If you like lemon-raspberry flavor combinations but wish you could find something where the lemon really stands out, this lemon raspberry cake is it. With lemon juice, zest, extract, gelatin and concentrate, this cake is intensely lemony and bright. The raspberries and raspberry jam ensure that both fruit flavors are present in each morsel.
This recipe focuses on making most of the cake from scratch, but you can use store-bought items such as lemon curd. (The jam is not homemade, unless you want it to be.) This cake takes some effort but isn’t that complicated, and it’s a good introduction to making lemon curd, too. Try making this cake when you have a day to experiment and see how each ingredient intensifies the lemon flavor and richness of the cake. It’s easy to decorate, too, and is perfect for parties.
Lemon Raspberry Cake Ingredients
- Large eggs: Eggs help thicken fruit curd.
- Sugar: Sugar both helps sweeten the tart lemon juice and helps prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice provides the flavor, of course.
- Butter: Butter gives the curd a smoother, more silky texture.
- Lemon zest: This makes the lemon flavor stand out more.
CAKE:
- Lemon gelatin: Using gelatin allows you to infuse an intense lemon flavor throughout the cake batter.
- Butter and sugar: Butter and sugar together help the batter become airy and light.
- Eggs: Eggs act as an ingredient binder and strengthener.
- Lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract: You’ll get even more lemon flavor with the addition of these three.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract’s warm flavor is subtle but really helps the taste of the cake seem fuller.
- All-purpose flour: The best type of flour for a cake that needs structure.
- Baking powder: This is the raising agent for the batter.
- Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk gives the batter a richer taste and texture without adding too much fat.
- Lemonade concentrate: You’ll use this to create a lemon syrup that you pour over the cake layers for even more lemon flavor.
FROSTING:
- Cream cheese: The tangy flavor of cream cheese pairs well with lemon and offers more than just a sweet covering for the cake.
- Butter: Butter makes the cream cheese frosting a little more mellow. It’s still tangy, but not overly so.
- Confectioners’ sugar: This confectioners’ sugar gives the frosting its sweetness and fluffy texture.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice: The lemon flavoring for the frosting layer.
- Vanilla extract: As with the cake, vanilla in the frosting adds depth to the flavor.
- Seedless raspberry jam: A layer of raspberry jam in between the cake layers gives you that berry flavor in each bite.
- Fresh raspberries: You can use fresh berries as an optional garnish.
Directions
Step 1: Make the lemon curd filling
Beat the eggs and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Add the lemon juice, butter and lemon zest, and stir together. Cook and stir the mixture over medium-low heat for 15 minutes; the mixture should thicken and reach 160°F when you check it with a thermometer. Let the curd cool for 10 minutes, and then press a layer of plastic wrap onto its surface. Chill the curd for 1-1/2 hours until it’s thickened.
Step 2: Make the gelatin
Preheat the oven to 350°. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water in a small bowl, and set that aside to let it cool.
Step 3: Mix the rest of the cake batter
In another, larger bowl, cream the butter with canola oil, along with 1-1/2 cups of sugar for five minutes. Add the eggs one at a time to the mixture, and be sure to beat the mixture well after adding each egg. Beat in the gelatin mixture and the lemon zest, juice and extract. Beat in the vanilla extract. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding the dry mixture and milk to the wet mixture. Beat well after each addition.
Step 4: Bake the cake
Grease and flour three round 9-inch baking pans. Divide the batter between the three pans and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when they’re done.
Step 5: Make the lemon syrup
Mix the lemonade concentrate and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture uncovered for two minutes on high until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Poke holes in the tops of the warm cake layers with a fork, and pour the lemonade mixture over the tops of each cake layer. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then remove the cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Make the frosting
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until the mixture is fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla extract. Beat everything until it’s all blended.
Step 7: Assemble the cake
Place one cake layer on a cake or serving plate. Spread the top with 6 tablespoons of raspberry jam. Repeat with the next cake layer. Top that with the last layer and spread 1/2 cup of lemon curd over that layer’s top. (You will have curd left over.)
Step 8: Frost, garnish and chill the cake
Spread the frosting around the sides of the cake. Pipe a shell border around the top. Garnish with fresh raspberries and confectioners’ sugar if desired. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for one hour.
Lemon Raspberry Cake Variations
- Use store-bought lemon curd: You don’t have to make your own lemon curd for the filling; using store-bought is completely acceptable and will save time.
- Use strawberries instead of raspberries: Strawberries and lemon go well together, so try using strawberries and seedless strawberry jam instead of the raspberries.
- Use another citrus flavor instead of lemon: Try using orange instead of lemon; you can make orange curd and zest, and use orange gelatin, juice and concentrate.
- Use different frostings: You can experiment with making different frostings for the cake.
- Add poppy seeds to the batter: Poppy seeds and lemon go together, too, so if you want, you can try adding 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds into the cake batter.
How to Store Lemon Raspberry Cake
Any leftover lemon raspberry cake needs to go in the refrigerator. Keep it in an airtight container, and eat it within three to five days.
Can you freeze lemon raspberry cake?
Freezing this cake isn’t advised. You can try, of course, but some of the ingredients may not do that well in the freezer; thawing the cake could result in runny or gummy textures.
Lemon Raspberry Cake Tips
Can you bake raspberries into the cake itself?
If you really want to add raspberries to the lemon-heavy cake batter, you could sprinkle a layer onto the top of the cake batter just before baking. Don’t use more than 1/3 cup of berries per cake layer because too much fruit will introduce too much extra moisture, thus affecting the final texture of the cake. Try making some of these layer cake recipes after you’ve baked this one.
Can you tone down the lemon flavor?
This is a very lemon-forward cake in terms of flavor. If you don’t want that much lemon, leave out the lemon extract and lemon zest. Continue to use the curd, gelatin and thawed concentrate, however.
Does the raspberry jam have to be seedless?
You really do want to use a seedless jam in the frosting and filling. The little seeds you find in some jams can interfere with the smooth texture you expect in cake frostings and fillings, and they can be rather annoying to deal with.
