This lemon raspberry cake is a classic. Pale, tender sponge layered with softly whipped Swiss buttercream frosting, and the tart punctuation of fresh raspberries. A ribbon of lemon curd runs through the centre, offering just enough sharpness to keep the sweetness in check. It’s the sort of cake that feels right on a spring or summer table — cool, restrained, and elegant — and slices beautifully, revealing its inviting layers. It’s a cake meant to be served generously, with tea or coffee, conversation, and time enough to linger.
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Scale
1 recipe Lemon Curd or 1 jar good quality commercial lemon curd
For the cake
- 227 g or 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- 170 g or ¾ cup egg whites, at room temperature (5 or 6 large eggs)
- 7.5 ml or 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 ml or ½ tsp Fiori di Sicilia
- 15 ml or 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 270 g or 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 350 g or 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 20 ml or 4 tsp baking powder
- 5 ml or 1 tsp salt
- 170g or 6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the frosting
- 150 g or 5.3 oz egg whites (from five large eggs)
- 300 g or 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 454 g or 1 lb butter, cubed, at room temperature
- pinch of kosher salt
- 5 ml or 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 drops LorAnn Lemon Oil Flavouring or ½ tsp Lemon Powder
For the raspberry filling
- 43 g or 2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
- 240 g or 1 pint fresh raspberries, washed and spread out on paper towels to dry. Reserve 12 of the nicest looking berries to garnish the cake.
Instructions
Make the cake
- Combine the milk, egg whites, vanilla, Fiori di Sicilia, and lemon zest in a large measuring cup; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt at low speed. Add the butter and mix until the mixture looks sandy.
- Add 1 cup of the milk/egg mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and add the remaining milk mixture; beat for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl once more and beat for another 20 seconds.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake until the cakes begin to pull from the sides of the pans and spring back when lightly touched in the centre (28–32 minutes). Remove from the oven and place on a rack for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn out of the pans and return to the rack to finish cooling completely.
Make the Lemon and Raspberry Frostings
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until combined. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 160°F or until it’s not grainy between your fingers.
- Transfer the egg mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with a whisk attachment until you get glossy, room temperature peaks. Tip: hold a couple of bags of frozen peas or corn against the outside of the bowl to bring the temperature down.
- With the mixer running on medium-low, add small chunks of room temperature butter, one at a time. Take your time with this – let the butter incorporate fully before you add the next piece (5 – 10 minutes in total). Don’t panic if the mixture gets soupy; just keep beating. You can’t overbeat it, and it will come together in the end. Add the vanilla extract.
- Remove 1 ½ c of the frosting to a separate bowl; stir in the raspberry jam. Set aside.
- Add the Lemon Oil Flavouring to the remainder of the frosting. Fill a piping bag fitted with a coupler and a large round piping tip. You may wish to use a star tip to garnish the cake with swirls of frosting and reserved raspberries.
Assemble the cake
- Cut the two cake layers in half horizontally to make four layers.
- Put one layer of cake on a serving plate, cut side down. Frost with ½ the raspberry-flavoured frosting, then place ½ of the fresh raspberries on top. If they’re very tall, slit them up the side and place them flat in an even layer.
- Place the second cake layer atop the first; pipe a ring of lemon buttercream around the outside edge. Fill the circle with the lemon curd (you may not need all of it).
- Add a third layer, frosting with the remaining raspberry frosting. Place the remaining raspberries on the frosting.
- Top with the last layer, cut side down. Frost the top and sides with the remaining lemon frosting. Garnish with swirls of lemon frosting and reserved raspberries.
Notes
*Lemon Powder is available at King Arthur Baking
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking.
