My Raspberry Cake recipe with lemon buttercream is made with yogurt, fresh raspberries, and lots of lemon juice for an old fashioned from-scratch layer cake that’s perfect for birthdays and special occasions, or any time you want to pamper yourself!
my raspberry lemon cake is over the top delicious but not at all fussy.
It’s just the thing with a cup of tea or coffee for an afternoon pick me up. Yes, you can definitely serve it as an after dinner dessert, but it seems a shame to waste such a good cake on people who’ve just had a big meal. And anyway, I’m always looking for ways to insert more cake into my day 🙂
This recipe is inspired by European style cakes, it has a moist, dense texture, and it’s not over the top sweet. The berries add just the right fruity element, and the frosting pulls it all together with a burst of tartness.
what you’ll need for this simple raspberry cake
- flour ~ I use all purpose flour, but you could use cake flour as well.
- butter ~ unless otherwise stated I always bake with unsalted butter. Be sure to bring your butter to room temperature before using.
- granulated sugar
- confectioner’s sugar
- eggs ~ unless otherwise stated I always use large eggs for baking. We’re going to separate them.
- yogurt ~ any kind you love, I use full fat vanilla. Yogurt has the surprising ability to make baked goods extra tender.
- raspberries ~ for this cake I like to use frozen berries because they don’t break up when I fold them into the batter. If you’ve got fresh berries you might pop them into the freezer for a bit to firm them up.
- lemon juice and zest ~ the zest is where all the flavor of the lemon hides!
- baking soda, baking powder, and salt
easy method for making a raspberry cake
This cake comes together a little differently than most cakes. The eggs are separated, and the whites are beaten and folded into the batter. It gives the cake a light sponge cake texture which is really nice.
- Separate the eggs, and whip the whites to soft peaks.
- Cream the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest beating in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla.
- Alternately fold in the dry ingredients with the yogurt. Fold in the berries.
my best tips for baking with raspberries
The flavors of this cake really sing, partly because whole raspberries are folded into the batter just before baking. But fresh raspberries are incredibly delicate, and will inevitably break apart as you stir them in. I’ve got a solution for that!
- Use frozen berries if you would like them to stay in tact when folded into the cake batter. Do not thaw them before using.
- If you have fresh berries, consider popping them in the freezer for a short while to firm them up before using.
the tart lemon buttercream is everything!
Your reward for the light as air yogurt cake is the thick layer of insanely sweet tart lemon buttercream. It’s like lemon fudge, only better 🙂
I might be in the minority here, but I love the cake cold from the refrigerator. It does wonderful things to the buttercream.
I recommend sturdy nonstick pans for layer cakes
For those times when only a layer cake will do, you need good sturdy reliable cake pans. I like to use thick walled nonstick pans like Chicago pans, or USA brand pans. Both cook evenly and release the cakes every time. I have a set of both 8 inch and 9 inch pans, there really is a big difference in the size of the cakes when you bake in the different pans ~ sometimes the smaller cake pan works better, and vice versa.
How to care for your cake pans so they release your cakes perfectly every time!
- I always hand wash my cake pans in warm water and dish soap, I never put them in the dishwasher. Be sure to dry them thoroughly before putting away.
- Don’t ever let metal utensils touch the surface of your pans.
Raspberry treats on this blog can run the gamut from casual little Raspberry Almond Bars to the more exotic Raspberry Pavlovas…
- Black Raspberry Ice Cream
- Raspberry Champagne Sorbet
- Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Perfect Black Raspberry Muffins
- Easy Raspberry Galette
- Raspberry Eton Mess
- Raspberry Desserts to Make All Summer
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Raspberry Lemon Cake
Video
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pans Buy them here.
- parchment paper rounds, optional
Ingredients
cake
- 9 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (you can use vanilla yogurt as well)
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries (I like to use frozen berries)
lemon buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, you may need a bit more.
- optional 1 small drop yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
cake layers
- Preheat your oven to 350F and butter and flour 2 non-stick 8 inch cake pans. I like to put a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pans just to insure a good release.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, along with the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In another separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the yogurt and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- Fold in the whipped egg whites, working gently until no white streaks remain.
- Fold in the berries.
- Spread the batter evenly between the two cake pans and even out the tops with an offset spatula.
- Bake the cakes on the same oven shelf for about 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched and the edges are just starting to turn golden. Don't over bake.
- Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before turning them out and cooling them completely on a rack.
frosting
- To make the frosting cream the butter, sugar, (and the drop of food coloring, if using) adding enough lemon juice to make a creamy spreadable frosting. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar for a stiffer frosting, and more lemon juice if it’s too stiff.
- Frost the cake when completely cool. Add a generous amount of frosting to the first layer, then top with second layer and finish frosting top and sides.
Notes
9-inch pans: the cake will be wider and the layers thinner. The bake time will be shorter. This cake has been wildly popular since its original posting, but a few of you have had issues with it, so I’ve re-tested the recipe and tweaked a few details. The changes are reflected in the above recipe. It’s the same amazing cake, only even better. Hope you love it!
I recently made this for my family. My son said it was the best cake he’d ever had. A huge hit for my boyfriend too!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know Deb!
I made this cake for my daughter’s baby shower! It turned out beautifully and was the talk of the party. Everyone loved it! So full of flavour. Tangy and sweet. Absolutely perfect! Thank you so much.
My question is, could this recipe be made into cupcakes? I would like to make for a coworker’s retirement party
So glad you loved this Jane. It’s possible to adapt the cake recipe for cupcakes by adjusting the baking time to about 18-22 minutes and checking for doneness with a toothpick.
This is my absolute favorite cake. I recently made it again and everyone fell in love with it! Perfect for spring and summer and the raspberries really make this cake pop when cut into. The batter is thicker than I’m used to, I’m always afraid I’ve left an ingredient out or messed it up, but it turns out wonderfully. So rich and moist and all around perfect! I’ve only ever made this cake with gluten free flour but it always taste great.
This produced a heavy texture cake. I think my baking powder didn’t work. Very moist & tasty
This cake isn’t one of those high rising cakes Mary, but baking powder can get stale, so it’s a great idea to refresh it every few months or so.
Can this be made into cupcakes? What changes for cooking would need to be made?
My husband and I loved this recipe, the raspberries pair lovely with the lemon.
I’m disappointed that this recipe didn’t work out. The frosting is delicious, but the cake was a flop. I followed the (albeit a little extraneous) directions to a tee when I attempted this cake. I bake a lot, so I didn’t anticipate any troubles. But when baking, I followed the directions perfectly for when to pull it out. Then I let cool for 15 min before putting on a rack – which is when I realized the cake was still raw. I’m very disappointed, since I followed everything so carefully and put so many resources into this cake. The parts that were salvageable were delicious…
So sorry your cake didn’t turn out well for you. Oven temperatures and pans vary so much that I can only give a suggestion of baking time from my end in any recipe. Always check with a toothpick and/or press the cake in the middle, it should spring back when done. If your oven is off even by a few degrees, or your pans were smaller than mine, that could have affected your bake time.
Do I have to use frozen raspberries?
No, but the fresh ones can squash as you fold them in. Sometimes I’ll just pop fresh berries in the freezer briefly to firm them up so I can fold them in more cleanly.
Can this be doubled and put in a sheet pan?
That should work, depending on the type of sheet pan you’re using. Two layers should fit in a half sheet, and the doubled recipe should work in a full sheet pan.
Can this cake be frozen and iced later?
Yes, that will work nicely.