Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake

Celebrate Mother’s Day with this Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake!

A delicious, moist and tender cake bursting with bright red raspberries that explode in a lemon batter. You’ll be licking every tender crumb. It’s so scrumptious and needs no adornment except for a simple sweet and tangy citrus glaze.

Whenever I get my hands on beautiful plump red raspberries and bright yellow lemons in their peak season, I can’t think of anything else but making this cake. I absolutely love the combination of raspberries and lemons and in this recipe, they make such a beautiful dessert.

Why is this cake so special? This bundt cake is pretty, sweet, soft, crumbly, full of fresh lemon flavour, and studded with over 2 cups fresh raspberries. Cakes like this one that includes fruit are guaranteed to be moist and delicious!

I love making bundt cakes because they’re so simple to whip up and the presentation is stunning. This particular recipe is no exception! No need to worry about layers and frosting – just bake the cake and drizzle it with a simple glaze.

What’s in this cake and how to make it

The base of this cake is a traditional pound cake so it requires a lot of butter, sugar, and eggs; that’s why this cake bakes up to such a luscious texture. The butter, sugar, and eggs are beaten with all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.

The cake is infused with lemon zest and lemon juice and has tons of fresh raspberries stirred into it. The batter is turned into a greased bundt pan and baked for almost one hour. The simple lemon glaze to drizzle overtop is a mixture of icing sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Tips for recipe success

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting (even the buttermilk).
• At least 2 - 3 lemons are required to make this cake – be sure to have enough on hand.
• A stand mixer or electric hand mixer is recommended for this recipe.
• Use a 12 cup bundt pan (which is a typical standard size) and generously grease the entire bundt pan, including the tube; this will facilitate easy removal.
• Sift the flour to ensure a soft and fluffy cake.
• Add the flour and buttermilk alternately (see recipe directions) while beating the batter gently on low speed; avoid over mixing.
• Frozen raspberries can be used, but for best results, I prefer to use fresh raspberries whenever possible and to have extra fresh raspberries on hand to garnish the cake.
• Gently toss the raspberries in 2 tablespoons of flour before folding them into the batter to keep them from sinking.
• Be gentle when folding in the raspberries; you don’t want to squish them.
• Baking times vary from oven to oven. Follow the baking instructions given and check for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick or skewer in the thickest part of the cake. The cake should be lightly golden and the toothpick should come out clean when done.
• Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes before removing it to a rack to cool completely for 1 hour or longer.
• Combine the lemon glaze ingredients just before needed in order to avoid the glaze from setting in the bowl.
• Let the cake cool at least 1 hour or longer before glazing otherwise the glaze won’t adhere to the cake.

This cake couldn’t be simpler to put together and you’ll love how it delivers big bold lemon and raspberry flavour. It makes a perfect dessert or brunch cake that will impress your family and guests. You seriously need to make this cake at least once, twice or three times while fresh raspberries are in season!

Dedication

I always love pulling out my mother-in-law’s vintage egg beaters whenever I whip up this cake for Mother’s Day. She loved baking but sadly passed away a number of years ago. Fortunately, we have many fond memories of her using the egg beaters shown in the above photos. She was an accomplished baker and always created many wonderful baked goods. I know she would have loved this cake so it’s only fitting that this post is dedicated to her.

Celebrate lemons, raspberries and Mother’s day with this delightful dessert and a cup of tea.

Recipe

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Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake

A pound cake batter is infused with lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh raspberries and is baked in a bundt pan. Drizzled with a sweet lemon glaze it makes a perfect dessert or brunch cake. 

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice the zested lemons)
• 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 heaping cups fresh or frozen raspberries tossed in 2 tablespoons flour
• More raspberries for garnish

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Prepare a bundt pan by greasing the bottom, sides and the tube.
2. In a small bowl stir together the sugar and lemon zest to infuse the sugar with lemon flavour.

3. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and lemon-infused sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating in between each addition, until fluffy. Beat in ¼ cup lemon juice.

4. Into a medium bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour until combined. Do not over mix. Batter will be thick.

5. In a medium bowl gently toss the raspberries in 2 tablespoons of flour to coat them. Add the raspberries to the batter and with a spatula, gently fold them in, taking care not to squish them.

6. Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden and a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean, about 50 - 60 minutes. Leave in pan and let cool slightly for 15 - 20 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan onto a serving platter. Let cool for 1 hour.

7. Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. If necessary add up to 1 more tablespoon lemon juice to achieve the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over the top of the cake allowing some to dribble down the sides. Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries.