Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Name: Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (($1.50)); 2 cups Granulated sugar (($0.44)); 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest (($0.12)); 4 Large eggs (($0.32)); 2 3/4 cups All purpose flour (($0.22)); 3/4 teaspoon Salt (($0.07)); 2 teaspoons Baking powder (($0.04)); 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch (($0.06)); 1/2 cup Milk (($0.09)); 3 Tablespoons Fresh lemon juice (($0.72)); 1/2 cup Sour cream (($0.23)); 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (($0.02)); 6 ounces Fresh raspberries (($3.20)); 2 cups Powdered sugar (($0.46)); 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice (($0.48)); 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon zest (($0.06)); 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract (($0.01)); 2 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted (($0.18)); 1 Tablespoon Water, as needed (($0.00))

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This raspberry lemon bundt cake is absolutely delicious! With a tender and soft cake, fresh raspberries studded throughout, and a tangy lemon glaze on top, it's the perfect summertime dessert.

lemon raspberry bundt cake on a yellow cakestand with fresh fruits for garnish

I've always had a thing for lemons and fresh berries, so this cake was a no-brainer. It's not too dense, perfectly moist, and packed with bursts of fresh flavor in every sweet slice.

If you're looking for more summery desserts, make sure to check out my Summer Raspberry Cake and 2 Ingredient Lemon Cake Bars too!

Why This Recipe Works

It's a beginner-friendly recipe! I love that it's so easy to make (especially with a stand mixer). All you really have to do is toss stuff in and let it do the work for you! Of course, even if you have to use a hand mixer, the effort is worth it for such a soft, dense, and moist lemon sour cream bundt cake.
It's great any time of day. I feel like this cake be served up for breakfast, mid-afternoon, after dinner, and even Sunday brunch parties or Mother's day. It's so elegant and classic.
It tastes like spring. Or summer.. The bright colors and bursts of fruity flavors are sure to make an impact.

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🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment Needed
🔪 Instructions
🧾 Substitutions
🍴 Recipe Tips
💭 FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

For the cake, you will need the following:

Flour- You'll need all purpose flour for this cake.

Raspberries- Fresh raspberries are great but you can use frozen ones too! Make sure that if you use frozen raspberries, you do NOT thaw them beforehand.

Butter- Unsalted butter works best for this recipe, but you can use salted butter if that's what you have on hand. Just omit the requested salt in the recipe so that your cake doesn't turn out too salty.

Sugar- Use granulated sugar to help with the sweetness and structure of the cake.

Cornstarch- Adding in some cornstarch will help to make this cake fluffy.

Salt- This natural flavor enhancer will make everything taste extra delicious.

Vanilla Extract- Another flavor enhancer!

Milk- To add a little richness and moisture.

Sour Cream- This is a baking "secret." Adding sour cream to recipes like this and my Banana Bread with Sour Cream, makes the batter thicker, but the goods softer, richer, and more velvety in texture once baked (it's like magic!)

Eggs- Whole eggs will add richness to the cake, help with the leavening, and add a nice binder so that it's not too crumbly.

Lemon Juice- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always preferred, but bottle concentrate works fine too.

Lemon Zest- Adding fresh lemon zest will make the cake taste fresher too. Tip: Zest the lemons BEFORE you juice them.

Baking Powder- This is the leavening agent that helps the cake get fluffy and tall.

For the glaze, you will need the following:

Powdered sugar- To make our glaze smooth and sweet, use powdered sugar.

Lemon juice- This will add lemon flavor and help to thin down the icing a bit.

Lemon zest- For that fresh lemon taste that will have you puckering.

Butter- You'll want to use unsalted melted butter for added richness in this glaze. It also helps to give it a little shine.

Vanilla- Adding in a little vanilla extract will help the flavors to really stand out.

Water- This will be added "as needed," meaning you may need a little or a lot depending on how thick or thin you want the glaze to be.

