This sweet and simple lemon raspberry cake is made with two layers of raspberry cake and tangy lemon buttercream. It’s decorated with raspberries and fresh edible flowers to make the perfect, simple cake for the warmer months.
This is a perfect cake to make if you don’t want to frost a whole layer cake but still want a beautiful cake with that naked cake look. This simple lemon raspberry cake is just as easy as a sheet cake but with the look of a layer cake.
Lemon and raspberry is one of my favourite flavour combinations. It just reminds me of summer! Both of these tart fruits work especially well in rich desserts like cake and buttercream because they cut through the heaviness.
Why you’ll love this recipe
You should make this lemon raspberry cake recipe because:
- It’s fruity and tangy thanks to the raspberries and lemon buttercream.
- It’s easier to make than a multi-layer cake. You only need 1 cake pan to make this 2-layer cake.
- The raspberry cake is soft and moist and the lemon buttercream is smooth and creamy.
- You can decorate it however you like! I adorned mine with raspberries and flowers to celebrate the Spring and Summer months.
Ingredients
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - Melt this in the microwave or on the stovetop and let it cool slightly before using.
- Oil - Any flavourless oil will work, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs - They should be at room temperature so that they mix well into the batter. If you forget to take them out of the fridge ahead of time, put them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes while you prep your other ingredients.
- Vanilla extract
- Milk - Any dairy or non-dairy milk works in this recipe. I usually use almond milk or oat milk.
- Raspberries - I used fresh raspberries but frozen raspberries also work. If using frozen, do not defrost them. Coat them in flour and add to the batter straight from the freezer.
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice - Zest your lemon first before cutting it in half and squeezing the juice. You’ll need the juice from about half a lemon.
- Lemon zest - Most of the lemon flavour and essence comes from the lemon zest so don’t skip this!
- Edible fresh flowers - This is optional for decorating your cake. You can always just decorate it with fresh raspberries and lemon zest, a buttercream design, or just leave it plain.
How to make a lemon raspberry cake
For the raspberry cake
Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottom of one 9” cake pan with a round of parchment paper.
Mix batter: In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, and sugar. Add in the eggs and whisk until combined. Add in half of the flour mixture and whisk until almost combined. Pour in all of the milk and whisk together. Finally, add the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined and smooth.
Fold in raspberries: In a small bowl, toss raspberries with 2 tablespoons of flour to coat. This helps prevent the raspberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter and absorbs extra moisture. Fold them into the batter until just incorporated.
Bake: Pour the batter into your lined cake pan. Give the pan a tap on the counter or a spin to release some air bubbles and to help the cake bake flatter. Bake cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Flip the pan over to release the cake and let it cool completely (upside down) on parchment paper and/or a wire rack.
For the lemon buttercream
Cream butter: In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter on medium speed for 10 minutes until it becomes very creamy and pale in colour.
Beat in powdered sugar & lemon: Add in the powdered sugar and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat for another 10 minutes on low-medium speed until it becomes very creamy and smooth.
Finish by folding the buttercream with a spatula to release the air bubbles or heat a small amount of buttercream until it becomes melty and mix it back into the buttercream to make it extra silky.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star piping tip.
Assembling the cake
Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the cake into two even layers. Put one layer down on a cake stand or plate.
Pipe dollops of buttercream across the surface of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top and press down gently to secure.
Pipe another layer of buttercream on top of the cake. Arrange edible flowers and extra raspberries on top of the buttercream.
Variations and ideas
- Try adding dollops or drizzles of homemade lemon curd for an additional texture and extra lemon flavour. There’s plenty of lemon flavour in the buttercream which is great because it’s easier and one less component but lemon curd would really take this cake to the next level!
- Make this into a multi-layer cake. This recipe make enough batter for a 3-layer 6” cake.
- Substitute the raspberries for blueberries to make a lemon blueberry cake.
- Ditch the piping bag and piping tip and spread the buttercream on with an offset spatula for a super easy and organic look.
Frequently asked questions
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days but it is best enjoyed within 3 days. Bring it back to room temperature before eating.
Yes, you can freeze this cake by wrapping individual slices or the whole cake in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil (if freezing for a long time). Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bring back to room temperature before eating.
This recipe makes enough batter for one 8” or 9” cake cut into 2 layers. It also makes enough for three 6” cake pans - just bake the cakes for slightly longer since there is less surface area exposed to the heat of the oven in smaller pans.
Coating the raspberries in flour helps them suspend in the batter during baking. You can also place a few extra raspberries on the surface of the cake batter just before baking in addition to the raspberries that you folded into the batter.
More cake recipes to try
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Raspberry Cake
- 200 g cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- 100 g flavourless oil
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 g milk, dairy or non-dairy
- 200 g raspberries
Lemon Buttercream
- 230 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 115 g powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, about half a lemon
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- edible flowers
Instructions
Raspberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottom of one 9” cake pan with a round of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, and sugar. Add in the eggs and whisk until combined.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and whisk until almost combined. Add in all of the milk and whisk together. Add the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined and smooth.
- In a small bowl, toss raspberries with 2 tablespoons of flour to coat. This helps prevent the raspberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter and absorbs extra moisture. Fold them into the batter until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into your lined cake pan. Give the pan a tap on the counter or a spin to release some air bubbles and to help the cake bake flatter.
- Bake cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Flip the pan over to release the cake and let it cool completely (upside down) on parchment paper and/or a wire rack.
Lemon Buttercream
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter on medium speed for 10 minutes until it becomes very creamy and pale in colour.
- Add in the powdered sugar and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat for another 10 minutes on low-medium speed until it becomes very creamy and smooth.
- Finish by folding the buttercream with a spatula to release the air bubbles or heat a small amount of buttercream until it becomes melty and mix it back into the buttercream to make it extra silky.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star piping tip.
Assemble the cake
- Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the cake into two even layers. Put one layer down on a cake stand or plate.
- Pipe dollops of buttercream across the surface of the cake.
- Place the second cake layer on top and press down gently to secure.
- Pipe another layer of buttercream on top of the cake. Arrange edible flowers and extra raspberries on top of the buttercream.
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