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A Three-Layer Lemon and Raspberry Cake With a Lemon and Raspberry Sponge, Lemon Buttercream Frosting and more!
Can we start this blog post off by appreciating how light and delicious a flavour this cake sounds. Lemon and Raspberry together is sweet, tangy and fruity – and it’s hard to beat. I love a lemon cake, I love a raspberry bake.. combine them? Heaven.
White Chocolate and Raspberry together is also an epic combination, but I know that not all of you like to bake using chocolate, and Lemon and Raspberry together is just as good. Honestly, I can never get over how light and fruity it is!
My Lemon & Raspberry Cheesecake was my main inspiration for this bake – as I just adore it. It almost feels healthier as it’s got two types of fruit in – but don’t kid yourself.. it’s still a cake full of all the sugary goodness.
I decided originally for this one to do a two layer cake as some of you have requested some more two layers, but genuinely completely forgot till I had baked my first three layer version. I fell in love with the three layer version and it stuck…
It’s a sponge that you can easily adapt into more layers if you wanted, or create only two layers – it’s definitely adaptable and that’s the good bit. You can find the notes below on a two layer version!
I thought for the sponge I would use fresh raspberries as they look awesome in the sponge – and it doesn’t even slightly bother me if they sink a bit. It’s fruit, in a cake mixture, it will inevitably sink somewhat. No digging here, but if it really bothers you.. you need to relax. It will never ruin the taste, which is the most important bit!
Also in the sponge, I used some fresh lemon zest as I adore the flavour for baking – but if you want to use lemon extract that’s also perfectly okay. If I don’t happen to have any fresh lemons in, I will use extract too! Also, I find the extract easier for buttercream anyway.
For the buttercream I was originally just got to do a lemon and raspberry frosting to make it easier, but I decided to make a lemon one because adding in the raspberries just wasn’t my vibe that day. However, you can easily add some in and slather the buttercream on!
If you mix it too much, you will just get a pink frosting – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! I find if I make the frosting mostly by the mixer, and then swirl the raspberries in by hand it works the best. However, just lemon is easy!
I piped my buttercream on as you can see, but it really doesn’t matter – you can slather, you can pipe, you can dollop, you can whatever you actually fancy. I find the freeze dried raspberries give a beautiful colour on the top anyway and would easily cover any mistakes!
For the decoration I just went down the usual route of fresh raspberries, and freeze dried raspberries. I know, I know… I am obsessed with them. I can’t help it – they just look so beautiful on a bake, and when you ‘bulk’ buy them like I do, they’re much cheaper in the long run!
I did decided to add a little raspberry jam into the middle, but the good thing about this bake is that you can easily use Lemon Curd in the middle instead if you wished! I would have used a little of both, but I didn’t have any lemon curd in at the time of baking!
If you want to have a delicious and light cake with a fresh and fruity taste, I would 100% recommend this cake. I really hope you enjoy it if you do make it! x
Lemon and Raspberry Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 400 g Unsalted Butter/Stork
- 400 g Caster Sugar
- 400 g Self Raising Flour
- 8 Medium Eggs
- Zest of 2 Lemons
- 300 g Raspberries
Buttercream
- 350 g Unsalted Butter (room temp)
- 700 g Icing Sugar
- Juice of 2 Lemons
Extras
- Raspberry Jam
- Fresh Raspberries
- Freeze Dried Raspberries
- Lemon Zest
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Cakes
- Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan and line three 8"/20cm tins with parchment paper, and leave to the side.
- Beat together your Butter and Sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy!
- Add in your Self Raising Flour, Eggs and Lemon Zest and beat again for a a couple of minutes till smooth
- Try not to over beat - mix until it comes together and is smooth.
- Add in your raspberries and fold through - Split the cake mix between the three tins.
- Once in the tins, bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until baked through. I check my cake is baked by using a skewer, and listening carefully to see if it bubbles! Because of the fruit, this can often take a bit longer!
- Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Buttercream
- To make the Buttercream, make sure your butter is at room temperature.
- Beat the Butter on its own for 3-4 minutes, I use the paddle attachment.
- Once the Butter is nice and supple, add the icing Sugar in 1/2 at a time, and beat fully before adding any more in.
- Add in the Lemon, and beat again for 3-4 minutes until it's all come together.
Decoration
- Get your first cake onto your chosen plate and spread/pipe over a third of the buttercream.
- Add on a few tablespoons of jam and spread.
- Add on your second cake and spread/pipe the second third of the buttercream on top.
- Finally add on your third sponge and pipe the rest of the buttercream on!
- Decorate with fresh raspberries, freeze dried raspberries, lemon zest and so on! Enjoy!
