Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake
This buttery, decadent Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake has the perfect balance of lemon and raspberry flavor. It has a soft, fine crumb, and is delightfully moist! You will love this recipe.
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened 339 g unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups (600g) sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature (you can warm them in a bowl of warm water if you are in a hurry)
- 3 cups (342g) cake flour (not self rising)
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 3 teaspoons Lemon Extract (12g) (We used McCormick brand.It should smell lemony, if it doesn't it may have gone bad.)
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (42g)(approximate amount of juice in one lemon)
- 1 cup Buttermilk (235g)(We used whole buttermilk)
For the Raspberry Swirl
- ⅓ cup seedless raspberry jam (90g)(stir in small bowl to make the consistency smooth)
- Raspberry Flavoring, optional (Either ½ teaspoon (2g) Raspberry Extract or 1 teaspoon Raspberry Jell-o powder.)
- 1 cup reserved cake batter
For the Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract you could also use lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- Milk to reach desired consistency. Start with 2 teaspoons and increase a teaspoon at a time.
Garnish
- small, thin lemon wedges and fresh raspberries (optional)
Instructions
- Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
- In a separate bowl whisk the cake flour, salt, and baking powder for 30 seconds to combine. Set aside for later.
- Cream the softened butter with the paddle attachment in your mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and mix until lightened in color and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow of the yolk blends in.
- In a small measuring cup or bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of the flour mixture and two of the buttermilk mixture. Mix just until blended.
Prepare the Raspberry Batter
- Scoop one cup of the lemon pound cake batter into a small bowl. Stir ⅓ cup of seedless raspberry jam to smooth the consistency and then add it to the batter. (If using ½ teaspoon raspberry extract or a teaspoon raspberry jello powder, add it to the mixture as well.)
- A touch of pink or red coloring gel is optional for a more vibrant shade. Gently combine these ingredients until the color of the raspberry cake batter is uniform.
Adding the batter to the Pan
- Layer the batter, alternating between lemon batter and raspberry batter. Do this however you like- I added a layer (approx three cups) of lemon batter to the prepared bundt pan, lightly smoothing over the top.
- Next, I added about half of the raspberry batter on top of that. Tap the pan on the counter to level out the batter. Follow with more lemon batter, then more raspberry batter, and finish with the remaining lemon batter. Run a knife once or twice through the batter to encourage swirling. (Don't do too much or it may lose the effect.)
- Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (or with just a few crumbs attached.) Baking times can vary and so peek in as it approaches the 1 hour mark. If the top of the cake begins to get too dark, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
- This recipe makes approximately 8 cups of batter.
- Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out onto your cake plate or pedestal.
For the Easy Lemon Glaze
- Combine ingredients and stir until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk in very small increments. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Spoon the glaze over the cake, or put it into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away for more control.
Storage
- This cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or under a cake dome or in a sealed bakery box.
Notes
**We have changed this recipe, adding additional butter and sugar to give it more richness - previously, it was more like a "1234 cake" recipe. We prefer the updated version which is more moist, soft, and rich.
Freezing: This cake can be wrapped and frozen for up to three months! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, followed by foil. To thaw, place in the refrigerator the night before, still wrapped. Move to room temperature the next morning.
Substitution for Cake Flour: If you have no cake flour, here is a substitution: For each cup of flour in a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK). This recipe has 3 cups of flour so you will measure out 3 cups of all purpose flour, remove 6 Tablespoons and replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to blend.
Lemon Extract There are many brands of Lemon Extract- we use McCormick most often. Make sure that you smell the extract before using as sometimes it can go bad. It should smell lemony ;0)
Substitute for Buttermilk: No Buttermilk? Here is a substitution: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup. To that, add milk to the 1 cup mark. Stir and allow to sit for a minute or two to thicken.