
2. Lay one cake layer onto a cake stand or serving plate. Spread about 1/4 cup of the whipped mascarpone cream on top and spread in an even layer. Evenly scatter some sliced strawberries on top. Then spoon about 2 tbsp of the strawberry jam on top of the sliced berries. Top with another 1/4 cup of whipped mascarpone cream on top in an even layer. Lay another cake layer on top and continue stacking like before.
3. Once the final cake layer is on, decorate with more whipped mascarpone cream on top, sliced strawberries, and strawberry jam. Decorate with fresh flowers if desired.
4. Store in the fridge and serve cold!

Sue Mun