This gorgeous lemon raspberry cake is naturally colored and full of bright and fresh flavor! It consists of moist and spongy lemon cake layers sandwiching raspberry jam and topped off with a fresh raspberry buttercream. It is THE cake for the warmer days ahead!

sliced lemon raspberry cake on serving plate (9)

what makes this lemon raspberry cake so good?

unbelievably soft and spongy cake layers!
BURSTING with natural flavor
gorgeous natural yellow and pink color scheme
surprisingly easy to whip up
annnnd she's a looker!

reverse creaming

This cake uses one of my favorite methods for making a low fuss, extra delicious slice of goodness: the reverse creaming method!

While more traditional cakes start with whipping up butter and sugar, then adding ingredients gradually on top of that, reverse creaming involves cutting the butter directly into the dry ingredients then adding all the wet ingredients on top!

The result is not only a super easy cake batter, it's also very beginner friendly because there's less risk of the cake batter being overworked. By coating the flour with butter before adding the wet ingredients, it helps limit the development of gluten (which can cause cakes to end up dense and tough if overworked while mixing).

Cakes made with the reverse creaming method have a distinctly tighter crumb that's very VERY tender and moist - it almost melts in your mouth! It's very similar in texture to the kind of vanilla birthday cake you'd get from a bakery or from boxed cake mix (but with much better flavor!)

sliced lemon raspberry cake on serving plate (1)

how to make lemon raspberry cake

Make the lemon cake:

1. Combine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub them together. This helps release the oil in the lemon zest - which really brings out the flavor!
2. Add in your dry ingredients and butter.

lemon raspberry cake sugar and lemon zest being rubbed between fingers for cake batter

lemon raspberry cake dry ingredients and butter poured into large bowl

3. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until fine and crumbly. You can do this with your fingers, a fork, or an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
4. Lightly whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the butter / dry ingredient mix. Whisk together until well combined and streak free. A few clumps are fine!

lemon raspberry cake butter cut into dry ingredients in bowl

5. Pour the cake batter into your pans and bake. Cool the cakes for about 5 minutes in the pans, then invert onto wire racks. Set aside to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Make the fresh raspberry buttercream:

1. Combine butter, vanilla, salt, and some of your powdered sugar in a bowl. Reserve about 1 cup of the powdered sugar for later.
2. Cream together until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Beat in about half of the raspberry purée.
4. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, followed by the remaining raspberry purée. Beat together until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, you can thin it out with a splash of milk or a hint more raspberry purée. If the frosting is too soft, add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.

assembling the cake!

1. Lay one layer of cake on your serving platter.
2. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top, then pipe a little border along the edges. The thin layer of frosting helps keep the cake and the jam separated so the jam doesn't soak into the cake (which can ultimately make it overly soft and almost soggy). The little frosting border helps keep the jam contained in the center so it doesn't leak out the sides.
3. Fill with raspberry jam! Since we're making the cake and frosting from scratch, I figured we'd take a shortcut and use store-bought jam. If you want something completely made from scratch, you can use the same raspberry filling recipe I use in my chocolate raspberry cake - you'd just need to double the recipe to make enough for this cake.

lemon raspberry cake first layer places on serving platter with frosting boarder piped on top

lemon raspberry cake first cake layer filled with raspberry jam on serving platter

4. Lay a second cake layer on top and repeat the filling process. Be sure to lay the second layer on gently and don't try to move it or smoosh it once it's in place - it may cause the filling to spill out! Top with the final cake layer.
5. Chill then frost. The jam can make the whole cake shake around if you try to frost it right away, so it needs to sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes beforehand just to allow the frosting boarder to set up. Once it's set, you can frost and decorate the outside however you like!
6. Slice and serve!

frosted lemon raspberry cake on serving platter

tips

fresh is best: Freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh raspberry purée provide the best flavor and vibrant colors.
measuring flour: Mismeasured flour can cause your cake to come out dense and tough. It's important to measure flour by weight or by spoon and leveling if using cups!
baking & cooling: This cake will be ready to come out of the oven when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter - having some crumbs on the skewer will ensure your cake is perfectly moist and tender! It's also important to cool the cakes in the pans for no more than about 5 to 10 minutes, otherwise the residual heat from the pan can dry out your cakes.
frosting: This frosting is made in a bit of a weird way - it involves alternating mixing in raspberry purée and powdered sugar. This little technique helps keep the frosting from separating or clumping up and allows us to sneak in a little extra raspberry purée without throwing off the consistency of the frosting!

storage

Keep this raspberry lemon cake covered and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. The cake will firm up slightly after sitting in the fridge because of all the butter in the cake and frosting - so if you like a softer slice of cake, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying!

This cake will keep for about 4 to 5 days.

check out these other recipes!

• Lemon Brownies
• Lemon Curd Cake
• Iced Lemon Loaf
• Gooey Strawberry Cheesecake Butter Cake
• Chocolate Blackberry Cake

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Author: Mimi
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 10 to 12 slices

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

For the lemon cake:

3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
3 cups (385g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
½ cup (120mL) milk, at room temperature
¼ cup (60mL) vegetable oil, or any neutral flavored oil
¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the fresh raspberry buttercream:

¼ to ⅓ cup (60-80mL) strained raspberry purée (measured after straining)
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups (580g) powdered sugar, divided
1 cup (300g) raspberry jam (for layering)

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Instructions

Make the lemon cake layers:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (8 inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Lightly dust the sides with flour and tap out any excess. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar. Rub the zest and sugar between your fingers to release the lemon oil (this really brings out the flavor!)
Add your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter on top of the lemon sugar.
Use your fingers or a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You can also use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Try to get the butter as small as you can - the mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs (pictured above).
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, sour cream, milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and vanilla to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the buttery dry ingredients. Vigorously whisk to combine into a streak free batter. A few clumps are fine!
Divide the cake batter evenly among your cake pans. Bake in the center of your preheated oven for 22-28 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Cool the cakes for 5 to 10 minutes in the pans then invert onto wire racks. Cool completely to room temperature before layering and decorating.

Make the raspberry buttercream:

Make the raspberry puree by first washing and draining fresh raspberries then add them to a blender and puree until liquid. You'll need about 1 ½ cups of whole raspberries to make about ⅓ cup puree. Make sure to measure the puree after straining the seeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine butter, salt, vanilla, and 4 cups of powdered sugar.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together on low speed until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Starting with ¼ cup of raspberry puree, add about half of it to the frosting and mix on low to combine. Mix in your remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar followed by the remaining raspberry purée.
If the frosting is too stiff, add a little bit of additional puree to thin it out. If the frosting is too soft, mix in a bit more powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Whip the frosting on high speed for about 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
Transfer about ⅓ of the frosting into a large piping bag or plastic bag and cut off the tip.

Layer and fill your cake:

Lay 1 layer of your cooled lemon cake on your serving platter. Spread a very thin layer of frosting on top, then pipe a frosting border along the edges to keep the jam contained (see above post for visual).
Spread ½ a cup of jam in the middle going out to the edges of the frosting border.
Lay a second layer of cake on top. Take care not to smoosh the layers or the jam may leak out. Repeat the process of frosting and filling with jam.
Place your last cake layer on top. Chill your cake for about 30 minutes to allow the filling to set up. This makes frosting the outside a whole lot easier!
Use the remaining frosting to cover and decorate the outside of your cake. Slice and enjoy!

Equipment

8" Round Cake Pans

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