Notes
- This cake will last for 3 days at room temperature, in a cake box.
- I use fresh raspberries, but you can use frozen if need be - can make the cake take longer to bake though due to moisture.
- If you want to bake a two layer version use...
- 250g Butter/Sugar/Flour and 5 medium eggs with the zest of 1 lemon with 150g raspberries.
- Use 200g Butter/400g Icing Sugar for the buttercream with the juice of 1 lemon!
- Bake into two 8" tins for 30 minutes!
- I recommend using this beautiful piping tip!
- I also recommend buying these freeze dried raspberries as they're the best!
ENJOY!
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J x
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98 Comments
farah
October 31, 2020 at 10:53 amWhat would you suggest for the baking time and recipe if i want to bake in 2 5” round pan? Thank you for your time.
Jane's Patisserie
October 31, 2020 at 1:18 pmHey! Do you mean 2x 5″ round cakes? I’ve never baked a cake that small I am afraid, but I think it would be roughly 1/3 of the recipe!
Maisie Bray
October 19, 2020 at 10:48 amYou always provide the best recipes, I have made several of your other cakes and other treats! I am making this one for my mums birthday. A nice light fluffy cake choice rather then a heavy chocolate, perfect for my mum!
Chelsey
October 10, 2020 at 10:19 amHey! I’d love to make this but instead of having 3 layers I’d like to split the mix and have 2 thick layers instead. How long would I need to bake this for? I’ll be using 2 8inch tins xx
Jane's Patisserie
October 10, 2020 at 10:36 amI would imagine about 45 minutes? xx
Pam
October 6, 2020 at 8:17 pmHi Jane. Looks fab, am going to try this one for my mum & dad’s anniversary, as I am sure they will love the flavour combination. Could I just ask about the edible glitter on the top tier, what brand is it? Is there there a particular supplier you use? Many thanks!
Jane's Patisserie
October 7, 2020 at 2:22 pmHonestly I can’t remember now unfortunately – but quite a few places sell them now, just make sure on the notes of the product it says edible! X
V Fensom
October 5, 2020 at 11:23 amHi Jane, I’m making this for my mum’s birthday on Wednesday. How long would you suggest leaving the cake to cool before decorating? Would it be better to make the cakes on Tuesday evening and decorate them Wednesday morning or would it be ok to make them Wednesday morning and then decorate 2/3 hours later? Thanks in advance!
Jane's Patisserie
October 5, 2020 at 12:11 pmThe cake needs to be completely cooled before decorating – how long that takes can vary depending on how hot you kitchen is for example, or even the temperature of the day, but a few hours usually! Either of those options would work well, if you bake them the day before, just make sure to store the cakes in a good container or wrap the sponges in clingfilm so they are fine over night! x
Chelsey
October 19, 2020 at 10:36 pmHi Jane, just reading your reply about storing the cake in a good container or wrap the sponges in clingfilm if the sponges are baked the night before. Would they then need to be kept in the fridge or can they be left at room temp overnight? 🙂 xx
Jane's Patisserie
October 20, 2020 at 8:26 amI leave them at room temperature personally! x
Kirsty moon
September 16, 2020 at 9:38 amHi Jane I’m wanting to make this cake but I need four layers instead of 3 could you let me know the quantities I would need please?! Thankyou
Jane's Patisserie
September 16, 2020 at 7:15 pmIncrease the recipe to a 500g mix/10 eggs, and just increase the raspberries by another 1/3 x
Emily
September 13, 2020 at 10:37 amHi, I’ve made this cake before and everyone loved it! This time I want to make it in 3 x 6 inch tins, what would the quantities be for this instead?
Thanks so much x
Jane's Patisserie
September 13, 2020 at 10:43 amHey! So it would be roughly 2/3 of the recipe (or as close to that as you can) – baking time is also reduced but I’m not certain on the timings xx
Samuel
September 13, 2020 at 8:57 amI only have 9″ tins would what the measurements be?
Jane's Patisserie
September 13, 2020 at 10:15 amYou can either split the mix between two 9″ tins (And bake for longer), or increase the recipe by 1/3 and split between three 9″ tins x
Lauren
September 12, 2020 at 10:45 pmHi Jane,
Could I make this recipe without the raspberries to have just a lemon cake only? Thank you x
Jane's Patisserie
September 13, 2020 at 10:16 amYes definitely – may take slightly less time to bake but very similar xx
April
September 5, 2020 at 8:16 pmHi Jane,
I’ve used a couple of your cake recipes and they always turn out great. The only issue I have is with the piping bags I use (tend to be supermarket cheap ones), and they tend to burst/split.
Which ones would you recommend?
Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
September 6, 2020 at 9:16 amAhh yes, they are never that good annoyingly! I use savoy style piping bags and they are amazing!
Bridget
August 26, 2020 at 10:34 amHi Jane,
I want to make this recipe tomorrow, but don’t have access to a 20cm tin! How would I adjust this recipe to work in two 23cm tins?
Thanks and love all your recipes 🙂
Jane's Patisserie
August 26, 2020 at 12:08 pmFor two 9″ tins you can split the mixture between the two and not change anything – but the baking time will increase! x
Laura
August 22, 2020 at 7:21 pmHi Jane, if you’re using frozen raspberries in the cake, do you defrost them first or just add them straight in? X
Jane's Patisserie
August 22, 2020 at 8:47 pmI just add them straight in! X
Ray
August 22, 2020 at 10:06 amHi Jane, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I have a question / need advice, my daughter is allergic to eggs – could I use egg replacer or an alternative for this? Thank you so much!
Jane's Patisserie
August 22, 2020 at 2:53 pmI don’t often use egg replacer as I personally rather make a vegan sponge – but if you have done before and it works then go for it! X
Becki
August 7, 2020 at 3:52 pmLooking forward to making this cake for some friends. What is the best type of cake tin to use? I have some deep ones and some sandwich tins. All of them are loose bottomed ones. Thanks!
Ps I’ve been zoom-baking with my niece through lockdown and your recipes have been our faves!
Jane's Patisserie
August 8, 2020 at 12:14 pmI would use the deeper ones – I tend to find some sandwich tins are way too shallow!! xx
Kelly
August 6, 2020 at 9:17 pmMade this cake once before and making it again but wondered if the buttercream could.be made in advance and best way to store after
Jane's Patisserie
August 6, 2020 at 9:33 pmIt can, but it would need re-beating again to make it pipeable/it’s best. Buttercream lasts 2 weeks in the fridge!
Jenny
August 5, 2020 at 8:01 pmHello jane,
Il be baking this cake soon, I was wondering could I use golden caster sugar for the cake same measurements? Only because I have it already. Or shall I just buy normal caster?
Thank youu
Jane's Patisserie
August 5, 2020 at 9:25 pmAhh yeah just switch to the golden!! x
Jacqui
July 30, 2020 at 8:36 pmHi Jane, looking to try this. If using frozen raspberries have you noticed a difference?
Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
July 30, 2020 at 8:39 pmSometimes it can take a smidge longer to bake, but otherwise it’s fine!!
Rebecca Robinson
July 16, 2020 at 9:23 pmHi there,
I made this cake today but the sides haven’t browned like yours, only the tops. I don’t suppose you have any idea why this might be?
Jane's Patisserie
July 17, 2020 at 8:34 amThat could be your oven? As long as it tastes nice it shouldn’t matter! x
Chloe
July 14, 2020 at 11:58 amWhat piping technique did you use with the 2D tip for this cake?
Jane's Patisserie
July 14, 2020 at 5:23 pmJust pipe downwards and lift off each time and you get the flowery/star style!
Chloe
July 14, 2020 at 11:44 amHi Jane, I’m excited to make this cake For my dads 60th and wondered what piping technique you used please?
Marie
July 7, 2020 at 8:46 pmHi Jane! I love all of your recipes so much. If I was to make this a two layer with 6 inch deep tins what measurement shall I use? I want to make them deep so I can cut into 4 cakes to buttercream over it! Thanks so much!!
Jane's Patisserie
July 8, 2020 at 7:11 pmI would use 2/3 of the recipe roughly, and then bake and split! x
shree
July 7, 2020 at 11:12 amHey Jane -What would happen if I used this recipe but using three smaller cake tins e.g. 6inch or 7inch cake tins? Could I still use the same quantities as your recipe and just have taller cakes?
shree
July 7, 2020 at 12:10 pmsorry realised I only have three 6 inch cake tins – so same question as above but for 6 inch tins only?
Jane's Patisserie
July 7, 2020 at 4:47 pmSo 6″ tins are about 2/3 of the size – so it could be too much cake mix for three tins. I would maybe reduce the recipe slightly and bake into the 3 6″ tins!
shree
July 5, 2020 at 11:38 pmHi Jane – thank you for the recipe. I want to try this recipe with an ombre icing. Would I be able to make this cake by applying the icing all the way round i.e. apply a crumb coat, then another layer of icing using 2 different food colours? Want to achieve a look similar to your mini egg cake (without the chocolate ganache drip)
Jane's Patisserie
July 6, 2020 at 9:33 amHey! Yes definitely – I would just follow the mini egg drip cake guidance but colour to what you want on this cake x
Dawn brown
June 26, 2020 at 9:52 pmI made this cake for my bosses leaving party. It was a huge hit! Everybody loved it, and it was so easy to make. My son then made it for his girlfriends 30th birthday, and again it was a big hit. It just looks so impressive and nobody could believe I’d actually made it. 🙂
Angela
June 19, 2020 at 1:10 pmI’m going to try this recipe tomorrow though I may use it to make cupcakes instead as they’ll be easier to share (and deliver) amongst my family in pretty cupcake boxes.
