Lemon Raspberry Cake

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An easy to make moist Raspberry Lemon Cake for any occasion. Sweet raspberries and bright lemon flavor this easy-to-make sheet cake. Fresh raspberries and lemon top the buttercream frosting, creating an effortlessly beautiful dessert.

raspberry sheet cake with white frosting and fresh raspberries and lemon slices on brown parchment paper

Why Make A Raspberry Lemon Sheet Cake?

Sheet cakes and single layer cakes are a wonderful alternative to layered cakes because they are easy. You don't have to worry about messy or crumbling cake layers.

You don't have to be a gifted baker to pull off a stunning cake.

It's fancy enough for birthdays, holidays, and any special occasion, yet simple enough for a weeknight dessert.

Ingredients to Have on Hand

Get info on all of these ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

For the Cake

pureed raspberries pureed- you can use fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries, or even canned raspberry puree
flour- I tested this recipe with all purpose flour but I imagine you could use cake flour as well
granulated sugar- for a hint of sweetness
baking soda- your rising agent
salt- to balance out your flavors
large egg whites
sour cream- this combined with the lemon juice bring a lovely flavor and help aid the baking soda in creating a crumbly, lifted cake
vegetable oil
lemon juice- fresh squeezed is best
vanilla extract- adds another hint of sweet and dept of flavor
beet juice- this is optional but helps give that beautiful color

For the Icing

butter- I like to use salted butter and make sure it's softened so it creams easier
powdered sugar
whipping cream
vanilla

Optional Garnishments

fresh whole raspberries
thinly sliced lemon slices with lemon zest

infographic with the 6 visual steps of making lemon raspberry cake: batter, puree raspberries, fold together, bake, and decorate

How to Make Raspberry Lemon Cake

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan or line with parchment paper.
Puree raspberries in a food processor or blender and set aside. If desired, strain pureed raspberries through a mesh strainer to avoid seeds in the cake, although this is not a necessary step.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In the same large mixing bowl, add egg whites, sour cream, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Carefully, fold in the fresh raspberry puree until combined. For a more vibrant "raspberry" natural boost of color, add the optional beet juice.
Pour cake batter evenly into the greased and floured 13x9 inch pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22-35 minutes, or until the center top of the cake springs back from touch, or a toothpick can be inserted in the center and it comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

Add the completely softened butter to a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla.
Use an electric mixer, stand mixer, or a whisk by hand- but you'll need to use some elbow grease, beat the frosting ingredients until fluffy. Typically this takes about 2 minutes by mixer or 5 minutes by hand whisk.
Wait until cake is completely cooled to frost. Store frosting at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to frost the cake. Wait until the cake is fully cooled to avoid frosting runoff.
If desired, decorate the cake with fresh berries and sliced lemons.
Cut and serve on a serving plate.

Storage

The Raspberry Lemon Cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Be sure to place a damp paper towel in the container if you plan to store it longer than 12 hours.

If you want to keep the cake fresh and moist for longer, it can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

For best results, wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap before storing in the refrigerator. Make sure that all of the frosting is covered so that it does not dry out or crumble off when serving later.

Tips

Instead of puree, you can use frozen berries in this lemon raspberry cake recipe, you don't want to thaw the juicy raspberries when adding them to the batter or they'll start to break apart and bleed into the cake.
Use room temperature ingredients when making the frosting for this moist lemon cake. Everything tends to cream and mix together much easier that way.
I like to let the cake cool on a wire rack or cooling rack before frosting.
You can make a lemon buttercream by adding some fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to the frosting. The lemon in the zesty lemon raspberry cake and lemon in the frosting is the perfect combination.
Take this cake up a notch by adding some homemade lemon curd to the cake once it's cooled before icing.
Make sure you measure the raspberries before pureeing, it may look like less after pureeing.
Don't overbake the cake or you'll end up pulling the moisture from the cake. Only bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and will come out clean.

Can I use butter instead of oil?

I chose to use oil instead of butter so we get a nice moist, fresh baked cake.

Why did my cake bubble after baking?

Usually, this happens if you didn't tap the cake pan once you've added the batter.

Tapping the pan on the counter helps the cake batter settle down and helps release any trapped air bubbles.

Can I turn this into a layered cake?

Sure, we used a sheet cake to be a little easier, but if you enjoy making layered cakes, you can make a layered delicious lemon raspberry cake with this recipe. You'll need round cake pans and you will most likely need to alter the baking times.

if making a layered raspberry lemon cake, I'd also consider what you want to use as a filling in between the layers. If you want more raspberry flavors, try adding some raspberry jam as the filling or some lemon curd.

If you have made some of my Mixed Berry Jam, that would be delicious instead of a raspberry filling in this cake.

If you are looking for an easy way to elevate the look and style of the cake, consider using fresh raspberries and lemon wedges to decorate. Arrange them in a random, whimsical pattern or try outlining the edges for a cleaner look.

Enjoy this simple yet pretty dessert, for any occasion at all.