Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream Recipe
This Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream is a delightful and refreshing dessert featuring tender lemon-zested cake layers studded with juicy raspberries and topped with a creamy, tangy lemon buttercream frosting. Perfect for spring or summer gatherings, this cake balances sweet and tart flavors with a moist texture thanks to greek yogurt and whipped egg whites.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 9 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (or vanilla yogurt)
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries (frozen or fresh)
Lemon Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
- Optional 1 small drop yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour two 8-inch non-stick cake pans. For extra assurance of easy release, line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
- Cream Butter, Sugar, and Lemon Zest: In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter, sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add Egg Yolks and Vanilla: Beat in the egg yolks one at a time followed by the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Whip Egg Whites: In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside for folding later.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to combine evenly.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Alternately add the dry ingredients and Greek yogurt to the butter mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly after each addition. Scrape down the sides to ensure even mixing.
- Fold in Egg Whites: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter, being careful to retain as much air as possible until no white streaks remain.
- Add Raspberries: Carefully fold in the raspberries to distribute evenly without breaking them apart.
- Fill Cake Pans and Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Bake on the middle oven shelf for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden.
- Cool Cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Lemon Buttercream: In a food processor or with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and sifted confectioner’s sugar together. Add lemon juice gradually until you reach a creamy, spreadable consistency. Optionally add a drop of yellow gel food coloring and beat until smooth. Adjust lemon juice or sugar to get the desired spreadability and sweetness.
- Assemble and Frost Cake: Once the cake layers are completely cool, place one layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous layer of lemon buttercream on top. Place the second layer over it and finish frosting the top and sides evenly with the remaining buttercream.
Notes
- Frozen raspberries can be used but do not thaw before adding to batter to avoid excess moisture.
- The whipped egg whites help keep the cake light and fluffy; fold them gently to retain volume.
- Lemon zest and juice in the cake and frosting complement the tartness of the raspberries perfectly.
- If the frosting is too stiff, add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time; if too runny, add more confectioner’s sugar.
- Ensure cakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting or sliding.
- You can garnish the finished cake with fresh raspberries and lemon zest for decoration.
Keywords: raspberry cake, lemon buttercream, berry cake, lemon zest cake, Greek yogurt cake, baked dessert, spring cake, summer cake
