This moist, delicious Raspberry Cake is such a great recipe for spring and summer occasions- and it all starts with a box of cake mix!
Now that spring is here, we are craving all of the fruity desserts! If you love raspberries, today's cake is a wonderful option. Our flavorful raspberry cake layers are glazed with raspberry jam, filled with whipped cream, and frosted with cream cheese frosting!
There are so many filling and frosting options that would be delicious with raspberry cake layers-- including chocolate frosting or mousse, white chocolate, lemon, and more!
This doctored raspberry cake recipe, which is loosely based on our Doctored Strawberry Cake Mix recipe, combines white cake mix, raspberry puree, powdered jell-o, vegetable oil, a bit of flour, sugar, and milk. The result is tender, fluffy, and flavorful raspberry cake layers.
How to Make Raspberry Cake from a Box Mix
You can find the full, printable cake recipe card further down in this post. Here is a quick rundown of our steps!
- Preheat over to 325℉. Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. (We like to line the bottom of the prepared pans with circles of parchment also.)
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk the dry ingredients: white cake mix, all purpose flour, sugar, raspberry jell-o, and baking powder.
- Using a food processor or blender, puree fresh or frozen (fully thawed) raspberries. We used a 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries.
- Next, hold a fine strainer over a bowl, pour the raspberry puree into it. Use back of a spoon to press the puree through, to remove the seeds. Remember to scrape the underside of the strainer where puree tends to collect. Measure out ¾ cup of the seedless puree.
- Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl: ¾ cup puree, eggs, vegetable oil, and milk.
- Using an electric mixer, mix on low for 15 seconds to combine. Then, increase to medium and mix for 2 minutes. This recipe makes about six cups of batter.
- Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans. Tap each pan a few times on the counter to make air bubbles rise.
- Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick can be inserted and removed with just a few crumbs attached (or none at all).
- Allow the raspberry layers to cool, still in their pans, on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.
Whipped Cream Filling
Our filling for today is a delicious homemade whipped cream filling, along with a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam.
If you've never made sweetened whipped cream before, it couldn't be easier. We used an electric handheld mixer but you could also use a whisk attachment with a stand mixer.
First, chill your bowl and beaters (or whisk attachment)in the freezer for ten minutes.
Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the chilled mixing bowl, and begin mixing on low speed, gradually increasing to medium high speed.
Mix until stiff peaks form. If the whipped cream forms and holds a peak when the beater is lifted, you've reached stiff peak stage.
Cream Cheese Frosting
We frosted our cake with one of our favorites- a delicious cream cheese frosting!
This heavenly frosting consists of softened butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar.
It makes a great filling, frosting, and pipes perfectly too! Cream cheese frosting does have a softer consistency than other frostings, so if it becomes too soft while working with it, just pop it in the refrigerator for ten minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
Assembling the Cake
- Place the first cooled raspberry cake layer on your cake base or pedestal.
- Spread with a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam, stopping just short of the edge of the layer. I find it easiest to scoop some jam into a small bowl and give it a good stir to soften it first. This makes it more spreadable.
- Pipe a dam of cream cheese frosting about ¼-1/2 inch from the edge of the cake. I do this using a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. (You could also use a tip 12). You can also use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away.
- Spread about half of the whipped cream over the raspberry jam, within the dam. Top with the next cake layer.
- Repeat the steps of the thin layer of jam, dam, and whipped cream. Top with the top cake layer.
- Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with cream cheese frosting. I do this with the same piping bag that I use for the dam. Apply a thin, "crumb coat" of cream cheese frosting around the top and sides of the cake.
- I like chill the cake at this point to firm everything up before applying the final coat of frosting. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or longer in the refrigerator. If your bowl of cream cheese frosting is very soft, you can use this time to chill it in the refrigerator as well (10 minutes).
- Frost the top and sides of the cake, decorate however you like. I used a bench scraper & spatula to smooth around the sides & top of the cake to even out the frosting. I then added texture with a small offset spatula.
- I added fresh raspberries to the top of the cake, and piped frosting leaves using a Wilton tip 366.
Here is our finished cake!
Yes, for today's recipe, our Raspberry Cake Mix cake needs refrigeration. This is because of the cream cheese frosting and whipped cream filling.
However, for best taste and texture, remove the cake from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. This will allow the cake to warm and soften.
We used whipped cream, seedless raspberry jam, and cream cheese frosting for today's recipe. However, there are many flavors that pair nicely with raspberry cake!
Chocolate Buttercream, White Chocolate Frosting, Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Cream Filling, and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting are just a few examples of fillings and frostings that would make for a delicious raspberry dessert!
We removed the seeds from our raspberries before incorporating the puree into the batter. To do this, we blended them in a food processor before pressing the the puree with the back of a spoon through a metal mesh sifter or sieve.
