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lemon raspberry cake

Lemon Raspberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

Moist and velvety lemon cake with juicy raspberry filling and raspberry buttercream frosting! The buttermilk in this cake recipe makes the lemon cake extra tender. The perfect dessert for a summer BBQ! Makes three 6"x2" cakes or two 8"x2" cakes
4.98 from 46 votes
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Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Serves: 8 cups
Calories: 432kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Raspberry Filling

  • 16 oz (454 g) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 5 oz (142 g) sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (1 Tbsp) lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp (1 Tbsp) lemon juice
  • 4 oz (113 g) cool water
  • 1 Tbsp (1 Tbsp) corn starch

Lemon Raspberry Cake Ingredients

  • 13 oz (369 g) cake flour
  • 12 oz (340 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) salt
  • 2 tsp (2 tsp) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) baking soda
  • 8 oz (227 g) unsalted butter
  • 8 oz (284 g) buttermilk Or regular milk with 1 Tbsp white vinegar added
  • 3 oz (85 g) vegetable oil
  • 3 (3 ) large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp (1 Tbsp) lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp (2 Tbsp) fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp (2 tsp) lemon extract
  • 2 Tbsp (2 Tbsp) AP Flour for dusting berries
  • 10 oz (284 g) raspberries You can use frozen but don't thaw them

Buttercream

  • 4 oz (113 g) pasteurized egg whites room temperature
  • 16 oz (454 g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 16 oz (454 g) powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp (454 g) lemon extract
  • 1/2 tsp (2 tsp) salt
  • 4 oz (113 g) raspberry puree

Instructions

Raspberry Filling Instructions

  • Combine raspberries and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to make the filling smooth (or leave chunky if you prefer).  
    Combine your cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour it into the raspberry mixture and let it simmer until mixture is clear and thickened. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and zest and let cool before using. 

    Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 6 months. 

Buttercream Instructions

  • Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Whisk to combine. Add in butter in small chunks then vanilla extract and salt. 
    Whip on high until light and fluffy and white.
    Optional: whip in 1/4 cup raspberry puree
    Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone.

Lemon Raspberry Cake Instructions

  • Heat oven to 335º F/168º C — 350º F/177º C. I tend to use lower setting to prevent my cakes from getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done baking. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature or slightly warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter)
  • Measure out buttermilk. Place 4 oz in separate measuring cup. Add oil to the 4oz of buttermilk and set aside. To the remaining milk, add your eggs (lightly whisked to break them up) extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  • Measure out dry ingredients and place them into the stand mixer bowl.
  • Attach the paddle to the mixer, and turn on the slowest speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Slowly add chunks of your softened butter until it is all added. Let mix until batter resembles coarse sand.
  • Add your milk/oil mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix on medium (speed 4 on kitchenaid) for 2 full minutes.
  • Scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
  • Slowly add in the rest of your liquid ingredients in 3 parts, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.
  • Lightly grease 2 8" cake pans cake goop or other pan release. Fill pans 3/4 full. Give the pan a little tap on each side to level out the batter and get rid of any air bubbles.
  • Add 3-4 large dollops of your raspberry filling to the cake batter and use a spoon or knife to swirl it through the batter. I also add in about 1/4 cup of fresh raspberries dusted with flour sprinkled on top. Do not stir them in.
  • I always start by baking for 30 minutes for 8" and smaller cakes and 35 minutes for 9" and larger cakes and then checking for doneness. If the cakes are still really jiggly, I add another 5 minutes. I check every 2 minutes after that until I'm close and then it's every 1 minute. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. 
  • After cakes have cooled for 10 minutes or the pans are cool enough to touch, flip the cakes over and remove from the pans onto the cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
  • Once the cakes are chilled in the refrigerator and feel firm you can trim off the brown edges from the sides (optional) and fill with your buttercream and more of your raspberry filling. It's best to create a dam (see video) to help hold in the raspberry filling and keep it from oozing out. Crumb coat the cake with buttercream, chill then apply your final coat of buttercream. Top with lemon slices, more raspberries and a drizzle of raspberry filling around the outside edge. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 432kcal (22%) | Carbohydrates: 50g (17%) | Protein: 6g (12%) | Fat: 24g (37%) | Saturated Fat: 15g (75%) | Cholesterol: 62mg (21%) | Sodium: 254mg (11%) | Potassium: 84mg (2%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 38g (42%) | Vitamin A: 680IU (14%) | Vitamin C: 0.7mg (1%) | Calcium: 41mg (4%) | Iron: 0.6mg (3%)