Video
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Bright bold and lemony cake layers filled with fresh lemon raspberry whipped cream and all covered in a natural raspberry buttercream. This is the perfect Summertime cake and has so much fruity flavor!
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- ¼ cup 56g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup 60ml sunflower oil (or vegetable oil or canola oil)
- 1 ¼ cups 250g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup 120ml full fat sour cream
- 1 ¾ cups 250g all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 120ml whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups 150g fresh raspberries
Raspberry Compote:
- 1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups 170g fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw)
- 2 tablespoon 25g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon a squeeze lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon 10ml water
- 1 ½ teaspoon 4g cornstarch
Cream Filling:
- ¾ cup 180ml 35% heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon 12g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon 5ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon 30ml cold Raspberry Compote *see recipe above*
Frosting:
- ⅔ cup 150g unsalted butter, very soft
- 2 cups 240g powdered confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon 45ml heavy 35% whipping cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon 30ml Raspberry Compote (at room temperature – not cold) *see recipe above*
Instructions
- Make & cool the raspberry compote. The raspberry sauce must cool down completely before using, so I recommend making it first. Combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes until the berries are thawed and start breaking down. Stir the mixture as it comes to a simmer, breaking up some of the raspberries as you stir.
- Once the raspberries have broken down and are simmering, mix water with cornstarch in a very small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir it in. Continue to cook and stir until it begins to bubble and thicken. Remove the pan from heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds if desired. I like to leave the seeds in. Allow the raspberry sauce to cool completely and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. Cover and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the base of two 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. I don't even grease my pans because I like the batter to cling to the sides for more height, but if you prefer it then you can lightly grease the sides.
- Make the cake layers. Combine cooled melted butter, oil, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk until combined and the mixture looks a bit fluffy. It will look more like wet sand as the butter is melted, but it should fluffy up a bit if the butter is cooled. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Whisk in vanilla and sour cream.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into another bowl and whisk until evenly blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold them in gently. When they are mostly combined, add milk in 2 stages and fold it in. Use a whisk at the last stage to make a smooth batter, but do not over-mix. Fold in raspberries.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Make the cream filling. Place cream in a medium bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer (or by hand if you’re willing) until it forms soft peaks. Add the sugar and lemon juice and beat until it forms firm peaks. Add the raspberry compote and fold it in. It’s OK if there are streaks of raspberry as it looks really pretty. Keep chilled until ready to use.
- Make the frosting. Place soft butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until very smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and slowly beat until it is incorporated and then increase the speed and beat for about 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and spreadable, then gradually beat in the compote on low speed. Do not over-beat at this point since the water in the compote has a tendency to cause the frosting to split, especially if it is cold.
- Assemble the cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Use a small offset spatula to spread the cream filling over the top, spreading it out to the edges. Place the other layer on top so it aligns with the sides of the bottom layer. Cover the entire cake with raspberry buttercream and use a large offset spatula to even out the sides and make swooshes and swirls on the top layer. Dollop small spoonfuls of raspberry on top and swirl them in if desired. Decorate with fresh raspberries and lemon s
