Julie Clark
Posted:
Lemon Raspberry Cake (with Sugar Crunch Top)
May contain affiliate links. Terms of Use Policy.
This lemon raspberry cake bakes up tender with a buttery crumb, juicy raspberries throughout, and a lightly crisp, sugar crunch top that makes it feel just a little special without extra work. It’s the newest version of our popular berry cake!
Most lemon raspberry cakes just add lemon zest. This one presses the zest into sugar first, just like with our lemon blueberry bread. That simple step pulls out the oils and gives you a deeper lemon flavor without needing lemon extract.
This lemon raspberry cake has an irresistible crackly sugar crunch top.
This is one of those cakes I come back to every spring. It’s simple, but it feels special in that quiet, comforting way that doesn’t need a lot of extras to make it good.
You’ll notice right away that there’s no frosting here. And that’s on purpose. This lemon raspberry cake was meant to stand on its own thanks to the “sugar crunch” top. It’s excellent with a spoonful of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce or lemon curd. But honestly, it doesn’t need it.
The sour cream keeps the crumb soft and moist, and those fresh raspberries bake into little pockets that almost melt into the cake. The texture is soft and buttery and the light crunch on top contrasts well with the tender inside.
Set out this raspberry lemon cake recipe for Easter brunch, bring to a spring picnic, or just slice into on a quiet afternoon with a cup of coffee.
Looking for a layer cake? Try our raspberry lemon layer cake. And you might also like our raspberry bread, raspberry sweet rolls, thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam and raspberry coconut muffins.
Enjoy! -Julie
Key Ingredients (and Why They Matter)
- Lemon zest + juice. Use fresh flavor, not bottled juice, for the best flavor.
- Sour cream. This keeps the cake soft for days. Use full-fat for the best results.
- Fresh raspberries. Fresh raspberries work for the best texture and flavor. Frozen berries will
Looking to use other fruit? Try these cake recipes: peach blueberry cake, lemon blueberry cake, apple cinnamon cake and orange cranberry cake. Or try with strawberries!
Lemon Raspberry Cake
If you want a lemon raspberry cake that’s soft, bright, and doesn’t require layers or frosting, this is it.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (or springform pan) with cooking spray and set aside. If you'd like to completely remove the whole cake from the pan to serve, line the cake pan with parchment paper before adding the cake batter.)
- Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a large bowl and hand mixer). Zest the lemon overtop the sugar. Use a rubber spatula to press the zest into the sugar, until evenly distributed. Then add the butter. Whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar (the other ¼ will go on top) until pale and fluffy, about five minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition.
- Gently fold in the raspberries to the cake batter using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, until the top is crackly and lightly browned and the center still jiggles just a bit. A toothpick inserted in the center will have moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then serve.
Notes
- If you use a smaller pan, it may take longer to bake!
- Also, using low fat/fat free sour cream or yogurt may require a longer baking time.
- Storage Instructions: If you plan to eat the cake within 1-2 days, you can store it at room temperature. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out. For longer storage, place the cake in an airtight container and refrigerate it. The cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
How to Make Lemon Raspberry Cake
Prep the pan. Preheat to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch pan and line with parchment if removing whole.
Make lemon sugar butter mixture. Rub lemon zest into sugar until fragrant. This is where the flavor starts! Beat butter + 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Mix the batter. Mix in eggs one at a time, then fresh lemon juice. Add dry ingredients + sour cream. Alternate flour mixture with sour cream. Mix just until combined.
Fold in raspberries. Gently fold so they don’t break apart too much.
Top with sugar. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the top. This creates that lightly crisp finish.
Bake. Bake the lemon raspberry cake for 35–40 minutes until edges are golden, center is just set and toothpick has moist crumbs (but not wet batter).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my cake dense?
Cakes are usually dense from overmixing after adding flour. Mix just until combined. Use cake flour for a more tender texture if you prefer.
How do I keep raspberries from falling to the bottom of the cake?
This lemon raspberry cake batter is thick enough that the raspberries should suspend nicely in the cake during the baking process. If you’d like, toss the raspberries with 2 tbsp of flour before adding to the batter.
