Lemon Raspberry Cake

Lemon raspberry cake is going to be your go-to summer dessert. Why? Because it’s light, it’s fluffy and moist, it’s insanely easy to whip together.

Plus it’s filled with juicy bursts that you just can’t but look forward to your next bite.

This is a play off my strawberry lemon cake only we’re swirling in some raspberry jam instead of fresh strawberries. If you love baking check out my post with 50+ gluten free dessert recipes! You’ll find tons of baking inspo!

This raspberry lemon cake is:

Fluffy. I can’t get over how light and fluffy this cake is! As moist and flavorful as it is, it’s so light!

Moist. The olive oil gives the cake the most delicious moist texture.

Lemony. Lemon zest, lemon juice. It’s what gives the cake that light, summery flavor.

Easy to make! Only one bowl and 10 minutes to mix this cake up and get it in the oven!

Customizable. Don’t like raspberry? No problemo! Use strawberry jam, peach jam, whatever jam you like! Or, leave it out completely and just have a delicious lemon cake.

Ingredients for this lemon raspberry cake:

• extra virgin olive oil – olive oil gives this cake SUCH an amazing flavor and moist texture. If you must, you can sub in avocado (for a more mellow flavor) or melted butter if you prefer. If you end up using butter, check out my favorite trick for How to Soften Butter!
• eggs – I haven’t tested this with vegan eggs or flax eggs, so if you do any experimenting, let me know how it goes!
• lemon zest and juice – this is a must! Lemon gives the cake so much flavor and lightness, don’t skip it.
• coconut sugar – to give the cake its sweetness.
• blanched almond flour – this is what’s going to give the cake some structure! Made with almond flour as the base, this cake is naturally gluten free!
• baking powder – for fluff
• salt – because it needs some to bring out the flavors
• fresh strawberries – for topping! If you want you can sub in a different berry or just leave them off.

How to make lemon raspberry cake:

Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, eggs, and coconut sugar. Zest the lemon right into the bowl and the cut the lemons in half and juice them into the bowl. Whisk until combined.

Add the dry ingredients. Then, add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Whisk again until combined.

Transfer to a pan. Line a 9 inch circle cake pan with parchment paper. I like to trace the pan onto the parchment paper and then cut out a circle slightly smaller so it fits into the pan easily. Spray the pan with your favorite cooking spray to make sure there’s no sticking. Pour the batter into the pan.

Add the raspberry jam. Drop dollops of the raspberry jam on top of the cake. Use a knife to swirl the jam into the top of the cake. You want to keep the jam on top of the cake as much as possible, just swirl it.

Bake. Mine took about 30 minutes. You want to make sure the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool then cut. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges of the pan. Place a plate on top of the pan. Turn it over to release it onto the plate. Then, put another plate on the bottom and turn it upside down again so it is on the second plate with the top facing up. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!

Tips for this recipe:

• Use good quality olive oil – The olive oil gives this cake not just its moist texture, but it adds so much flavor! I know it can be hard to use that good olive oil in big quantities for desserts, but it really makes it more deliciously indulgent!

• Measure the lemon juice – If you just juice a couple lemons into the bowl without measuring, you may end up with a super juicy lemon and more lemon juice in the batter. This will result in a soggy cake and no one wants that! Do the responsible thing (I know it’s hard, I struggle with this sometimes :)) and just measure it out.

• Use a a knife to swirl – I’ve used a chopstick to swirl the jam in and I found I got prettier swirls if I used a knife instead. When I used a knife the jam stayed on top of the cake with beautiful swirls. When I used a chopstick, I found it pushed the jam into the middle of the cake instead of encouraging the swirl to stay on top.

More lemon recipes to try:

• Strawberry Lemon Cake
• Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake (gluten free)
• Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Easy Gluten Free Lemon Bread
• Gluten Free Lemon Bars