A beautiful two-layer Lemon Raspberry Cake. Two soft lemon sponges filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, all covered in an easy raspberry buttercream. This stunning Lemon and Raspberry Cake is perfect for birthdays or celebrations.
Lemon raspberry magic 🌟
A beautiful Lemon Raspberry Cake filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. This layer cake features two soft lemon sponges all covered in a sweet raspberry buttercream.
Not only does this lemon and raspberry cake look impressive but it tastes incredible. A bakery-style layer cake that’s easy to make – and even easier to eat!
why you will love this recipe
- The cake is soft, tender and bursting with lemon flavour
- It’s filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries
- You only need 4 ingredients for the raspberry buttercream
- It tastes and looks AMAZING!
recipe testing
We’ve been enjoying all things citrus here recently, from buttery Orange Cookies to Lime Pound Cake. And now lemon is the star of the show!
This stunning Lemon Raspberry Cake is what my dreams are made of. The base of this cake was adapted from my favourite Vanilla Cake, which ensures a soft, tender and moist crumb.
But we added plenty of fresh lemon zest to make it sing.
Then the magic continues, with a generous filling of softly whipped cream and oodles of fresh raspberries. I love filling my cakes with cream for a decadent treat, just like we did in my classic Genoise Sponge Cake, and more recently my Chocolate Cake Roll and Honey Cake.
Finally, we made an easy 4-ingredient creamy raspberry buttercream. To make things quick and easy – and oh-so-tasty – I simply use raspberry jam to make the frosting.
It creates a mellow buttercream that’s not too sweet, but blends perfectly with the fresh raspberry filling. And it means the frosting comes together in a flash.
ingredients
Here’s a breakdown of everything you will need to make a beautiful Lemon Raspberry Cake from scratch.
LEMON CAKE
- Butter
- Caster sugar: Or granulated sugar.
- Lemon zest
- Eggs
- Plain flour: Or all purpose flour.
- Baking powder
- Milk: Full fat or whole milk.
- Vanilla extract
- Full fat sour cream: If you don’t have access to sour cream, the next best thing would be full fat Greek or natural-style yogurt.
CREAM FILLING
- Thickened or heavy cream: You need to use a full fat cream (minimum 35% fat) that says it’s suitable for whipping.
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh raspberries
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- Butter
- Icing sugar: Or powdered sugar.
- Milk: Full fat or whole milk.
- Raspberry jam
how to make lemon raspberry cake
The recipe for this Lemon Raspberry Cake begins with the traditional creaming method. This means you’ll beat together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. This provides aeration and helps create a soft and tender crumb.
Here’s how to make the cake in four simple steps. More detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest using an electric mixer on medium speed, until it’s pale and creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix on low speed.
- Add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk, and start to beat on low speed. Add remaining dry ingredients and sour cream. Cake batter should be smooth and creamy.
- Divide cake batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
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how to make the cream filling
This cake is filled with softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries. I recommend using a high fat thickened or heavy cream that says it is suitable for whipping.
I like to beat my cream until it reaches soft peaks when filling cakes. It should be thick, creamy and cloud-like. Add a dash of vanilla extract for flavour.
Keep a close eye on your cream so you don’t accidentally over-mix it. If you over-beat cream, it will curdle and eventually, you’ll end up with butter. And there is no way to fix it, apart from starting again.
Once you add a thick layer of whipped cream, you can then carefully place fresh raspberries all over the top in one even layer.
let’s talk raspberry buttercream
My raspberry buttercream uses raspberry jam for its flavour and colour. I recommend using a good-quality jam and then pushing it through a sieve to get rid of any seeds. This step will ensure your buttercream is smooth and creamy.
I also find that a few drops of pink oil-based food gel can help you get the pink vibrancy. I used a few drops of Colour Mill’s hot pink food gel in these photos.
Try to avoid using a watery food colouring as it will dilute your buttercream and you’ll need to use a lot more to get the same results. A gel-based or oil-based food colour is the way to go.
I’ve already shared my tips for making perfectly smooth buttercream from scratch, and this recipe is no different.
