Lemon Raspberry Cake
Our lemon raspberry cake is an irresistible dessert that combines the vibrant flavors of lemons and juicy raspberries, crowned with a velvety cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 12
Calories: 931kcal
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Cake
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries, divided in half (two 6-ounce containers approximately 1¼ cups per container)
- ½ cup seedless raspberry preserves
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 16 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with baker’s spray and line each pan with a parchment circle. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine together the 2¾ cups of all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the unsalted butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer at medium speed.
- In the large mixing bowl, beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Be sure to beat in each egg until fully incorporated before adding the next.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the whole milk, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture to the large bowl with the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
- Next, add half the milk mixture and mix again on low speed just until fully incorporated.
- Add another third of the flour mixture and mix on low until fully incorporated, followed by the remaining milk mixture and lastly, the remaining flour mixture. Be sure to mix on low just until each addition has been incorporated. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure that all the ingredients are being fully incorporated without overmixing the batter. The batter will be thick.
- Add one of the 6-ounce containers of fresh raspberries and the remaining 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour to a small bowl. Gently toss the raspberries to coat them in the flour completely. This will help to ensure that the raspberries stay suspended in the batter and do not all sink to the bottom of the cake pans when baked.
- Add the flour-coated raspberries to the cake batter and gently fold them into the batter. You will need to use a rubber spatula and very carefully fold them so as not to break up the berries too much.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Spread the batter into an even layer in the pans using a small offset spatula. This will ensure that the cake layers bake up evenly.
- Bake the lemon raspberry cakes for 27-33 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a couple of moist crumbs. You do not want any wet batter left on the toothpick. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Be careful when flipping your cakes out of the pans as they are delicate due to the added fruit in the batter.
- While your lemon raspberry cakes are baking and cooling, you can make the lemon cream cheese frosting by adding to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, the unsalted butter, and cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy with no lumps remaining. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, one cup at a time, and mix in just until all the powdered sugar has been added. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed between additions.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth. Your frosting should be thick enough to hold its shape but loose enough to spread onto the cake. To loosen the frosting consistency, you can add a little additional lemon juice (start with 1 tablespoon), or if it is too thin, then you can add a little extra powdered sugar (start with ½ cup) to get the desired consistency.
- Once the cake layers have cooled completely, carefully transfer one cake layer to a serving plate, add approximately 1-1½ cups cream cheese frosting to the cake, and spread in an even layer to the edges.
- Add the seedless raspberry jam to the center of the frosting and carefully spread it out, being sure not to go all the way to the edge (leave about a 1-inch border) and not to mix it into the frosting as much as possible. Place your single cake layer that has been frosted into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the center layer of frosting to firm up before adding the second cake layer and frosting the entire cake. This will help to keep the frosting and raspberry jam to stay in place when stacking the second cake and frosting the cake.
- Place the second cake layer onto the raspberry jam layer. Frost the sides and top of the lemon raspberry cake. Top the center of the cake with the remaining 6 ounces (approximately 1¼ cups) of fresh raspberries and dust with a light coating of powdered sugar.
Notes
- A digital kitchen scale is very helpful to ensure that you have equal amounts (as much as possible) of batter in each of the cake pans.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.
- When making your frosting, make sure that your butter is not too soft, or your frosting will need to be refrigerated to firm up before frosting your cake. This can also cause you to add too much powdered sugar, trying to get the frosting to be the desired consistency when making it. The butter should just be at room temperature. You should be able to leave a slight dent of fingerprint in the butter but not be able to push your finger all the way through.
- When adding the powdered sugar to your mixer for the frosting, stop the mixer before adding each addition of powdered sugar, then start on low before increasing the speed to avoid getting powdered sugar all over your kitchen.
- You also need to note that if your kitchen is very warm, you may need to put your frosting into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the frosting to firm up enough to frost the cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 931kcal | Carbohydrates: 126g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 98g | Vitamin A: 1569IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg