Topped with raspberries, this fresh lemon cake is sweet with just the right amount of citrus flavor. Frosted with whipped lemon cream cheese frosting.
I love all things lemon, especially lemon desserts. Which brings us to this darling Lemon Cake Recipe that is topped with fresh raspberries (and some mint). Not to mention the light and airy whipped cream cheese frosting made with lemon zest. Hello, lover!
Lemon Cake Recipe
Moist with a light crumb and lemony notes throughout, this lemon cake is heaven sent! Here is everything you’ll need to make it:
- Coconut Oil – you can also use regular butter here if coconut oil isn’t your thing. This is used for flavor and moisture.
- Granulated Sugar – to sweeten the cake while maintaining a light color (no brown sugar here).
- Eggs – these are used for the structure so the cakes don’t sink while baking.
- Vanilla Extract and Lemon Zest – both are used for flavor. If you want more lemon taste, replace the vanilla extract with lemon juice.
- Self-Rising and All-Purpose Flour – to fill out the cake and to help it rise. If you don’t have self-rising flour, make it! For each cup of self-rising flour, replace it with a cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Milk – used for more moisture! Gross word, delicious cake.
Frosting Ingredients
Cream cheese frosting died and is now an angel living on soft puffy clouds. Weird analogy, but accurate! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cream Cheese and Heavy Whipping Cream – tangy creamy whipped goodness! These two are used as the main ingredients of this frosting.
- Powdered Sugar – to sweeten!
- Vanilla Extract and Lemon Zest – once again, both are used for flavor. If you want more lemon taste, replace the vanilla extract with lemon juice.
How to Make Lemon Cake
Just like any other cake recipe, for this lemon cake, we mix up the batter a certain way to ensure a well incorporated batter. For the full details, see the recipe card below!
- Preheat oven. Line two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper (you may need to cut it down to size). Then grease the pans and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip the coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Scrape the sides then whip again.
- In a separate bowl, mix flours together. Then alternate stirring in flour mixture and milk to the main mixing bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until ingredients are well incorporated.
- Divide the batter into both cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool in the pans (15 minutes) then flip the lemon cakes out onto cooling racks. Make the frosting while the cakes completely cool.
Whipped Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Creamy yet light, tangy yet subtle this whipped lemon cream cheese frosting is what dreams are made of. And it goes so perfectly with this lemon cake recipe. Here’s how to make it:
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip cream cheese. Stream in heavy whipping cream and incorporate evenly. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a thick and smooth consistency.
- Add in powdered sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate ingredients then whip until fluffy. The texture should be a little heavier than whipped cream.
- Spread frosting over the first layer of cooled cake, top with the next cake, then spread more frosting on top. Top with fresh raspberries and/or any other garnishes you’d like. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Garnishing Options
I chose to garnish with fresh raspberries and some sprigs of mint for color. Here are a couple of other ideas to choose from when making this lemon cake.
- Edible Flowers: pansies, roses, dahlias, and mums are just a few, but don’t feel like you have to eat them just because they are edible. They can be just for looks too.
- Fresh Lemon Slices: you can’t go wrong with fresh slices of lemon.
- Other Berries: strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- Other Herbs: just for show you don’t have to eat them too 😉
- Dried Citrus: have you seen dried citrus before? Absolutely gorgeous.
- Candied Citrus: some more sweetness to eat.
Leftover Lemon Cake
IF you have any lemon cake leftover you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep an eye on the raspberries though, they can sneak up on you and go bad fairly quickly.
More Lemon Recipes to Try!
Lemon Cake Recipe with Raspberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil or regular butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
for the frosting-
- 6 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- fresh raspberries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper (you may need to cut it down to size). Then grease the pans and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip the coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Scrape the sides then whip again.
- In a separate bowl, mix flours together. Then alternate stirring in flour mixture and milk to the main mixing bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until ingredients are well incorporated.
- Divide the batter into both cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool in the pans (15 minutes) then flip the lemon cakes out onto cooling racks. Make the frosting while the cakes completely cool.
Frosting Instructions
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip cream cheese. Stream in heavy whipping cream and incorporate evenly. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a thick and smooth consistency.
- Add in powdered sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate ingredients then whip 2-3 minutes until fluffy. The texture should be a little heavier than whipped cream.
- Spread frosting over the first layer of cooled cake, top with the next cake, then spread more frosting on top. Top with fresh raspberries and/or any other garnishes you’d like. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
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