Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 118 Comments

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This fresh lemon raspberry cake recipe is packed full of lemon flavor and swirled with a fresh raspberry filling throughout the cake. Get a sweet and tangy bite of lemon and raspberry in each mouthful and pair it with homemade raspberry buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or stabilized whipped cream.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (1)

The buttermilk in this lemon raspberry layer cake gives it an extra tender crumb. Paired with tart raspberries, it makes the perfect combination for a summer BBQ dessert, Mother's Day cake, or springtime treat!

Table of contents

  • Ingredients
  • How to Make a Lemon Raspberry Cake
    • Making Raspberry Filling
    • Making Lemon Raspberry Cake
    • How to Make Raspberry Buttercream
    • Assembling and Decorating the Cake
  • Tips for Baking From Scratch
  • FAQ
  • Related Recipes

IngredientsLemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (2)

Lemon: In this tender cake, the lemon flavor is added in 3 ways. Lemon peel from a fresh lemon, lemon extract that enhances the natural lemon flavor, and lemon juice to add some acid and a hint of tartness.

Buttermilk: Buttermilk tenderizes the gluten in the cake flour, which is already soft, creating a melt-in-your-mouth feel with this cake crumb. Learn how to make your own with milk and vinegar, sour cream, or Greek yogurt in mybuttermilk substitutesblog post.

Raspberries: Juicy raspberries are a perfect match for lemon flavor, they both enhance each other's natural flavors. A little bit of lemon is added to the berries in the filling to brighten the berry flavor.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (3)

How to Make a Lemon Raspberry Cake

To make this lemon raspberry cake, you'll want to start off by making the raspberry filling first. I like to make it the day ahead and strain out the seeds, but you can leave them in if you prefer. Then make the lemon cake and swirl in the filling, bake it, and then make the buttercream while the cakes are cooling.

Making Raspberry Filling

  1. Add your raspberries and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (4)
  2. Heat your raspberry puree until it begins to bubble. Increase the heat to medium-high heat if needed.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (5)
  3. In a small bowl, combine the water and the ClearJel (or cornstarch) and mix until smooth. Don't just add the ClearJel (or cornstarch) directly to the hot liquid or you'll end up with lumps of thickener in your filling.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (6)
  4. Add your ClearJel mixture (or cornstarch slurry) to the hot liquid and mix for one more minute to thicken the mixture.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (7)
  5. Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and continue cooking for one more minute until thickened.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (8)
  6. Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and cover it with plastic wrap (so that it's touching the surface) and allow it to cool to room temperature or place it into the refrigerator to cool before using it.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (9)

Making Lemon Raspberry Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C or 350º F/177º C and prepare three 6-inch cake pans (or two 8-inch pans) withcake goopor another preferred pan spray or parchment paper. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature or slightly warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter).Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (10)
  2. Measure out the buttermilk and place 4 ounces in a separate measuring cup.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (11)
  3. Add oil to the 4 ounces of buttermilk and set aside.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (12)
  4. To the remaining buttermilk, add your eggs (lightly whisked to break them up), lemon extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (13)
  5. Measure out the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of your stand mixer.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (14)
  6. Attach the paddle to the mixer and mix on low speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers) until the dry ingredients are combined. I recommend a stand mixer for this recipe, but you can do this with a large bowl and electric mixer, just mix by texture instead of time.
  7. Slowly add chunks of softened butter to the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (15)
  8. Add the milk/oil mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed (speed 4 on Kitchenaid) for 2 full minutes until it's white and fluffy.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (16)
  9. Scrape the bowl. This is an important step because if you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (17)
  10. Slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients in 3 parts and mix until combined. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (18)
  11. Fill the pans ¾ full and give each a tap to level out the batter and get rid of any air bubbles.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (19)
  12. Add 3 to 4 large dollops of your raspberry filling to the cake batter and use a spoon or knife to swirl it through the batter.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (20)
  13. Bake the cakes for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (21)
  14. After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes, flip them onto cooling racks to cool completely. Or wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them.

