Indulge in Zesty Sweetness: The Perfect 6-Inch Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake Recipe

Welcome a burst of sunshine into your kitchen with this delightful Lemon Raspberry Cake! Perfectly sized for small gatherings or a romantic dessert for two, this 6-inch layer cake features a moist lemon sponge, a vibrant raspberry filling, and a luscious raspberry cream cheese frosting. It’s an irresistible combination of tart and sweet, promising to brighten any day and elevate any occasion.

The Joy of Small Layer Cakes: Why 6-Inch is Perfect

While grand multi-tiered cakes have their place, there’s a unique charm and practicality to a smaller, 6-inch layer cake. This particular Lemon Raspberry Cake is designed to serve 4-6 people, making it ideal for intimate celebrations, a special dessert for family, or simply when you crave a homemade treat without the commitment of a large cake. Opting for a smaller size means less waste, easier storage, and the delightful opportunity to experiment with various flavor combinations without overwhelming your kitchen (or your waistline!). Plus, a mini layer cake always feels extra special and elegant.

Seasonal Inspiration: A Taste of Spring, No Matter the Weather

The weather in Pittsburgh has been notoriously unpredictable lately—a whimsical mix of rain, snow, 40-degree chills, and 70-degree warmth, sometimes all in a single week! I even had to retrieve my winter coat after a premature spring cleaning and don my snow boots in April. Mother Nature might be undecided outdoors, but inside my kitchen, it’s undeniably spring. This Lemon Raspberry Cake, with its bright colors and refreshing flavors, is my culinary ode to warmer days ahead.

With holidays like Easter just around the corner, this visually stunning and incredibly flavorful cake makes a beautiful centerpiece. Imagine ending your Easter dinner for two with a slice of this vibrant dessert – it’s guaranteed to impress and delight.

Diving into the Deliciousness: What Makes This Cake Special

This exquisite Lemon Raspberry Cake builds upon the foundation of my popular small lemon cake recipe, but with some exciting enhancements. We’ve doubled the cake layers to create a more impressive presentation and satisfying texture. Fresh raspberries are thoughtfully incorporated into both the cake batter and the luscious filling, ensuring a burst of fruity flavor in every bite. The cake is then adorned with a dreamy raspberry cream cheese frosting, striking the perfect balance between sweet and tangy. While many of my 6-inch cake recipes are single-layer, I’ve found immense joy in exploring two-layer cakes, which allow for more complex flavor profiles, such as pairing a vibrant lemon cake with a distinct raspberry filling rather than simply folding berries into the batter.

Essential Baking Equipment: Your 6-Inch Cake Pans

To successfully bake this delightful small layer cake, the most crucial piece of equipment you’ll need is a set of two 6-inch round cake pans. These are readily available online through affiliate links, or you might find them in the cake decorating section of your local craft or kitchen supply store. Having two pans allows you to bake both layers simultaneously, ensuring even baking and saving you time in the kitchen.

Crafting the Perfect Batter: Ingredients Breakdown

Every exceptional cake begins with quality ingredients. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need for this lemon raspberry cake and why each component is vital:

• All-Purpose Flour: We opt for all-purpose flour for its accessibility and versatility. For the best results, always use the spoon and level method to measure your flour, rather than scooping directly, which can compact it and lead to a dense cake.
• Cornstarch: Since we’re not using delicate cake flour, a touch of cornstarch helps to tenderize the cake, mimicking the lower gluten content of cake flour. If you prefer to use cake flour, simply substitute it directly and omit the cornstarch.
• Baking Soda: This essential leavening agent is responsible for the cake’s lift and airy texture. Its activation relies on an acidic component, which in this recipe comes from the buttermilk. Do not substitute with baking powder, as it will react differently.
• Salt: Far from just a seasoning, salt is a flavor enhancer in baking. It balances the sweetness, deepens the lemon and raspberry notes, and prevents the cake from tasting bland. Never skip it!
• Unsalted Butter: The foundation of a rich, tender cake. Ensure your butter is softened to room temperature, not melted. Softened butter creams beautifully with sugar, incorporating air for a light crumb.
• Granulated Sugar: Beyond sweetness, sugar plays a crucial role in tenderizing the cake, providing moisture, and contributing to a beautiful golden crust. Without it, your cake would be intensely tart and bitter.
• Lemon Zest: This is where a significant portion of the bright, aromatic lemon flavor comes from. The oils in the zest are packed with intense citrus notes that permeate the entire cake. Don’t be shy with it!
• Eggs: Use large, room-temperature eggs. Eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness, and help bind the ingredients together. Room temperature eggs emulsify better with the butter and sugar, leading to a smoother batter.
• Buttermilk: The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, creating carbon dioxide bubbles that make the cake light and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make a substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to ½ cup of regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: While zest provides aromatic notes, fresh lemon juice adds a crisp, tangy brightness to the cake. Always opt for fresh over bottled juice for superior flavor.
• Raspberries: Fresh raspberries are highly recommended for their vibrant flavor and texture. If using frozen, be sure to thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid to prevent a watery batter.
• Raspberry Jam: This isn’t just for flavor; the jam acts as a delicious “glue” between your cake layers, adding another layer of intense raspberry goodness and ensuring the cake holds its shape.

Lemon Extract: To Add or Not to Add?

This recipe is designed to be highly flavorful without the need for lemon extract, as it’s not a common pantry staple for everyone. However, if you happen to have some on hand and desire an extra citrusy punch, you can certainly add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract along with the egg. It will enhance the lemon notes significantly. It’s crucial, though, not to remove the fresh lemon juice from the recipe, as baking is a precise science, and altering liquid amounts can impact the cake’s texture and rise.

