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A light and fluffy lemon cake with fresh raspberries and a fresh lemon cream cheese frosting. A sweet and tangy lemon berry cake!
It’s my husband’s birthday and we make a big deal about birthdays in our home. It all starts with the cake. They get to choose any flavor of cake they can dream up in their head. I have shared some of the unique requests in my days! Dean loves this lemon raspberry cake but also goes crazy for my Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake. You can’t get much different than lemon and chocolate though so he is quite conflicted.
Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe
I can vouch for this cake and tell you with 100% surety that you will fall in love with it. This lemon berry cake is always a slam dunk and gets rave reviews! It is made with fresh lemon juice and fresh raspberries which I think makes a big difference. You can tell a difference when using freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest and when you get it from the bottle.
I have shared before how my sister-in-law owns a cake business and we share the same philosophy. The number one priority when making a homemade cake is that it needs to taste good. Sometimes cakes can look so pretty and be perfectly polished but no one wants to eat the frosting and the cake is barely edible. I am all about the balance! This Lemon Raspberry Cake is a beautiful homemade cake that also tastes amazing!
Ingredients:
I have made a few cakes in my days and after much experimentation, I have found that oil works like a charm for creating a tender, moist cake. I also love to use buttermilk to create the perfect texture. You can also use whole milk with a touch of vinegar in a pinch. Fresh lemon juice and zest is a must in this cake! It is what brightens it and gives it the punch of fresh flavor.
- Oil (or vegetable or olive oil)
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Fresh Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
- Sugar
- Flour
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda
- Salt
- Fresh Raspberries (plus more for garnish)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Butter (softened)
- Cream Cheese (softened)
- Powdered Sugar
- Fresh Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
Garnish:
- Fresh Raspberries
- Lemon Slices
How to make the Best Lemon Raspberry Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, add canola oil, eggs, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix for 2 minutes. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make homemade buttermilk by mixing whole milk and 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar. Let stand for at least 10-15 minutes to let it curdle before adding it to the mixture.
- Add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Don’t overmix the cake batter. Once you add the flour, if you overmix, it will result in a tougher cake. In a small bowl, toss fresh raspberries with a touch of flour to make sure the raspberries don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. Carefully fold in the raspberries to the batter.
- Prepare baking pans. I prefer to use three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. This way you get more filling and the cakes bake faster since they are thinner. You can use parchment paper rounds and also spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake until toothpick comes out clean in the center. Always set the timer for the lowest suggested baking time and check your cake layers. You can always add more time but there’s no really salvaging an over baked cake.
- To make the frosting, make sure the butter and cream cheese is softened and at room temperature. This will help to ensure the frosting is completely smooth.
- Garnish with fresh raspberries and lemon slices.
Baking Tip:
If your raspberries are extra ripe or fragile, you can lightly coat them in 2 Tablespoons of flour before folding into the batter. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
- Can I use frozen raspberries?
Absolutely! Thaw them first and pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Be sure to fold them in carefully to prevent streaks of color in the batter. - What if I don’t have fresh lemons?
This recipe calls for both lemon zest and lemon juice so you do need fresh lemons for the zest. You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch, but fresh lemons will yield a brighter, zestier flavor. - Can I make cupcakes with this recipe instead?
Yes! Simply adjust the baking time to about 18-20 minutes for standard cupcakes, and check for doneness with a toothpick. - How do I avoid a dense cake?
Make sure your baking powder is fresh, you’re not overmixing the batter, and that your ingredients are at room temperature. All these factors help keep the cake light and fluffy.
This Lemon Raspberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting consistently receives 5-star ratings. Here are some things people have said about this homemade lemon raspberry cake recipe…
“This is my first lemon cake to make and it turned out divine! Everyone absolutely loved it! I added just a little bit more lemon juice to the frosting to make the lemon flavor stronger. Highly recommend this this recipe!”
“By far the easiest “from scratch” cake I’ve made!
The cake was so moist and delicious and the frosting wasn’t too sweet at all. It was a huge hit!”
“I give this recipe a well deserved 5 out of 5. First of all this cake is deliciously moist. Secondly, when you take a bite you get the different layers and textures. And lastly , the raspberries pair so nicely with the cake and frosting. If your looking for a sweet, sure to please cake, this is it. Last night my husband told me that this was the best cake he had ever had, and I have baked him many cakes over the years.”