Jane's Patisserie
June 19, 2020 at 7:32 pmYay! I do have a cupcake version on my blog x
Yasmin Rosie
June 18, 2020 at 6:24 amI really enjoyed making this cake and I used lime instead of lemon. I also only used about 3/4 of the buttercream. It looked and tasted amazing loved by everyone.
tabby
June 8, 2020 at 1:42 pmhi, this is a great recipe i was just wondering if it would work with white chocolate buttercream instead of lemon?
Jane's Patisserie
June 8, 2020 at 7:25 pmYes it could do!!
Elizabeth
June 17, 2020 at 12:07 pmHi Jane
I have similar question to above – if I replaced lemon with white chocolate in cake! Would u add white chocolate chips and if so how much??
Thanks
P.s Everyone of your recipes I have tried is amazing every time
Rameesa
June 5, 2020 at 6:30 amHi Jane,
I love your recipes, I always recommend them to family and friends. Quick question if you put frozen raspberries in how long will the cake last pls? Is it okay to make on a wednesday to serve on saturday?
Thank you.x
Jane's Patisserie
June 5, 2020 at 12:45 pmHey! The cake will still last 3-4 days once made with fresh or frozen raspberries! It should be fine to bake on a Wednesday and serve saturday, but it would be more towards the end of it’s life by then! x
Emily
June 1, 2020 at 11:24 pmHi Jane, I’ve done a few of your recipes and I love them! I’m really excited to try this cake but I was just wondering for this recipe can I use lemon extract instead and if so how much would I use? Also I would love if you could a YouTube video for this cake! Thx
Jane's Patisserie
June 2, 2020 at 11:38 amHey! Yes you can – I would use about 1-2tsps for the cake, and maybe the same for the buttercream! And it’s on my list to film, but I don’t have much time for filming at the moment unfortunately!! x
Shary
May 24, 2020 at 4:04 pmHi Jane, there’s a shortage of self-raising flour in this country, I have tried most of the supermarkets near me. I have a plain flour though, can this be done using plain flour and adding baking powder? Do you by any chance know the ratio? Any do’s and don’ts?
I am an amateur baker and this will be my very first cake. I had been impressing my friends and family so far with your recipes. Thank you.
Jane's Patisserie
May 24, 2020 at 5:47 pmHey! So to make your own you need to use 150g of plain flour, per two level teaspoons of baking powder. So, increase that accordingly for this recipe! You whisk the baking powder in to the flour in a separate bowl before using in a recipe! x
Paula
May 22, 2020 at 1:27 amHello!
Do you not add in baking powder for this cake?
If not how come?
Thank you 😊
Jane's Patisserie
May 22, 2020 at 8:00 pmHey! This one doesn’t need it is all!
Iqra
May 20, 2020 at 2:33 pmHey can the raspberries be replaced by strawberries?
ThankS
Jane's Patisserie
May 20, 2020 at 8:50 pmThey can be, but strawberries can be slightly mushier/produce more liquid sometimes!
Sophie
May 20, 2020 at 1:07 pmAre these nutrition facts for the three or two layer cake?😁 if for the three, do you know what the two layer is? Thank you! Xx
Jane's Patisserie
May 20, 2020 at 1:09 pmAll nutritional facts are estimations per serving, and are automatically estimated based on the ingredients written!
Faye
May 19, 2020 at 7:57 pmHi Jane, love your recipes! To make this dairy free would I only have to swap the butter to dairy free (stork in foil)? Thanks 😊
Jane's Patisserie
May 20, 2020 at 1:25 pmHey! Yes – just double check other ingredients yourself if you have allergies! X
Jene
May 18, 2020 at 12:41 amHey can you do a YouTube video of this cake? Looks delicious!
Jane's Patisserie
May 18, 2020 at 11:11 amI will add it to my list!
Bozena
May 7, 2020 at 9:57 pmHi. I want to try it. Do you add eggs and flour together? I usually add eggs first one by of incorporating well between each addition, then flour in 2 or 3 parts. Does it make any difference?
Jane's Patisserie
May 7, 2020 at 10:09 pmI don’t think it makes a difference – I add it all in as the recipe says!
