Valentine’s Raspberry Cake
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5
62 reviews
Excellent
Valentine’s Raspberry Cake
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Valentine’s Raspberry Cake is a layered cake combining fresh or freeze-dried raspberries with a moist batter enriched by sour cream and milk. The cake is paired with a white chocolate buttercream that includes raspberry and lemon elements for complementary brightness. Optional decorative hearts made from candy melts add a festive touch. The recipe involves baking in small pans for even layers and includes an option for Italian buttercream for a smooth finish.
Description
Valentine’s Raspberry Cake features a tender crumb from a batter of flour, sugar, butter, egg whites, sour cream, and milk, enhanced by fresh lemon zest and juice for subtle acidity. Folded into the batter are raspberries, which provide bursts of fruity flavor throughout the cake layers. The white chocolate buttercream incorporates melted white chocolate blended with butter, confectioners’ sugar, raspberry reduction, lemon juice, and zest, yielding a creamy frosting with citrus and berry notes. The cake is baked in three 6-inch pans to ensure even, flat layers, ideal for stacking and frosting.
The buttercream and raspberry components make this cake appealing for special occasions, especially when decorated with candy melt hearts as shown. The layers are moist and tender, balanced with the frosting's sweetness and light tartness from the raspberry infusion.
For best results, using cake strips around the pans helps create flat layers and uniform baking. Sour cream imparts moisture but can be substituted with whole milk yogurt if preferred. Although the recipe includes instructions for both an American and Italian buttercream, using the Italian version yields a smoother texture. Fresh raspberries may be dusted in flour before folding in to reduce excess moisture.
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Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 230g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 136g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda heaping
- 1 tsp baking powder heaping
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup butter room temperature, 170g, unsalted
- 3 egg room temperature, white
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml
- 1/2 cup milk 105ml, whole
- 6 oz raspberry fresh or freeze dried
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
For the White Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup butter room temp, 315g, unsalted
- 4 ½ cups confectioners sugar 648g
- 1 cup white chocolate chips melted and cooled, 168g
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup raspberry fresh
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
For the Hearts:
- 3 heets printable hearts Or pipe them free-hand
- 1 1/2 feet parchment paper
- ½ cup Candy Melts 84g
For the Italian Buttercream:
- 4 egg large, white
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar divided
- 1 Pinch kosher salt
- 16 ounces butter 454g, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces, unsalted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup water 70g
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add lemon zest.Don't worry if your still have small chunks of butter, it will all work out!
- Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in dried raspberries at the very end and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
For the White Chocolate Buttercream:
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat combine raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Mash and heat for a minute. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half, or about three minutes. Strain and transfer to a small bowl and chill.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.
- Add confectioners sugar and salt. Beat until creamy.
- Add in melted and cooled white chocolate. Mix until incorporated and smooth.
- Divide batter in half.
- Add vanilla to one batch.
- Add 2 1/2 tbsp of the reduction to the other batch of buttercream. If the consistency become runny, mix in confectioners sugar 2 tbsp at a time until thickened.
- Transfer both batches to separate piping bags with the tips snipped off. Add the 2 piping bags to another piping bag fitted with a large round tip or with the tip snipped off.
For the Italian Buttercream:
- Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar, slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
- As the eggs are beating add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water to a medium saucepan then place on medium-high heat.
- Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear.
- Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
- Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately.
- Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid.
- Add room temperature butter into running mixer one tablespoon piece at a time.
- Add the salt and vanilla if using
- Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
- Divide into 5 bowls. Keep one bowl white. Add food coloring to each batch to achieve a gradient look.
- Whip the frosting and transfer to separate piping bags JUST before using.
For the Hearts:
- Line up 3 printable heart sheets to use as a guideline or stencil. Add a layer of parchment paper over the sheets.
- Microwave candy melts. Transfer to a piping bag and snip off the tip.
- Pipe hearts according to the stencil.
- Let the hearts cool and harden.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe the pink/white chocolate buttercream combo between each cake layer.
- Cover the cake with a thin crumb coat and chill for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the cake has chilled, start the Italian buttercream gradient with the white, then work your way up from bottom to top.
- Carefully smooth with an offset spatula.
- Add hearts to the cake.
Notes
- If baking in larger pans, double or triple the recipe accordingly to maintain layer thickness.
- Butter clumps in wet ingredients are normal and will incorporate fully when mixed with dry ingredients.
- Whole milk yogurt can replace sour cream without noticeable difference.
- Using cake strips around pans helps achieve flat and evenly baked layers.
- Fresh raspberries should be quartered and dusted with flour before adding to prevent soggy batter.
- Italian buttercream provides a smoother finish than American buttercream but requires more steps.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1piece
Calories
380kcal
(19%)
Carbohydrates
41g
(14%)
Protein
4g
(8%)
Fat
17g
(26%)
Saturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Cholesterol
40mg
(13%)
Sodium
190mg
(8%)
Potassium
47mg
(1%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Vitamin A
50IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
2.5mg
(3%)
Calcium
40mg
(4%)
Iron
0.4mg
(2%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 10Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 380 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1piece | |
| Calories | 380kcal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 40mg | 13% |
| Sodium | 190mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 47mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 50IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 2.5mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 40mg | 4% |
| Iron | 0.4mg | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
62 reviews
Excellent
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