Baking Your Zesty Masterpiece: Step-by-Step Cake Instructions

Creating this lemon raspberry cake is a rewarding process. Follow these steps for a perfectly tender and flavorful result:

1. Start by creaming together your softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process, usually taking 1-2 minutes, incorporates air, which contributes to the cake’s delicate crumb.
2. Next, beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. This creates a stable emulsion.
3. The key to a tender cake is proper mixing of dry and wet ingredients. You’ll alternate adding your sifted dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt) in three additions with the buttermilk in two additions. Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. This method prevents the batter from splitting from oversaturation and also avoids overmixing, which can lead to a tough cake by developing too much gluten.
4. Finally, gently fold in your fresh raspberries with a rubber spatula. It’s important to be delicate here to prevent the berries from breaking down and bleeding their juice into the batter, which can stain the cake and alter its texture.
5. Divide the beautiful batter evenly between your two prepared 6-inch round cake pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

The Heart of the Cake: Luscious Raspberry Filling

The raspberry filling is what truly ties this cake together, adding an extra layer of fruitiness and moisture. You have a couple of options for creating this delightful component:

The simplest method is to use a high-quality store-bought raspberry jam. When you’re busy baking the cake and making frosting from scratch, a little shortcut here is perfectly acceptable and still yields delicious results.

However, if you’re a purist or simply enjoy the process of making everything from scratch, homemade raspberry jam is a fantastic choice. You can easily whip up my simple raspberry jam without pectin, which bursts with fresh berry flavor. For those feeling adventurous, my unique raspberry jalapeno jam would add an unexpected, delightful kick!

Feeling creative with other fruits? This cake is versatile! For a lemon blueberry cake, substitute the raspberry jam with my blueberry jam without pectin. You could even adapt my strawberry curd by using raspberries, or explore a tropical twist with peach curd.

The Grand Finale: Decorating Your Lemon Raspberry Cake

The final touch that makes this cake truly irresistible is the frosting. As mentioned, I’ve paired this lemon raspberry cake with a delightful raspberry cream cheese frosting. The subtle tang of the cream cheese perfectly complements the sweetness of the cake and the tartness of the raspberries and jam, creating a harmonious flavor profile.

When it comes to decorating, a thin crumb coat is your best friend. Apply a thin layer of frosting to seal in any loose crumbs, then refrigerate for 15-30 minutes before applying your final, smooth layer of frosting. For an elegant touch, garnish with fresh raspberries and a few delicate lemon zest curls.

Looking for alternative frosting ideas to customize your cake? Here are some delicious options:

• Raspberry Buttercream: If you prefer a classic buttercream over cream cheese, adapt my strawberry buttercream frosting recipe by simply substituting fresh or frozen raspberries for the strawberries.
• Double Lemon Delight: For an intensely lemony experience, decorate your cake with my bright lemon buttercream frosting. It perfectly amplifies the citrus notes of the cake.
• Tropical Lemon Coconut: Craving an exotic twist? Transform this into a lemon coconut cake by using my fluffy coconut frosting.
• Classic & Simple: If you prefer to let the cake and filling shine, opt for a versatile small batch cream cheese frosting or a light small batch buttercream frosting without any added fruit flavor.

Still searching for the perfect topping? Explore my comprehensive list of Small Batch Frosting Recipes for more inspiration!

More Small Cake Recipes for Your Delight

If you’ve enjoyed baking this 6-inch layer cake, you’ll love exploring these other perfectly portioned cake recipes:

• Small Chocolate Cake
• Small Vanilla Cake recipe
• Small Yellow Cake
• Small Red Velvet Cake
• Small Strawberry Cake
• Small Carrot Cake recipe
• Small Coconut Cake

Lemon Raspberry Cake

Yield:
4-6 servings

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
25 minutes

Total Time:
45 minutes

Welcome sunny days into your kitchen with this Lemon Raspberry Cake! It’s a 6 inch lemon cake with a raspberry filling and raspberry frosting and is the perfect small layer cake for any occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (*see Note about using cake flour)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (or substitute 1/2 cup whole milk + 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white distilled vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (not bottled)
• 1 cup fresh raspberries (thawed and drained if frozen)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam (homemade or store bought)
• 1 recipe Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175°C). Lightly grease two 6-inch round cake pans then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch then stir in baking soda and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl (with the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Scrape down the bowl then beat in the eggs one at a time for 1 minute each.
5. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Add the lemon juice.
6. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the raspberries, being careful not to break them.
7. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for about 15 minutes, run a knife along the edge of the pans to loosen, and invert onto a cooling rack. Cool right-side-up.
8. To assemble: If the cakes are not flat, trim the tops. Place one cake on a stand or plate. Place a few strips of parchment or wax paper underneath the edges of the cake (you will be pulling them out later – this keeps the frosting off of your stand/plate).
9. Spread jam on top of the cake layer then top with the remaining cake.
10. With an off-set spatula, add enough frosting to thinly cover the top and outside of the cake (it is ok to still see the cake through the frosting. This seals the crumbs for clean frosting later). Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
11. Remove from the refrigerator. Wipe off the spatula to remove crumbs. Finish frosting the rest of the cake. Once done, carefully pull out the paper and discard.
12. Cover and store the frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For best results, let it sit at room temperature 15-30 minutes before serving.

Notes

• To substitute cake flour, use 1 1/2 cups cake flour and omit the cornstarch.
• Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my full list of Small Cake Recipes.
• Making this for Easter? Check out my Easter Dinner For Two menu for more recipe ideas.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 6 Inch Cake Pan
• Offset Spatula

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