Make sure your butter is softened, be sure to sift your icing or powdered sugar and don’t be afraid to beat your buttercream briefly on high speed to get that smooth and creamy texture we all crave.
make-ahead instructions
I love to make my cakes on the day they are to be served. I’m a firm believer that most cakes taste best when fresh. However, I know this isn’t always possible.
So if you need to make my Lemon Raspberry Cake ahead of time, I recommend making the cake layers, letting them cool completely, and then tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in the freezer. Then just defrost and decorate on the day you are ready to serve.
how to store your cake
Once this Lemon Raspberry Cake is filled and frosted, it will need to be kept in the fridge. Keep it loosely wrapped in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container.
Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving. This will ensure your cake still has a soft and tender crumb.
I don’t recommend making and storing this cake any longer than two days in advance as the whipped cream will soak into the cake. See above for make-ahead suggestions instead.
Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store cake slices in the fridge or freezer.
frequently asked questions
Yes absolutely! You can gently stir through a handful or fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw) into the cake batter at the very end. I recommend using no more than 1 cup of raspberries.
No. Do not use frozen raspberries in the whipped cream layer. They will release too much liquid, discolouring the cream and making the cake soggy.
This recipe makes one two-layer 8-inch cake which will serve 12-14 people.
more lemon bakes we love
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Let’s Bake
Lemon Raspberry Cake Recipe
A beautiful Lemon Raspberry Cake filled with whipped cream and raspberries.
Ingredients
Lemon cake
- 230 grams (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 large lemons, finely grated
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 240 ml (1 cup) full fat or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat sour cream
Cream filling
- 240 ml (1 cup) full fat thickened or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 grams (2 cups) fresh raspberries
Raspberry buttercream
- 230 grams (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 250 grams (2 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon full fat or whole milk, room temperature
- 135 grams (1/2 cup) good quality raspberry jam or preserve
- Pink gel food colouring, optional
Instructions
- Lemon cake
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with baking or parchment paper. - In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined and then turn speed up to medium and beat for a further 1-2 minutes or until mixture is creamy and pale.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat briefly to combine – don’t worry if the mixture goes a little bit lumpy at this stage – then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the cake batter and start to mix on low speed.
- Add milk and vanilla. Then add remaining dry ingredients and sour cream. Continue to mix on low speed just until cake batter is smooth and creamy (try not to over mix).
- Divide cake batter between two prepared pans and gently smooth the top using a spatula. Place cakes in the oven and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Carefully transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cream filling
Add cream to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer on medium speed until cream has thickened and reached soft peaks. Add vanilla and beat briefly. - Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Generously cover the sponge in whipped cream.
- Carefully place raspberries all over whipped cream and press down gently. Place remaining cake on top.
- Raspberry buttercream
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and milk and beat until smooth.
-
In a separate bowl, push raspberry jam through a sieve to get rid of the seeds. Discard seeds and add smooth jam to buttercream. It should be around 2-3 tablespoons of jam. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
- If desired, add a few drops of pink food colouring for a stronger pink colour (see notes). Stir by hand
-
Generously frost the top and sides of cake.
Notes
Sour cream: If you don’t have access to sour cream, the next best thing would be full fat Greek or natural-style yogurt.
Thickened or heavy cream: You need to use a full fat cream (minimum 35% fat) that says it’s suitable for whipping.
Pink food colour: Try to avoid using a watery food colouring as it will dilute your buttercream and you’ll need to use a lot more to get the same results. A gel-based or oil-based food colour is the way to go. I used a few drops of Colour Mill’s hot pink food gel in these photos.
Storage: Once this Lemon Raspberry Cake is filled and frosted, it will need to be kept in the fridge. Keep it loosely wrapped in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.
Make-ahead instructions: If you need to make this cake ahead of time, I recommend making the cake layers, letting them cool completely, and then tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in the freezer. Then just defrost and decorate on the day you are ready to serve. Alternatively, you can make it one day in advance and keep it in the fridge. I don’t recommend making it any further in advance as the cream filling will soak into the cake.
Nutrition Information
Josh says
This cake was lovely! Loved it, especially the cream filling.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Josh!