Lemon Raspberry Cake

Why Should You Make This Recipe

I love a beautiful layer cake. Bonus points if it also comes together quickly and easily. My Easy Carrot Cake, Nutella Cake, Strawberry Crunch Cake and Matildas Chocolate Cake are all easy and stunning layer cakes. I am so excited to add this raspberry lemon cake recipe to the blog.  

• Layers of flavors and textures: From the soft and moist lemon and raspberry filled cake, to the pop of tart flavor from the raspberry filling or the tangy lemon cream cheese frosting, this raspberry cake is packed with the flavors of spring and summer. 
• Made with simple ingredients: This raspberry cake is made from simple pantry ingredients and utilizes seasonally available ingredients when available.

Lemon Raspberry Cake

Dry Ingredients:  Gather purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Wet Ingredients: Gather oil, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sour cream, milk and fresh or frozen raspberries.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Gather butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, raspberry preserves and fresh raspberries and lemon for topping. Check out my Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting post for tips.

Substitutions 

Here are my recommended substitutions to make this raspberry lemon cake as easy as possible. 

• All purpose flour: To make this raspberry cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both of these are leaveners for the cake. Use both if possible.
• Granulated Sugar: I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.  
• Lemon Zest: This is an essential flavor addition for this lemon raspberry cake. Use another light and bright citrus such as lime or meyer lemons. 
• Unsalted Butter: Use salted butter if needed. Just make sure to omit the added salt listed in the recipe. Vegan or dairy free butter can also be used if needed. 
• Canola Oil: Any neutral tasting oil can be used as a substitute. An equal amount of softened butter (½ cup, 113 g) can also be used in place of the oil (for a total of 1 cup, 226 g).  Just note that the cake may not stay moist for as long. 
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. 
• Vanilla and Lemon Extracts: This gives a lovely background flavor to this moist raspberry cake. 
• Sour Cream: This ingredient creates a lovely moist crumb. Use an equivalent amount of buttermilk or greek yogurt as a substitute.  
• Milk and Lemon Juice: This serves two functions. One is to give the cake a moist and tender crumb. The other is for more lemon flavor. Replace the milk and lemon juice with ¾ cup (178 ml) sour cream or buttermilk. 
• Raspberries: I prefer to use frozen raspberries in this lemon raspberry cake because there is less of a chance of then breaking apart in the cake batter. Whether you use fresh or frozen, make sure to toss them in flour before mixing into the cake batter.

Variations

Raspberry Cake Sheet Cake: Make this cake as a 9x13. Follow the recipe as written through the ingredient steps. Pour the batter into a lightly greased and lined 9x13 baking pan. Bake the cake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cake to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. 

3 Layer 8-inch Lemon Raspberry Cake: Prepare the recipe as written. Pour the batter into the prepared 8 inch pans. The baking time will be a bit shorter. Bake the 3 layers for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. 

2 Layer 9-inch Raspberry Lemon Cake: Prepare the recipe as written. Pour the batter into the prepared 9 inch pans. The baking time will be a bit shorter. Bake the 2 layers for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of (2) 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
2. Using your hands or a whisk, mix the lemon zest and sugar until it’s the consistency of wet sand. Set aside for a few minutes. 
3. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the oil and softened butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly steam in the lemon sugar. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium speed for 1 minute. On low, beat in the the eggs, lemon extract, vanilla extract and lemon juice one at a time until fully combined.

4. On the lowest setting or by hand, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the sour cream and milk in this order: dry, milk, dry, sour cream, milk. Fold in the flour coated raspberries. 
5. Evenly scoop the lemon raspberry cake batter into the prepared pans (the total weight of the cake is about 1500 g/ml or about 12 cups). Bake the moist raspberry cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack. Loosely wrap the cakes in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for an hour. The cakes must be completely cooled before applying the frosting.

How to Assemble the Cake

6. While the cakes with fresh raspberries cool, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar, salt, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice until smooth and well combined. If needed, add up to 1 tablespoon additional lemon juice.  Scoop ½ cup frosting into a piping bag or zip lock bag. This is for the “frosting dam.”
7. Assemble the cake: Place the first raspberry cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Apply a thin layer of frosting (about ¼ cup, 59 ml) across the cake. Pipe a “frosting dam” around the edge of cake. Evenly spread the raspberry filling or preserves on top of the thin layer of frosting. Top with the second layer of raspberry sponge cake. Apply ¾ cup of lemon frosting to the top of the cake, smoothing it out to the edge of the cake. If needed apply a small amount of frosting to the outer edges of the cake. This is the crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 -60 minutes.

8. Finish and serve: Apply the rest of the lemon cream cheese frosting to the raspberry filled cake. Place the cake in the fridge to set for about 20 - 30 minutes if the frosting is very soft. When you are ready to serve, top the cake with fresh raspberries and slices of lemon if you like.

How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store

Make ahead: Parts of this cake can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to assemble the raspberry layer cake. 

Freeze and Thaw: Tightly wrap the frosted, unfrosted lemon raspberry cake or lemon cream cheese frosting in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. 

Store raspberry cake in the fridge: This easy raspberry cake is super moist and will do great when stored in the fridge. Keep the cake in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 - 5 days. This cake tastes best when it’s not cold from the fridge, so set the cake out at room temperature for 15 minutes before enjoying.

Other Raspberry Recipes To Try

• Raspberry Almond Muffins
• Raspberry Sorbet

If you try this Lemon Raspberry Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M