How to Make Raspberry Buttercream

  1. Place the egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (22)
  2. Add the softened butter in small chunks then vanilla and salt. Whip on high until light and fluffy and white, about 8 to 10 minutes.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (23)
  3. Set aside 2 cups of vanilla buttercream if you want to do the ombre design. Add adrop of yellow food color to give it a slight tint.
  4. Add about ½ cup of the strained raspberry purée to the buttercream and continue to whip until combined.
  5. Mix in about 1-2 drops of pink food coloring to enhance the raspberry color if you choose.
  6. Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone.
  7. Stored it in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer.

Assembling and Decorating the Cake

  1. Trim the dome from the top of the cake rounds and the browned edges.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (24)
  2. Place the first cake layer on the cake board and spread raspberry buttercream over the top. Using a piping bag and round tip, pipe a dam around the outer edge of the cake.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (25)
  3. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of raspberry filling within the dammed area. If you overfill the center it could possibly squeeze out once you start stacking other layers.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (26)
  4. Place a few fresh raspberries on top of the raspberry filling.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (27)
  5. Spread a thin layer of raspberry frosting on the bottom of the next layer to sandwich in the berries.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (28)
  6. Repeat the process with the remaining cake layers.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (29)
  7. Once all 3 layers are placed, cover it in a crumb coat of buttercream.Chill it for 5-10 minutes until the buttercream has set.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (30)
  8. Spread a final coat of buttercream on the cake. I used the yellow buttercream to make an ombré,but you can do all raspberry if you prefer.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (31)
  9. Spread some raspberry buttercream around the bottom half of the cake.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (32)
  10. Thensmooth the whole cakeusing the bench scraper, creating an ombré, watercolor effect between the 2 buttercream colors.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (33)
  11. Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe 8-10 dollops on top around the cake. (Make sure the dollops and raspberries are touching, to create a dam for the center raspberry filling.)Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (34)
  12. Then, fill the center of the top of the cake with 2-3 tablespoons of raspberry filling.Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (35)
  13. Make sure to keep the cake chilled, but take it out a few hours before you're going to serve it. This cake is best eaten at room temperature!Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (36)

Tips for Baking From Scratch

  1. Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure.Using a kitchen scale for bakingis super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
  2. Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs, to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.
  3. No buttermilk? You canmake your own buttermilk
  4. Need more help with making your first cake? Check out myhow to decorate your first cakeblog post.
  5. Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
  6. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transportation.

FAQ

Can I use different berries?

Yes, you can use any frozen or fresh berries you prefer and they all pair well with this lemon cake. You will find otherberry-fillingrecipes on the blog. This cake would also be delicious with the addition of homemade lemon curd.

Can I use frozen raspberries for my lemon raspberry cake?

To make the raspberry filling, I prefer to use frozen because they are already partially broken down through the freezing process, this makes the reduction process quicker. You can also use frozen berries when filling the cake, however, they will be softer as they thaw. I prefer to use fresh raspberries for the inside of the cake and the decor on top, however, both are delicious!

Can I use raspberry jam instead of making my filling?

Yes! If you are pinched on time, you can use store-bought raspberry preserves or jam in place of the filling.

Lemon Velvet Cake

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake

Strawberry Cake Mix

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Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (37)

Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe

Moist and velvety lemon cake with juicy raspberry filling and raspberry buttercream frosting. Based on our lemon velvet cake, this recipe highlights the sweet flavor of fresh raspberries and the subtle tang of lemons.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Decorating Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 1379kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Raspberry Filling

  • 16 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 5 ounces sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 ounces cool water
  • 1 Tablespoon corn starch

Lemon Raspberry Cake

  • 13 ounces cake flour
  • 12 ounces granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces buttermilk
  • 3 ounces vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • 2 Tablespoons AP Flour for dusting berries
  • 10 ounces raspberries You can use frozen but don't thaw them

Raspberry Buttercream

  • 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites room temperature
  • 16 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
  • 16 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces raspberry puree strained

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making Raspberry Filling

  • Add your raspberries and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.

