Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
Servings 8
Lemon Raspberry Cake is fresh and a perfect summer dessert! It has layers of moist lemon cake filled with raspberries, raspberry jam, and tangy vanilla frosting.
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Sponge
- 1½ tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups cake flour, or 2 cups flour + ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine kosher salt
- ⅔ cup fresh raspberries + 1 tsp flour
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz plain cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine kosher salt
- 2-4 tbsp raspberry jam, for assembling
Instructions
Lemon Raspberry Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6" round cake pans, or two 8-9" round cake pans.
- Combine sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer and use your fingers to rub them together until the sugar turns a light yellow. Then, add the butter. Cream the two together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the egg, followed by the egg whites, and then the oil. Continue beating on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl or microwaveable cup, heat the buttermilk for 10-12 seconds to bring it to room temperature. Then stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- While running your mixer on low-medium speed, add in ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk, and then remaining flour mixture. Fold until flour is just combined--do not over-mix.
- Toss the raspberries with 1 tsp of flour, and then use a flexible rubber spatula to gently fold them in to the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 27-30 minutes, or until the cakes are set.
- Take the cake layers out of the oven and let them cool almost completely in the pan before removing, wrapping, and transferring to the fridge the chill. Let the layers chill for at least an hour, or overnight.
Frosting & Assembly
- When you are ready to assemble your cake, begin by making the frosting. In your mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together for 1 minute until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Begin combining them in on low speed, then gradually turn up the speed to high and beat the frosting for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Make sure to pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- To assemble the cake, start by trimming off the tops of the cake layers to remove the domes. Place one layer onto a cake board or stand. Spread 1-2 tbsp of raspberry jam on top, followed by a layer of frosting.
- Place another cake layer on top, and repeat by adding first some jam, and then frosting.
- Place the third layer on top, and now spread a thin layer of frosting around the top and sides of the cake to make the crumb coat. Let the cake sit for 10-15 minutes.
- One the crumb coat has set, spread the remaining frosting around the top and sides of the cake. Add a few smears of raspberry jam if desired to create little pink streaks. Enjoy!¼
Notes
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature before baking.
- Cake flour is highly recommended, but if you do not have any, you can create a makeshift substitute by combining 2 cups flour + ¼ cup cornstarch.
- Cake layers can be prepared and kept in the fridge up to 3-4 days in advance, or frozen for up to 3 months.
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