Betsy
May 7, 2020 at 1:53 pmThis cake is a real showstopper. It’s delicious. We put raspberry jam in one layer and lemon curd in the other and they were both really tasty. We somehow ended up with extra icing so will probably be making a batch of lemon cupcakes later in the week as well! Another fantastic recipe Jane 🙂
Emma Craddock
May 6, 2020 at 4:01 pmHi Jane,
Love your page but i wondered if i could use this for a banana sponge and use banana instead of raspberries and lemon? I want to make a Banoffee Pie but as a birthday cake for my husband (his favourite). I can only seem to find recipes for banana loaf which i think would be too heavy. Xxx
Jane's Patisserie
May 6, 2020 at 5:16 pmI’m afraid I haven’t tried that with this one – but I will repost a banoffee cake soon!
Floss
April 21, 2020 at 1:49 pmHi, this looks delicious! I’m planning to make it for my mums birthday to help cheer her up and make up for the lack of presents due to isolation☹️ Would you be able to point me in the right direction of where I can find the recipe for 2 layers please? Thankyou xxx
Jane's Patisserie
April 27, 2020 at 8:33 pmIt’s in the notes section of the recipe card!! X
Lauren
May 4, 2020 at 3:19 pmHi I’m also going to make this for my mother in law for her birthday next week as I thought it would make a change to the normal lemon and poppyseed I make her every year. Hope she likes it just as much 🤞🏻
Just wondering what tins do you sue for your sponges ?
Thank you 🌈
Nikki
April 18, 2020 at 6:09 pmHi would I be bale to substitute raspberries for strawberries? Thanks.
Jane's Patisserie
April 18, 2020 at 8:21 pmYes – just keep an eye on the cakes whilst baking as strawberries can hold more moisture!
Caroline
August 6, 2020 at 5:06 pmI also wanted to use strawberries. Would this just mean bake for longer or soggy cake.
Many thanks
Jane's Patisserie
August 6, 2020 at 6:25 pmIt definitely depends on the strawberries as they can vary so much, but it does work! x
Lisa Brace
April 17, 2020 at 8:58 pmHi Jane, I love the look of this!! However my cake tins are not arriving for another couple of weeks…can I do a cupcake version instead?? I’ve already bought all the ingredients! TIA xx
Jane's Patisserie
April 17, 2020 at 9:05 pmYes – have a look at my Lemon & Raspberry cupcakes for guidance on timings etc!
Charlie
March 16, 2020 at 11:26 amHi Jane, Fantastic Blog! All your bakes look/sound/are delicious!
Quick question, when baking any of your three layer cakes what are the 8” tins that you use? Are they shallow sandwich tins or deeper tins? Can you post a link to the ones you use please?
Thank you in advance.
Jane's Patisserie
March 16, 2020 at 5:49 pmAll of my tins tend to be 3+ inches deep – and I switch depending on which ones are in the dishwasher or not!
Miss Chloe J J Riggs
March 14, 2020 at 10:31 amHello, can it be baked and frozen in advance?
Jane's Patisserie
March 14, 2020 at 11:54 amYes, it can!
Tsakane
February 29, 2020 at 12:24 pmHi Jane, if I don’t have medium eggs how many large eggs should I use for this recipe?
Jane's Patisserie
February 29, 2020 at 5:54 pmFor 8 medium, I usually use 6-7 large!
Helen Daley
February 29, 2020 at 12:02 pmConfused you said mix raspberries in buttercream but you haven’t on the pics? Also said slather not pipe but pic is piped ? I’m an idiot I follow word for word no freestyling on my
Y part 😂
Jane's Patisserie
February 29, 2020 at 6:01 pmHahha no that’s translation gone wrong – was meant to be phrased that you CAN do it that way, and have an example picture in there of when I did do it that way, but the picture files failed!
Kath
February 29, 2020 at 11:42 amHi Jane
This combination looks amazing – I love lemon and raspberry so I’m definitely going to give this a go. For the 2 layer version, should it be 200g butter and 400g icing sugar? It’s just that notes section says 200g icing sugar and 400g butter?!
Jane's Patisserie
February 29, 2020 at 6:00 pmOoh yes it should be! Oops!
Caroline Litteboy
February 29, 2020 at 9:39 amWhat a beautiful looking cake 😍
Jane's Patisserie
February 29, 2020 at 5:59 pmThank you so much!
Sienna
February 29, 2020 at 8:27 amHi Jane! How would you do 2/3 of the recipe for a 2 layer cake? Xxxx
Jane's Patisserie
February 29, 2020 at 8:28 amNotes on the recipe..!