Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake

This easy flower cake is a simple one layer lemon cake with raspberry buttercream and easy buttercream roses. This impressive yet Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake is perfect for any occasion! 

If you’re looking for more spring cakes, check out some of my other favorites like Strawberry Almond Cake, Eggless Strawberry Shortcake, or Orange Ginger Carrot Cake.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake
• Ready In: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Makes: 8-inch cake (about 9 slices)
• Main Ingredients: salted butter, cane sugar, powdered sugar, raspberries
• Flavor Profile: lightly sweet lemon cake with tart raspberries
• Dietary Info: gluten free swap available
• Difficulty: Medium
• Why You’ll Love It: naturally colorful, stunning snack cake

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Naturally Colorful: This Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake is naturally colorful, thanks to the addition of fresh raspberries in the buttercream! No food coloring here!
• Easy Decorating: If you’re new to decorating cakes, then this easy flower cake is a perfect beginner cake! I pipe easy buttercream roses on top of a simple one layer snack cake. So if you want to start decorating cakes, this easy flower cake is a perfect place to start!
• Spring Cake: This cake with easy buttercream roses makes a beautiful spring cake! This easy flower cake would be a beautiful cake to serve for Easter or Mother’s Day!
• Organic Cake: I use organic ingredients in this Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake so you can feel good about indulging in this beautiful cake with no artificial colors!

Ingredients

• Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, because it's my fave. You can use your favorite. You'll need room temperature, soft butter for the cake and frosting.
• Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar in the cake.
• Lemon Flavor: I use organic lemon flavor for this lemon cake. This is a concentrated sweet lemon flavor that I love using in cakes as it's minimal effort with big flavor.
• Lemons: I also use lemon zest inside the cake for a little tart lemon flavor to meld with the sweet lemon extract.
• Eggs: Use large eggs.
• Milk: Make sure to use whole milk.
• Sour Cream: I love using sour cream in cakes as it provides moisture, structure, and also a little tang. This flavor goes so well with this organic cake.
• Cake Flour: I use Homemade Organic Cake Flour, but store bought also works.
• Baking Powder: Be sure to use baking powder, not soda. Be sure to check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
• Salt: Use fine sea salt.
• Powdered Sugar: You'll need organic powdered sugar for the frostings, be sure to sift it.
• Raspberries: I use fresh raspberries in the frosting. If you don't have fresh raspberries, you can use organic raspberry powder as well, but I don't think it has the same flavor. If you use the powder, omit the cornstarch as you do not need it.
• Cornstarch: I add organic cornstarch to the raspberry frosting because I'm using fresh berries with high water content. This helps solidify the frosting.

Baker's Tips for Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake

• Make sure your butter is soft! This is key for a smooth cake batter. I like to allow butter to soften naturally on the counter.
• I use an 8×8-inch cake pan for this recipe. If you only have a 9×9-inch pan, you could also use that as well. 
• Make sure to store this cake in the fridge because of the fresh raspberries.
• Check out my post How to Make a Flower Cake With Buttercream for a full video tutorial if you are new to piping roses onto cakes.

How to Make a Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. 

Step 2

To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, lemon zest, and lemon flavor. Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks. 

Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream and mix on low to combine. 

Add the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt in that order and mix on low until combined into a smooth batter. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. 

Step 3

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pan. (If you’re baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for the high altitude baking instructions).

Step 4

To make the piping frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, powdered sugar, and milk. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Transfer three-quarters of the frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827. Transfer the remaining one-quarter to a piping bag with Ateco tip 30. 

Step 5

To make the raspberry frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (no need to was the bowl) add the butter, powdered sugar, raspberries, and cornstarch. Mix on low until combined then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Step 6

Add the raspberry frosting to the cake and spread evenly. 

Pipe roses onto the boarder of the cake and add the remaining raspberries. 

Recipe FAQ's

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