  • Heat your raspberry puree until it begins to bubble. Increase the heat to medium-high heat if needed.

  • In a small bowl, combine the water and the ClearJel (or cornstarch) and mix until smooth. Don't just add the ClearJel (or cornstarch) directly to the hot liquid or you'll end up with lumps of thickener in your filling.

  • Add your ClearJel mixture (or cornstarch slurry) to the hot liquid and mix for one more minute to thicken the mixture.

  • Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and continue cooking for one more minute until thickened.

  • Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and cover it with plastic wrap (so that it's touching the surface) and allow it to cool to room temperature or place it into the refrigerator to cool before using it.

Making Lemon Raspberry Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C or 350º F/177º C and prepare three 6-inch cake pans (or two 8-inch pans) withcake goopor another preferred pan spray or parchment paper. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature or slightly warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter).

  • Measure out the buttermilk and place 4 ounces in a separate measuring cup.

  • Add oil to the 4 ounces of buttermilk and set aside.

  • To the remaining buttermilk, add your eggs (lightly whisked to break them up), lemon extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

  • Measure out the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of your stand mixer.

  • Attach the paddle to the mixer and mix on low speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers) until the dry ingredients are combined. I recommend a stand mixer for this recipe, but you can do this with a large bowl and electric mixer, just mix by texture instead of time.

  • Slowly add chunks of softened butter to the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.

  • Add the milk/oil mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed (speed 4 on Kitchenaid) for 2 full minutes until it's white and fluffy.

  • Scrape the bowl. This is an important step because if you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.

  • Slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients in 3 parts and mix until combined. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.

  • Fill the pans ¾ full and give each a tap to level out the batter and get rid of any air bubbles.

  • Add 3 to 4 large dollops of your raspberry filling to the cake batter and use a spoon or knife to swirl it through the batter.

  • Bake the cakes for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.

  • After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes, flip them onto cooling racks to cool completely. Or wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them.

How to Make Raspberry Buttercream

  • Place the egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes.

  • Add the softened butter in small chunks then vanilla and salt. Whip on high until light and fluffy and white, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  • Set aside 2 cups of vanilla buttercream if you want to do the ombre design. Add adrop of yellow food color to give it a slight tint.

  • Add about ½ cup of the strained raspberry purée to the buttercream and continue to whip until combined.

  • Mix in about 1-2 drops of pink food coloring to enhance the raspberry color if you choose.

  • Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone.

  • Stored it in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer.

Assembling and Decorating the Cake

  • Trim the dome from the top of the cake rounds and the browned edges.

  • Place the first cake layer on the cake board and spread raspberry buttercream over the top. Using a piping bag and round tip, pipe a dam around the outer edge of the cake.

  • Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of raspberry filling within the dammed area. If you overfill the center it could possibly squeeze out once you start stacking other layers.

  • Place a few fresh raspberries on top of the raspberry filling.

  • Spread a thin layer of raspberry frosting on the bottom of the next layer to sandwich in the berries.

  • Repeat the process with the remaining cake layers.

  • Once all 3 layers are placed, cover it in a crumb coat of buttercream.Chill it for 5-10 minutes until the buttercream has set.

  • Spread a final coat of buttercream on the cake. I used the yellow buttercream to make an ombré,but you can do all raspberry if you prefer.

  • Spread some raspberry buttercream around the bottom half of the cake.

  • Thensmooth the whole cakeusing the bench scraper, creating an ombré, watercolor effect between the 2 buttercream colors.

  • Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe 8-10 dollops on top around the cake. (Make sure the dollops and raspberries are touching, to create a dam for the center raspberry filling.)

  • Then, fill the center of the top of the cake with 2-3 tablespoons of raspberry filling.

  • Make sure to keep the cake chilled, but take it out a few hours before you're going to serve it. This cake is best eaten at room temperature!

