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lemon raspberry layer cake with raspberry filling and lemon raspberry frosting
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Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake

Layers of soft, zesty lemon cake with raspberries in every slice, fresh raspberry filling, and lemon raspberry buttercream. The ultimate lemon raspberry cake!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 35 minutes
Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Lemon Raspberry Cake

  • 2 Cups (265g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 Cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • 1/3 Cup (80ml) lemon juice from 3-4 medium lemons
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
  • 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 Cup (75g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 Cups (5 oz, 137g) frozen or fresh raspberries*
  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour (for coating the raspberries)

Raspberry Filling

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp (12g) cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp (22ml) water
  • 2 Cups (8oz, 228g) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 1/3 Cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon Raspberry Buttercream

  • 1 Cup (24g) freeze-dried raspberries**
  • 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp (22ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
  • pinch of salt, or to taste

Garnish

  • 1 twisted lemon slice
  • 1/4 Cup (30g) fresh raspberries

Instructions

Make the Lemon Raspberry Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottoms.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and lemon juice and set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute. Add the butter and cream it together with the lemon-sugar mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable oil and beat until combined, light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla, then turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for one minute.
  • Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the lemon milk mixture. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
  • In a small bowl, break up the frozen raspberries* into smaller pieces and coat them in 1 tsp of flour. Then, fold them into the cake batter with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool for 5 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Transfer the cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Make the Raspberry Filling

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until combined. Add it into a medium saucepan along with the raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Cook until the mixture begins to boil, mashing down the raspberries as they soften.
  • Once the mixture starts to boil, set the timer for 5 minutes while you continue stirring occasionally. Then, remove from heat and transfer to a heat proof container. It won’t seem super thick at this point, but don’t worry – it will thicken significantly as it cools. Let the raspberry filling sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 week. The longer you refrigerate, the thicker and more flavorful it will be.

Make the Lemon Raspberry Buttercream

  • With a food processor, grind the raspberries into a fine powder. Sift out the seeds (if a few seeds end up in the powder that is totally ok) and set the powder aside.
  • Whip the butter using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until it’s creamy and light in color (5 minutes). Add the lemon juice, milk, and raspberry powder and continue to mix on medium until fully combined.
  • Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition. Add a pinch of salt and continue mixing on low speed until fully combined and smooth, 1-2 minutes. 

Assembly

  • Once the cake layers have cooled completely, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Pipe a circle of lemon raspberry buttercream around the edge of the layer, then fill in the center with the cooled raspberry filling until it reaches almost to the top of the dam, then cover the top with more of the lemon raspberry buttercream. Add the next cake layer on top and continue filling and stacking the cake layers with the raspberry filling and lemon raspberry frosting, placing the final cake layer upside down on top. Crumb coat the cake with more lemon raspberry buttercream, then refrigerate the crumb coated cake for at least 30 minutes to let everything firm up.
  • To create the design pictured, frost a smooth buttercream finish with the lemon raspberry buttercream and keep the top edge raw. Garnish with a twisted lemon slice and fresh raspberries.

Notes

*Frozen or Fresh Raspberries in the Cake Batter: the cake recipe works best with frozen raspberries simply because they're less prone to leaking raspberry juice in the cake batter. You can absolutely use fresh raspberries instead, just be sure to tear them apart with your hands (instead of chopping them with a knife) before coating them in flour and folding them into the cake batter. They may leave a few pink streaks. 
**Freeze-Dried Raspberries in the Buttercream: freeze-dried raspberries work best in the buttercream recipe, but if you can't find freeze dried raspberries locally or prefer using fresh/frozen berries instead, make a double batch of this fresh raspberry frosting recipe and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract along with the reduced raspberry purèe. 
Make Ahead Tips: 
  1. The lemon raspberry cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
  2. The raspberry filling can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  3. The lemon raspberry buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer on low speed to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
  4. The decorated cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Take it out of the refrigerator an hour or two before serving – it stores best cold but tastes best at room temperature.