Lemon Raspberry Sheet Cake
MAKES
one 9 x 13 inch / 23 x 33 cm sheet cake
TAKES
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
I love how lemons + raspberries bring out each other’s flavors, intensifying them both in the process. This buttery lemon cake is soaked with lemon simple syrup when it’s fresh from the oven. Then, it’s topped with creamy mascarpone frosting, and a thin layer of raspberry jam. Use fresh raspberries for the ultimate easy - but stunning - decorative finishing touch.
INGREDIENTS
Lemon Cake
390 g / 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
9 g / 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
4 g / 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
297 g / 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
zest of 3 medium lemons
226 g / 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
226 g / 4 large eggs, at room temperature
345 g / 1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Lemon Syrup
115 g / ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
99 g / ½ cup granulated sugar
Finishing
340 g / 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
151 g / 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
411 g / 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
60 g / ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 g / ¼ teaspoon lemon oil (optional)
340 g / 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
up to 454 g / 1 pound fresh raspberries, for garnishing (optional)
Make This Recipe With Me:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with an oven rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch / 23 x 33 cm cake pan with nonstick spray. Line the pan in both directions with parchment paper, allowing any excess to hang over the side (to help you unmold the cake later). Lightly grease the parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest with your hands until the two are well combined.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs to the mixer one at a time, mixing each on medium speed until evenly incorporated, and scraping the bowl and paddle well after each addition.
5. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Scrape the bowl well. With the mixer running on medium speed, add about half of the buttermilk in a slow, steady stream. Repeat this process, adding another ⅓ of the flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour mixture.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Transfer to the oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 38-42 minutes.
7. While the cake bakes, make the lemon syrup: in a small pot, whisk the lemon juice and sugar together to combine. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, and have a pastry brush handy.
8. Cool the cake for 15 minutes. Poke the cake all over with a skewer, then brush the lemon syrup evenly over the surface of the cake. Cool the cake completely in the pan.
9. Run a small offset spatula around the outer edge of the cake to help release it from the pan. Use the excess parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and peel away the parchment paper.
10. Make the frosting: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, mix the mascarpone and powdered sugar until combined, 1-2 minutes.
11. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the cream in a slow, steady stream. When it’s all incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and whips well. Then gradually raise the mixer speed to high, and whip to medium peaks. Add the lemon juice and oil (if using), and mix to combine.
12. Dollop the frosting over the surface of the cake and spread into an even layer. Dollop the jam over the surface of the frosting, and spread into an even layer. Decorate the surface with fresh raspberries.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