Some of our fruity cake recipes (like our scratch Raspberry Cake) call for heating the puree in a saucepan on the stovetop to concentrate the flavor and reduce the amount liquid. However, we did not make a reduction for today's cake.
More Cakes with Raspberry
Raspberry lovers! We have a few more cake for your must-bake list! In addition to today's cake, make sure to check out these other favorites.
Devil's Food Cake with Raspberry Filling
Champagne and Raspberries Cake
Enjoy the Recipe!
Thanks so much for stopping by! If you give our raspberry cake mix recipe a try, we would love for you to leave a comment and photo below.
Raspberry Cake (Doctored Cake Mix)
Ingredients
- 1 Box white cake mix ( 15.25 oz) (432g) (We used Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist White Cake Mix)
- 1 Small box ( 3 ounce) (85g) Raspberry Jello powder (Do not prepare the Jell-O)
- ¼ Cup (30g) All purpose flour
- ¼ Cup (50g) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Baking Powder
- 4 eggs
- ¾ Cup (162g) Vegetable Oil (We use Canola Oil)
- ½ Cup (220g) Milk (We use 2% or Whole)
- ¾ Cup (170g) Raspberry Puree, strained to remove seeds Use a blender to puree fresh or frozen raspberries. We used a 12 oz bag of frozen, *thawed, raspberries.
For the Whipped Cream Filling
- 1 cup (240g) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (29g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened (total weight 452g)
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
- 6-6½ cups (690-747g) confectioners sugar
Miscellaneous
- Seedless Raspberry Jam (for glazing cake layers)
- Fresh Raspberries for decoration on top
Instructions
- Preheat over to 325℉. Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. (We like to line the bottom of the prepared pans with circles of parchment also.) You can also use two 9 inch cake pans.
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk/combine the dry ingredients: cake mix, flour, sugar, raspberry jell-o, and baking powder.
- Using a food processor or blender, puree fresh or frozen (fully thawed) raspberries. We used a 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries.
- Hold a fine strainer over a bowl, pour puree into it, and use back of a spoon to press the puree through, to remove the seeds. Remember to scrape the underside of the strainer where puree tends to collect. Measure out ¾ cup of the seedless puree.
- Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl: ¾ cup puree, eggs, vegetable oil, and milk.
- Using an electric mixer, mix on low for 15 seconds to combine. Then, increase to medium and mix for 2 minutes. This recipe makes about 6 cups of batter.
- Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans. Tap each pan a few times on the counter to make air bubbles rise. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick can be inserted and removed with just a few crumbs attached (or none at all).
- Allow the cakes to cool, still in their pans, on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.
For the Whipped Cream
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla into the chilled mixing bowl, begin beating on low speed gradually increasing to medium high speed. I use a handheld electric mixer for this.
- Mix until you've reached stiff peak stage (this may take about a minute or so). When you lift the beaters of your electric mixer and the cream forms a peak that stands on its own, it is ready.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is smooth.
- Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated.
- Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
- Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
- This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
Assembling the Cake
- Place the first cooled raspberry cake layer on your cake base or pedestal.
- Spread with a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam, stopping just short of the edge of the layer. I find it easiest to scoop some jam into a small bowl and give it a good stir to soften it first. This makes it more spreadable.
- Pipe a dam of cream cheese frosting about ¼-1/2 inch from the edge of the cake. I do this using a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. (You could also use a tip 12). You can also use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away.
- Spread about half of the whipped cream over the raspberry jam, within the dam. Top with the next cake layer.
- Repeat the steps of the thin layer of jam, dam, and whipped cream. Top with the top cake layer.
- Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with cream cheese frosting. I do this with the same piping bag that I use for the dam. Apply a thin, "crumb coat" of cream cheese frosting around the top and sides of the cake.
- I like chill the cake at this point to firm everything up before applying the final coat of frosting. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or longer in the refrigerator. If your bowl of cream cheese frosting is very soft, you can use this time to chill it in the refrigerator as well (10 minutes).
- Frost the top and sides of the cake, decorate however you like. I used a bench scraper & spatula to smooth around the sides & top of the cake to even out the frosting. I then added texture with a small offset spatula.
- I added fresh raspberries to the top of the cake, and piped frosting leaves using a Wilton tip 366.
Looks and sounds great! :-)
I am SO EXCITED so see your doctored Raspberry cake mix cake! Your recipes are the absolute best and I just love a doctored cake mix
Hi Rachel, Thank you so much for your nice comment on the recipes! I hope you will love this raspberry cake.
Can you make this using a 9X13 pan? Prefer this size for taking it somewhere. I realize it may be a little to much batter but could always put t in a small pan. Thanks for your help-it looks and sounds delicious.
Hi Lou Ann, You can bake this in a 9x13 pan. The recipe makes only 6 cups of batter and usually you would need to have 7 cups batter for a 9x13. Since this recipe uses a cake mix it will be fine. Bake at 350 degrees F for 23 to 25 minutes. The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. I hope you will enjoy the cake.