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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.
Can I use blueberries in 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!
Is this recipe suitable to freeze?
Hi Sharon! Absolutely! You can freeze just the cake layers ahead of time by wrapping them tightly and placing in the freezer until ready to frost. You can also freeze the entire cake and just allow it to defrost at room temperature.
I loved this recipe. Although was delicious, it wasn’t light and fluffy and was tad dense. I did make my own buttermilk, was that the reason?
I did 2/3 of the frosting and found to be enough.
Hi I was just wondering if you could use this recipe for cupcakes too? And how would it change the instructions like the time it has to bake and etc.
Would this taste as good if I used blackberries instead of raspberries?
I think so! 😋
The first time i made this cake, it was a 4- batch version in geometric shapes … octagon, square, circles … for a geometry- themed baby shower. The bottom octagon took two fullb batches. It was definitely lemony enough. I used came floor and wonder if that didn’t make it more spongy? Trying again today with regular flour. Wanted the raspberries to stay pretty whole so froze then a bit and still added flour. Made 4 batches of frosting too, but because the cake was layered, 3 would have been. Everyone loved it! I am making it again today because I’m doing a birthday dinner for a shower guest who enjoyed it. Baking times cited are definitely off. I bumped it up to 350 in a convection oven and almost doubled the time. The smell will tell you when it’s done! The timing is the only reason this is 4 rather than 5 stars.
Is the 4 1/2 cups of powder sugar really correct. It’s like 1kg of sugar in the frosting.
Thanks
At the moment, I have this cake in my oven. I used to 9 inch round baking pans at 325. It has been 30 minutes and I checked on it (light only, I did not open the oven door). It is still very liquidy. I kicked the temperature up to 350 for another 20 minutes. I sure hope I am not wasting all of the ingredients and my time. It look and sounds delicious. I am making it for company tomorrow. Also, I have no issues at all with my oven and have used it over and over again this holiday season. I thought 325° sounded a little bit low and I had to check the temperature to make sure I had it correct. Please comment! Thank you!
I had the same issue with the suggested bake time and ended up needing an additional 10-15 minutes. I kept the temperature the same and checked after total of 45 min bake time and toothpick came out clean. The cake was still very moist and not over baked for that time frame.
Your photo shows fresh raspberries in the frosting in between the layers but you don’t mention that or how many you used… and that’s what I came here to discover because “too much” is my middle name. How many raspberries did you put in the middle?
I’m a bit confused. You specify 3 cake pans, but the pictures and directions are for a two-layer cake. It looks so good and I’d like to make it for a neighborhood dinner, but I want to get it right!
I hardly ever leave reviews but I just made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was absolutely amazing. The only thing I did differently was added about 2 tablespoons more lemon juice to the batter and 1/2 cup of sour cream because I wanted to make sure it would be moist…, but I think it would’ve still been moist enough without it because of the buttermilk. I also used all purpose flour. The frosting was very good as well. I definitely recommend this recipe!
Di you really let the cakes cool in the pan ?