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This chilled lemon raspberry cake is a show-stopper dessert that uses fresh fruit to enhance the delicious flavor combination.
We love this flavor pairing in our favorite Lemon Cheesecake as well, along with other lemon classics like our Lemon Lasagna and Lemon Cupcakes.
Fruity Desserts to Love!
Cake is perfect for celebrating all year long! They can easily be tailored to the season or holiday. And we believe any time is a good time to “let them eat cake!”
This lemon raspberry cake is a perfect spring dessert but can be made all year long. The freshness of the lemon and peak-season raspberries are truly mouthwateringly delicious.
Why we love it:
- A stunning slice. Not only is the decorated cake lovely, but each slice showcases delicious and pretty layers.
- Flavor pairing. The flavor combination is perfection! I imagine this raspberry lemon cake as a highlight of a spring or summer party, as with our other cakes with fruit.
- Moist crumbs. The sponge is tender and flavorful creating a truly magical easy cake recipe!
Ingredients
- sugar
- lemon zest – How to Zest a Lemon
- unsalted butter – How to Soften Butter Quickly
- whole eggs
- egg whites – How to separate egg whites and egg yolks
- vanilla extract
- fresh lemon juice
- cake flour – use this How to Measure Flour post to measure correctly.
- Make cake flour by placing 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into a 1-cup measuring cup. Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup the rest of the way up with all-purpose flour. Sift the two ingredients together into a bowl and then sift again to ensure it is fully and evenly combined.
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- buttermilk – How to make Buttermilk
- fresh raspberries – or use frozen raspberries to make the frosting but use fresh raspberries to decorate the top of the cake.
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream or half-and-half
- raspberry jam
Bake the Cake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment and grease with cooking spray.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and egg whites, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until well blended.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and add the mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk. Mix just until combined.
- BAKE. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake 23-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.
Cake Making Tips
- Room-temperature ingredients combine much more easily than cold ingredients.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter to keep a tender texture.
- Doneness. Don’t open the oven door or your cake can bake unevenly and fall. Start checking for doneness when the lowest bake time is reached and bake longer as needed.
- Line the pan with Parchment Paper before adding the cake batter to prevent sticking.
- Cool the cakes in the pan for a few minutes before inverting them onto wire racks to cool completely.
Assemble and Frost the Cake
- FROSTING. Puree the raspberries using a blender or food processor. Strain the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- Add the butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the raspberry puree and powdered sugar, and mix until combined. Add cream as needed to make a smooth frosting. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
- ASSEMBLE. Level each of the cake layers. Place a cake layer on a serving platter or cake stand and spread a ¼ inch thick layer of frosting over the top. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of the cake layer to hold in the jam. Spread ½ cup of raspberry jam evenly over the buttercream.
- Repeat with the next cake layer, then top with the remaining cake layer. Spread a thin coat of frosting over and around the cake to seal in the crumbs.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- DECORATE. After the frosting has set, spread a thicker layer of frosting around the sides and top of the cake, then decorate as desired (I just did little dollops with an open star tip).
Frosting and Decorating Tips
- Crumb coating. After assembling the layers, using an offset spatula apply a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This layer is called a crumb coating and will catch any loose crumbs. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow the crumb coat to set. This helps seal in the crumbs and creates a clean foundation for the final layer of frosting.
- Decorate the cake however you please. I used the raspberry buttercream to pipe on star dollops and added fresh raspberries. Some other decorative toppings include:
- Make a lemon buttercream to fill the layers or add to the top.
- Use a piping set to pipe on swirls or rosettes on top and around the edges.
- Place fresh berries around the base of the cake.
- Incorporate other fresh fruits like blueberries and strawberries which both taste amazing alongside the lemon flavor of the cake.
Storing Cake
- Make ahead of time. The separate ingredients can be stored to be assembled later. If storing fully frosted, avoid adding fresh fruit until serving.
- Store unfrosted cake layers. Wrap cooled layers in plastic. Store at at room temperature for 2-3 days or wrap them again with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. No need to thaw before assembling the cake.
- Store assembled cake with a crumb coating. Once the crumb coating has set, wrap the cake with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
- Store a fully frosted cake. Place the frosted lemon raspberry cake in a cake container or once the frosting has set, gently wrap it with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or wrap it again with foil and store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- Leftover cake. Use a piece of plastic to cover any of the exposed lemon raspberry cake to help keep it from drying out. The cake can last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove fresh fruit topping before storing.
For More Recipes:
Lemon Raspberry Cake
This chilled lemon raspberry cake is a show-stopper dessert that uses fresh fruit for a punch of flavor and a classic combination.
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- zest of two lemons
- 1½ cups butter, softened
- 3 large eggs + 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3⅔ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups buttermilk
Raspberry Buttercream
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries
- 1½ cups butter, softened
- 5½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons cream or half and half
- 1 cup raspberry jam
- fresh raspberries, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and egg whites, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until well blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, and mix just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake 23-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, puree the raspberries using a blender or food processor. Strain the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- Add the butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the raspberry puree and powdered sugar, and mix until combined. Add cream as needed to make a smooth frosting. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cake, level each of the cake layers. Place a cake layer on a serving platter or cake stand and spread a ¼ inch thick layer of frosting over the top. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of the cake layer to hold in the jam. Spread ½ cup of raspberry jam evenly over the buttercream.
- Repeat with the next cake layer, then top with the remaining cake layer. Spread a thin coat of frosting over and around the cake to seal in the crumbs.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- After the frosting has set, spread a thicker layer of frosting around the sides and top of the cake, then decorate as desired (I just did little dollops with an open star tip).
- Refrigerate any leftover cake.
Notes
Make ahead of time. The separate ingredients can be stored to be assembled later. If storing fully frosted, avoid adding fresh fruit until serving.
Store unfrosted cake layers. Wrap cooled layers in plastic. Store at at room temperature for 2-3 days or wrap them again with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. No need to thaw before assembling the cake.
Store assembled cake with a crumb coating. Once the crumb coating has set, wrap the cake with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Store a fully frosted cake. Place the frosted cake in a cake container or once the frosting has set, gently wrap it with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or wrap it again with foil and freeze for 2-3 months.
Leftover cake. Use a piece of plastic to cover any of the exposed cake to help keep it from drying out. The cake can last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove fresh fruit topping before storing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cake, Calories: 1532kcal, Carbohydrates: 211g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 74g, Saturated Fat: 46g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Trans Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 251mg, Sodium: 1030mg, Potassium: 368mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 156g, Vitamin A: 2334IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My frosting split because of the acid in the fresh raspberry puree but I made a new batch and boiled the puree down and it turned out great.
Love that it uses fresh raspberries. My frosting also split because of the acid in the raspberries so I made a new batch and boiled down the puree and it turned out great.