This lemon raspberry cake is a fresh, flavorful and incredibly moist raspberry filled lemon cake. What makes this raspberry cake even more stunning is layering it with raspberry filling and a luscious lemon cream cheese frosting. With it’s beautiful bakery worthy appearance and easy preparation, this raspberry lemon cake is the perfect cake for all your spring and summer gatherings.
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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.
Ingredients
Before I show you how to make this fresh raspberry cake, make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
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.
How To Make
Learn how to make fresh raspberry cake in a few easy steps!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.”
- 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.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a non-stick spray and line the bottom of the cake pans to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Use cake strips. The raspberry cake layers should bake evenly, but I love using cake strips to ensure a flat top and evenly baked cake. Make sure to attach these to the cake pans before pouring in the cake batter.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly, resulting in a softer cake.
- Keep the raspberries frozen. If you use frozen raspberries, do not thaw them before mixing in the cake. Whether you use fresh or frozen berries, make sure to toss them in flour before mixing into the cake batter.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until mostly smooth and combined.
- Cool the cake in the pan for no longer than 10 -15 minutes. If you try to remove the cake before 10 minutes, the cake may still be too hot to remove without falling apart. Removing the cake after 15 minutes may cause the cake to stick to the pan more easily.
- Fully cool the cake before assembling and frosting. The moist raspberry cake takes about 1 hour to cool to room temperature after the cake has been removed from the pan. It’s recommend to chill the cake layers in the fridge for 1-2 hours before frosting them as well.
FAQs
If the recipe has a longer baking time, such as this lemon raspberry dessert, the raspberries should be kept frozen until it’s time to mix into the cake. I like to pull mine out as I start mixing the ingredients together.
The easiest way to prevent this is to coat them in flour. This also helps the berries to evenly mix into the cake instead of sinking to the bottom.
This lemon raspberry cake is incredibly moist, with lots of fresh fruit. It is recommended to keep frosted or unfrosted lemon raspberry cake in the fridge.
Other Raspberry Recipes To Try
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
Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 8 or 9 inch (20cm or 23cm) cake pans
- 2 cake strips optional
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 zester
- 1 piping bag or ziplock bag
- 1 flexible spatula or frosting spatula
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Cake
- 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 lemons, zested
- ½ cup (118 ml) canola oil
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups (225 g) fresh or frozen raspberries tossed in 2 tablespoon (15 g) flour
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 tbsp (15 - 30 ml) lemon juice, room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (118 ml) room temperature raspberry preserves, for cake filling
- ½ cup (62 g) fresh raspberries for topping
- 1 lemon, sliced for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of (2) 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Apply cake strips to the pans if using.
- In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- 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.1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, 2 lemons, zested
- 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.½ cup (118 ml) canola oil, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 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. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.4 large eggs (US), room temperature, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice
- 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.½ cup (118 ml) milk, room temperature, ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature, 2 cups (225 g) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 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. The center of the cake should bounce back quickly when lightly pressed.
- 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.
- 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.”¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature, 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, 1 - 2 tablespoon (15 - 30 ml) lemon juice, room temperature, ¼ teaspoon salt
- 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.½ cup (118 ml) room temperature raspberry preserves, for cake filling
- 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.½ cup (62 g) fresh raspberries for topping, 1 lemon, sliced for topping
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