More favorite Modern Honey cake recipes:
- Key Lime Cake
Vanilla Cake
LEMON Olive Oil Cake - VANILLA Cupcakes
- YELLOW Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Love at First Sight CHOCOLATE Cake
- Chocolate RASPBERRY Cake
- COCONUT Cake
- RED VELVET Cake
- Jeff’s Best BANANA Cake
- Southern CARAMEL Cake
- BERRY Chantilly Cream Cake
My favorite cake baking essentials:
USA 8-inch cake pans USA 9-inch cake pans Icing Angled Spatula
Popular Lemon Cake Recipes:
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Lemon Raspberry Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Canola Oil (or vegetable or olive oil)
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups Flour (plus 2 Tablespoons more for the raspberries)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Fresh Raspberries (plus more for garnish)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- (1) 8-ounce pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
- 4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
Garnish:
- 1 cup Fresh Raspberries
- Lemon Slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cream for 2 minutes.
- In large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into egg mixture and fold.
- In a small bowl, carefully toss raspberries with 2 Tablespoons of flour to coat them. This helps to keep the raspberries from sinking to the bottom. Fold into the batter.
- Spray three 8-inch or three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. You can also use two 9-inch pans but the baking time will be longer. Place batter into baking pans. If using three 8-inch pans, bake for 20-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using three 9-inch pans, bake for 19-23 minutes. If using two 9-inch pans, bake for 30-36 minutes. Cool.
To make Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and cream together. Chill.
To assemble cake:
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. Garnish with fresh raspberries and lemon slices.Optional: Let chill for 20-30 minutes to let the frosting set up.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very very nice cake! I only had to increase the lemon juice quantity in order to give a little zingy flavour.
I also swapped buttermilk with sour cream and the sponge texture was very light and creamy.
Will be definitely baking this again soon. Thank you
Love this recipe! Can’t get enough of the lemon cream cheese frosting. YUM. Thank you for your carefully tested cake recipes – I’ve loved every one I’ve tried! (Keeping me occupied during quarantine!)
I am 60 years old and have baled for years. I can honestly say this is the best cake I have ever made! It is exceptional I give it 10 stars !!!
This made a delicious cake! I only used 1.5 cups of sugar for the cake and about 1.25 cups of powdered sugar for the icing and it still turned out delicious and perfectly sweet. I also added two more tablespoons of lemon juice to the icing because I wanted it to be nice and lemony. Next time, I think I’d like even more raspberries in the cake. One thing I was unsure about was why the sugar didn’t get creamed in with the oil and other wet ingredients. I’ve just seen that usually the sugar is mixed with the fats before adding in the dry ingredients. Next time, I’ll try to do that to see if there’s any difference in texture. Nevertheless, very happy with this recipe! Thank you!
This cake is exceptional! I am not sure why other commenters left 4 stars. This is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten! I followed the recipe exactly as written and never comment on recipes. This recipe looks very similar to the olive oil cake, I will try that one next. The combination of the sweetness of the cake with the tart lemon zest and raspberries make this a 5 star recipe in my opinion. Also I am not a baker. If you follow the recipe this cake will turn out perfectly. Thank you for exact detailed instructions on all of your recipes. It is greatly appreciated for somebody that isn’t really a baker, but I can bake with your recipes!! Make this cake!!
Very moist! I made this into cupcakes. The lemon flavor really shines!
The raspberries were a bit watery even though they are fresh. I’m not sure why. Overall an awesome recipe. Thanks so much
This is seriously the best cake I have ever made!! Everyone went back for seconds!! The cake was light and moist and the lemony cream cheese frosting was perfect!! I can’t wait to make this again!!!)
I don’t know why but I made this cake and it tasted like corn? Is this normal
can i bake this in one pan i do not want to ice it in the middle, how long should i expect to cook it for
thanks
Why not butter in the recipe?
Because they use oil instead it could be substituted with butter though!
OMG!! I can’t explain how delicious this cake came out! My whole family said this was the best ever vanilla cake that I made. Tender but still so moist. It melts in your mouth. The crumb is so easy to handle with. You can’t go wrong with this recipe. I think I will never go back to any other recipe now. And the lemon adds such a nice flavour to it. Just reduced the sugar by around 1/4 cup. It’s a keeper for sure. 10 stars
So, the recipe calls for buttermilk, but in directions it mentions whole milk. Which is it? Thanks.
I’m wondering the same thing.
The whole milk and vinegar is if you don’t have the buttermilk.