Lemon Raspberry Cake
UPDATE:
I, originally, blogged about Lemon Raspberry Cake in December, 2011. That was a couple of years before I began to include videos in my posts. I have decided that each time I make one of my favorite recipes from years gone by, I am going to make a video and update the blog post. This way, you will be able to see and learn how to make your very own Lemon Raspberry Cake or any others that have not been, previously, supported by a video. No more excuses…you have to make this recipe!
ORIGINAL:
Lemon Raspberry Cake is, quickly, going to become your go-to winning dessert.
There is something about raspberries that I love. Perhaps it is the beautiful red color or the little dimply pieces of a raspberry that I dissect as if I was going for a prize at a science fair. I am not really sure. What I do know without hesitation is that raspberries are incredibly tasty, sweet, yet not overly so, and bring every dessert they are in up a notch.
There are many combinations that I love with raspberries. Chocolate if I am feeling sinful, lemon if I feeling zesty.
We are having people over for desserts, and I mean A LOT of desserts, to ring in the New Year. What this means for me is that I have to figure out how to balance the spread; chocolate, fruit (in a dessert form vs. served on its own), cakes, puddings, pies, cookies, and candies.
One dessert that is always a hit is my Lemon Raspberry Cake. The lemon in the cake is subtler than a Lemon Meringue Pie (you do not have to pucker up when eating it,) yet still prevalent enough that you do not wonder what you are eating.
The raspberries are folded into the batter at the very end of mixing and when folded in gently, which I HIGHLY recommend, they actually keep their shape – at least most of them do.
Yet, even with the raspberries and the moist lemon cake, I think it is the icing that makes this cake dramatic. Stirring the lemon juice and confectioners sugar from two separate ingredients until they become one fairly thick, creamy white icing is fun for me (try it, you will see what I mean.)
Word to the wise, be sure to take your time applying the icing or you will have a very different looking cake than the final product in the pictures. Also, unless you want an incredibly big mess to clean up, place a piece of wax paper under the wire rack before you top the cake.
However you ring in the New Year, I wish you a sweet, dessert filled 2012. And always remember that ‘without desserts, life would not be as sweet!’
| Lemon Raspberry Cake | | Print |
- Cake:
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lemon juice (1 to 1½ lemons)
- ½ pint red raspberries
- Icing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice (1 to 1½ lemons)
- 2 – 3 cups confectioners sugar
- For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚. Set aside a 14 cup bundt pan.
- Whisk 2¾ cups flour and baking soda together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Mix a couple of tablespoons of the batter with the lemon zest and return this mixture to the mixing bowl. Blend to incorporate. On low speed, mix in one-half of the dry ingredients then add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Add the remaining dry ingredients, scraping the bowl down in between additions. Gently fold the raspberries into the cake batter.
- Grease the bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 325˚ for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.
- For the icing:
- Place the cake, still on the cooling rack, onto a piece of wax paper.
- Combine the lemon juice with the confectioners sugar. Pour the icing into a quart size freezer bag. Seal the bag and cut a small piece off from a bottom corner (not the side that closes). Gently squeeze the icing, in a back and forth motion, allowing the icing to gradually drop down the side of the cake towards the bottom. Apply the icing in stages allowing each layer of icing to set before applying the next one.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- Placing the cooling rack over a piece of wax paper prior to icing the cake avoids messy counters to clean up afterwards.
- The trick to icing the cake is to do it gradually, allowing each layer of icing to harden before applying the next layer.
- The icing should be fairly thick and creamy white in color. Add additional confectioners sugar if needed.
- Additional raspberries may be placed in the center of the cake when serving. Just be sure to dry the raspberries completely or the water will affect the cake.
