A light, moist, buttery and tangy lemon raspberry cake! Bakes beautifully as muffins and cupcakes too. A perfect sweet treat for any time of day.
I often find bucket loads of reasons to cook something, bake something, eat something. Is this necessarily a bad thing?
I’d like to think not, especially when these lead to something indelibly good in the end. Like this light, moist and buttery lemon raspberry cake.
You’ll be teased by the sweet and sour taste notes in a lemon raspberry cake, making this a refreshingly tangy treat.
This is also good as muffins or cupcakes.
So if you’re thinking of what you could feed your kids for breakfast or pack in their lunch boxes, I think nothing is a better pick-me-up for kids than citrus fruit in sweet mouthfuls.
I just happen to love loaf shapes, so I used a bread loaf pan to bake my lemon raspberry cake.
My bread loaf pan is smaller than a regular cake loaf pan, so I get a taller loaf cake, which is how I prefer it.
You can substitute the raspberries for whatever berries you fancy. Blueberries, blackberries, deep reds of cranberries or bright reds of strawberries, or even a mix of assorted berries.
Lemon Raspberry Cake
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The original Williams-Sonoma recipe makes a super lemony cake.
With lemon syrup that’s brushed onto the cake, and with a sweet lemon glaze that’s generously drizzled over the top.
I’ve omitted the syrup and glaze, but not because I wouldn’t enjoy it.
On the contrary, I’m sure it would give this cake that extra tangy zing and a delightful sugar-crusted topping.
But I have found over time that if I want my cakes eaten up, they’re better off without any glazes or frostings.
At least in my household of one other who loves his snacks and treats simple and sweet, nothing too over-the-top.
Plus, it’ll likely help me keep a couple of inches off my waistline too!
Honestly, this cake didn’t suffer one bit by my omitting the syrup and glaze. I did allow myself a generous dusting of icing or confectioner’s sugar, though!
Here are more awesome sweets to inspire your next bake:
- Lady Bird’s Famous Lemon Cake
- Super Moist Rum & Raisin Banana Bread
- Pound Cake – An Indulgence You’ll More than Love
- Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Sweet Buttery Nectarine Torte Topped with Walnuts
Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.
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Lemon Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- 235 g plain flour plus 1 tsp
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 185 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
- 3 large eggs
- 125 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup raspberries (or choice of berries)
For the lemon syrup (optional):
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
For the lemon glaze (optional):
- 60 g confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F). Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan.
- Sift the flour (excluding the extra 1 tsp), baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl.
- In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place butter, sugar, and lemon zest into the mixer bowl and cream on medium-high speed (speed 3 to 4 on my Kitchen Aid mixer) until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Fold in the flour mixture, using a wooden spoon or spatula, until just blended. In a separate bowl, toss the raspberries with 1 tsp flour to coat evenly. Gently fold into the batter.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and level the surface. Gently tap the pan on the counter-top a few times to eliminate air pockets. Bake in the centre of the oven until the cake turns golden brown, or until a metal or bamboo skewer inserted into the centre emerges free of batter, about 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes, then turn out onto the wire rack. Turn the cake onto its side to cool, while you make the syrup (optional).
To make the lemon syrup (optional):
- In a small saucepan, simmer the lemon juice and caster sugar over medium heat until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Using a metal or bamboo skewer, pierce the sides and bottom of the cake at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep all over. Brush the cake generously with the syrup. You may not need to use all of it.
To make the lemon glaze (optional):
- In a small bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. When the cake has cooled completely, turn it right side up and drizzle the glaze all over the top. Serve.
Celia Lim says
Hey Nadine, glad to hear it! In my next update (new pics and step-by-step shots) to this post, I will be sure add the option of using a mixer to beat in the flour, and to highly recommend the lemon syrup too. Thank you for sharing and glad this cake turned out delicious for you!
Nadine says
Hi Celia, the lemon syrup does take away the eggy smell. And i love the moist buttery taste of the cake. I would like share that i had the same problem like Doris, the batter got curdled after the milk was added. I tried folding in the flour with a spatula but somehow it just wonβt come together. I was on the verge of panic. So i just did what i did for my other recipe, i used my mixer to beat the mixture with flour(that stayed separated) and voila they came together in a nice smooth batter. And of course i ended up with a delicious moist make that is to die for! π
Celia Lim says
Hi Nadine, thank you so much for sharing! I’m happy it was a success, and adding the lemon syrup is definitely going to take the flavour up a notch! Enjoy!
Nadine says
I baked this cake today. It turned out beautifully. My only regret was i ran out of Vanilla, and only had 1/2 tsp. This caused the cake to have a slight eggy smell that i am super sensitive to π¬. Nonetheless, the cake is super moist inside with a slight crunch on the browned parts. I will be see if adding the lemon syrup will reduce the eggy smell.. ππ
Celia Lim says
Hi Paula, thank you for writing! Yes, you can use frozen ones as well. If using frozen, do not thaw.
Paula says
Thank you for the recipe Celia. Should we only use fresh raspberries or can we use frozen ones?
Celia Lim says
Hi Doris, I’m so glad to hear of your success the second time round! Thank you so much for sharing. Have a wonderful week ahead!?
Doris says
Hi Celia. I made the lemon cake today and it didnt curddle when I manually added the milk and the flour in stages as you advised. Thank you. Success!
Doris says
Thank you Celia. I will follow your tips next Saturday when I baked again. Will update you.
Celia Lim says
Hi Doris, thank you for trying this recipe! Hmm.. it sounds like you did everything right. I could suggest a few troubleshooting tips and please do let me know if it works out better: (1) beat the eggs lightly with a fork, before adding to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until well incorporated before you add the next beaten egg. (2) Add the milk slowly, bit by bit. The mixture will still curdle, as we’re adding more liquids to a fat mixture. (3) Try SIFTING in the flour, in portions e.g. three batches, and fold gently by hand until the flour just disappears. I don’t usually use the mixer for folding in the flour. Hopefully, all these make the difference for you! Do share if you try this again!
doris says
Hi Celia, please help. After I added the milk to the well beaten butter sugar egg mixture, it cuddle. Then I added the flour and the cuddle was gone but I think air was lost. How do I prevent the milk from cuddling the mixture. Thank you.