It is officially summer, which means 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.
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.
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.
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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!
