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4.2 from 10,893 votes

Raspberry Lemon Cake

An old fashioned Raspberry Lemon Cake recipe with lemon buttercream frosting, made with yogurt, fresh raspberries, and lots of lemon juice for a sweet/tart delicious dessert.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 585 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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 (you can use vanilla yogurt as well)
  • 1 1/2 cups raspberries (I like to use frozen berries)
lemon buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
  • 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, you may need a bit more.
  • optional 1 small drop yellow gel food coloring

Instructions

cake layers
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and butter and flour 2 non-stick 8 inch cake pans. I like to put a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pans just to insure a good release.
  2. Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, along with the vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
  5. In another separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the yogurt and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
  7. Fold in the whipped egg whites, working gently until no white streaks remain.
  8. Fold in the berries.
  9. Spread the batter evenly between the two cake pans and even out the tops with an offset spatula.
  10. Bake the cakes on the same oven shelf for about 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched and the edges are just starting to turn golden. Don't over bake.
  11. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before turning them out and cooling them completely on a rack.
frosting
  1. To make the frosting cream the butter, sugar, (and the drop of food coloring, if using) adding enough lemon juice to make a creamy spreadable frosting. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar for a stiffer frosting, and more lemon juice if it's too stiff.
  2. Frost the cake when completely cool. Add a generous amount of frosting to the first layer, then top with second layer and finish frosting top and sides.

Notes

  •  
  • Other amazing layer cakes to try
  • This cake has been wildly popular since its original posting, but a few of you have had issues with it, so I've re-tested the recipe and tweaked a few details. The changes are reflected in the above recipe. It's the same amazing cake, only even better. Hope you love it!
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  • Almond Layer Cake with Blackberry Buttercream

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 585kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 86g (29%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 26g (40%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 112mg (37%) Sodium 272mg (11%) Potassium 170mg (5%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 67g (134%) Vitamin A 828IU (17%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 75mg (8%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 585

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 585kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 86g 29%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 26g 40%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 112mg 37%
Sodium 272mg 11%
Potassium 170mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 67g 134%
Vitamin A 828IU 17%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 75mg 8%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.