As soon as summer hits, I am all about the fruity treats! Lemon is one of my favorite flavors when it comes to dessert, because I adore the combination of tart and sweet. It also pairs super well with rich, creamy flavors (such as cream cheese frosting, hint hint), and can cut through some of the richness. This lemon raspberry cake literally tastes like summer in a bite.
For this particular cake, I created a lightened-up lemon cake base, that uses some sneaky swaps to reduce fat and calories. It’s paired with some fresh raspberries and a rich cream cheese frosting for layers of summery deliciousness. If fruity cakes aren’t your jam, maybe you’ll like my Dairy Free S’mores Cake, Vegan Banana Peanut Butter Cake, or even Dunkaroos Cake! If you’re looking for other fruity desserts, I’d suggest Key Lime Bars or Lemon White Chocolate Cookies.
Making Lemon Raspberry Cake
Making this cake is easy breezy. First, you’ll combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, combine egg, lemon zest, milk, oil, lemon extract and mix well. Mix together wet and dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter. If you want to add yellow food coloring to make it pop, this is the time to do that as well. Then, fold in from fresh raspberries. Pour into a greased or parchment-lined 9 inch cake pan and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. This cake recipe makes a single 9 inch round, so if you plan to do a layered cake you’ll want to double it.
Making Cream Cheese Frosting
To make the frosting, combine softened, room temperature butter with cream cheese and cream together in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer. Add powdered sugar and mix until fluffy. Add lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest and mix until you have your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little more lemon juice to thin it out. If it’s thin, add more powdered sugar. Once your cake is completely cooled, frost, top with some fresh raspberries, and enjoy!
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Equipment
- Cake Pans
- Oven
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbs milk can sub plant milk
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 medium egg
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup fresh raspberries
- Yellow food coloring optional
- 5 tbsp butter softened
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray 9″ cake pan with oil spray
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, Greek yogurt, oil, lemon zest, lemon extract, milk
- Stir together wet and dry ingredients until you have a uniform mixture. If desired, add yellow food coloring for a fun pop of color.
- Fold in raspberries last, and minimize stirring so you don’t get pink batter!
- Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
- Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes, then set it onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting
- To make frosting, combine softened butter and cream cheese in mixer and beat together until mixture is smooth
- Add powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon extract and allow mixer to work the frosting together until it reaches a thick, uniform consistency
- Add lemon juice to thin it out, 1 tbsp at a time. If frosting is too runny, add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time. If too thick, add a spot of lemon juice.
- Once cake is cool, to make a half-cake, cut in half, frost one side, lay other side on top of it so you have a half moon 2-layer cake, and frost entirely!