Notes

  1. Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure.Using a kitchen scale for bakingis super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
  2. Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs, to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.
  3. No buttermilk? You canmake your own buttermilk
  4. To prevent blueberries from sinking, I wash them (to get them wet) then roll them in flour. Then I add them to the batter halfway through baking
  5. Do not fall for the “just add cornstarch to regular flour” trick. It does not work for this recipe. Your cake will look and taste like cornbread. If you can’t find cake flour, use pastry flour which isn’t quite as soft as cake flour but it’s better than all-purpose flour.
  6. Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
  7. If you’re in the UK search forShipton mills cake and pastry flour. If you’re in another part of the country, search for low protein cake flour.
  8. Need more help with making your first cake? Check out myhow to decorate your first cakeblog post.
  9. Make the raspberry filling first, then make the lemon cake and swirl in the filling, bake it, and then make the buttercream while the cakes are cooling.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1379kcal | Carbohydrates: 176g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 73g | Saturated Fat: 45g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 256mg | Sodium: 461mg | Potassium: 392mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 125g | Vitamin A: 2432IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melinda Mendoza says

    Can this recipe be doubled for a full sheet cake

    Reply

    • Elizabeth Marek says

      Yes. By full sheet cake do you mean a half sheet pan? I normally do a triple batch for half sheet pans

      Reply

  2. Maria B says

    Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (42)
    Liz thank you!! I have made this cake several times and its a hit!! It is such a beautiful cake to set on your table! It does not last on the table very long that is for sure. The cream cheese frosting with raspberry sauce is so yummy!

    Reply

  3. Stephanie Moreno says

    Could I leave out the fresh berries and only add the raspberry filling swirled into the batter? What is the most jam I could swirl in? Would I need to adjust the buttermilk For added moisture? My son wants it to just have the jam swirled throughout for his bday

    Reply

  4. Stephanie says

    Could I leave out the fresh berries and only add the raspberry filling swirled into the batter? What is the most jam I could swirl in? Would I need to adjust the buttermilk For added moisture? My son wants it to just have the jam swirled throughout for his bday

    Reply

  5. Jean says

    Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (43)
    I had to leave a review because this is one delicious cake!! I knew the cake was going to be good by your list of ingredients. But, my, it went beyond my expectations! Wow... my my my.... the flavors. So perfect for the summer. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It really wowed all my happy eaters.

    Reply

  6. Cynthia Dunning-Lazaroff says

    can you make this recipe (the cake) ahead of time (1 week) and freeze) I see I can make the raspberry compote a week ahead ... Thank you

    Reply

    • Elizabeth Marek says

      You definitely can, I would freeze the raspberry as well

      Reply

  7. Kathryn says

    In the video it shows you putting in 4 eggs but recipe says 3 which is it? I am in the middle of making it and now I am unsure of the outcome, raspberries are not cheap so I do not appreciate the differences

    Reply

    • Elizabeth Marek says

      Just follow the written recipe and you will be just fine.

      Reply

  8. Kathryn says

    I made this cake and it is my very favorite cake, it not only looks pretty but the taste is fantastic. I love it and everyone that had some loved it. Great recipe!

    Reply

  9. Kelli says

    I couldn’t find any cake flour at the 4 stores I went to, so I used red mill ap flour for cakes, cookies and pastries. I haven’t tried it yet because it’s still cooling but the structure seems to have come out nicely. Fingers crossed. What’s the difference between making it with cake flour vs ap?

    Reply

    • Sugar Geek Show says

      Sorry you had trouble finding cake flour! Depending on where you're located, you can usually find it at whole foods or online. Sometimes it's known as Shipton mills soft cake and pastry flour. Cake flour has a lower protein level so it makes for a softer cake. It's best to use it when doing the reverse creaming method or it could have a cornbread-like texture.

      Reply

  10. Lauren says

    Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (44)
    Amazing recipe! My 12 year daughter has made this 3 times! The only issue she runs into is the frosting has come out lumpy, even with very soft butter. Could you help us?!

    Reply

    • Elizabeth Marek says

      Keep whipping on high until it's smooth and creamy

      Reply

  11. Sara says

    How could I adjust this recipe to make a 10 inch cake?

    Reply

    • Sugar Geek Show says

      I would do one and a half of this recipe 🙂

      Reply

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Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe (2024)

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