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

🍽 Equipment Needed

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🔪 Instructions

Check out how to make raspberry lemon bundt cake with these simple step-by-step instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease the bundt cake pan and dust it with flour. Shake to coat, and then tap it upside down to remove as much flour as you can. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with your hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on high until fluffy and white. (2-5 minutes)

butter and sugar in a bowl with a lemon to the side

Add in the sour cream and then beat on high for 1 additional minute.

creamed butter and sugar in a bowl with sour cream and a lemon to the side

Next, add in the lemon zest and mix.

lemon zest added to the creamed butter and sugar mixture in a white bowl

Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

an egg added to the creamy butter sugar mixture for the cake batter

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Whisk together the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in another bowl.

Add the flour and the milk mixture alternatively to the mixer, beating well after each addition. Begin and end with the flour.

a portion of flour added to the creamed wet mixture

Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

adding a portion of milk to the cake batter ina white bowl with a bowl of flour mixture to the side

In a small bowl or a plastic bag, toss the raspberries with a little bit of flour to coat them well. This helps prevent them from sinking into the cake batter while cooking.

Gently fold the berries into the cake batter.

flour dusted fresh raspberries in a bowl of lemon cake batter

Pour your cake batter into the bundt pan. (It's more like scooping it). Then spread it flat, so it's even. Next, take the bundt pan and smack it against the table or countertop to shake out the air bubbles and get the top just a little more evenly distributed.

raspberry lemon bundt cake batter in a greased and floured bundt pan with fresh raspberries and lemons in background

Bake for about 50 minutes in the oven or until a toothpick can come out mostly clean. It's okay if there are a few crumbs on it!

baked lemon raspberry bundt cake in the bundt pan

Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes, then flip it onto a plate or wire rack to finish cooling.

raspberry lemon bundt cake on a wire cooling rack

After the cake is flipped to a wire rack, begin making the frosting by combining all ingredients (minus the water). Mix until well blended.

Slowly add in the water (a few drops at a time) as you mix to get to the desired consistency.

Top your slightly warm cake with frosting, and serve warm or let it cool before eating.

aerial view of half of the lemon rasbperry bundt cake

🧾 Substitutions

Instead of sour cream. If you don't have any sour cream handy, you can switch it out for greek yogurt. The results should be pretty similar, and the two are often used interchangeably in baking.

Different Berries. You can use any berry! I recommend blueberry or blackberry for a sweet and sour contrast, but even strawberries would taste great! Using a mix of berries could also yield tasty results.

🍴 Recipe Tips

Coat the berries in flour

Make sure you coat your raspberries in flour before adding them to the batter. This helps to keep them from falling during baking and gives you a much prettier outcome.

The batter will be THICK

The cake batter will seem a bit thick, especially compared to a box cake mix where everything is pourable. Don't worry- it's supposed to be this way!

Don't cool the cake in the pan

Don't let your bundt cake completely cool in the pan! If you do, you'll notice it's dried out. The hot pan will continue to cook the cake as it cools, so only give it the recommended time, to prevent dry cake.

💭 FAQs

Can You Freeze Raspberry Lemon Cake?

Yes, you can! Simply let it finish cooling completely and then wrap it well in plastic wrap before placing it in an airtight container. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter (or in the fridge) for a few hours before eating.

How Should I Store Lemon and Raspberry Cake?

Due to the fresh berries used in this recipe, it'd be best if the cake was stored in the fridge. Keep it well covered so that it doesn't dry out and you should expect it to last up to a week and still taste amazing.

Should I Use Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice or Concentrated?

Either. Since you'll have a lemon handy for the zest, might as well squeeze what you can out of it and get your money's worth. You can finish off with the concentration to help you reach the requested amounts.
Pro tip- if you stick your lemon in the microwave for about 10-30 seconds you can get more juice out of it.

More Delicious Cake Recipes to Check Out

📖 Recipe

aerial view of raspberry lemon bundt cake with fresh lemon slices and raspberries

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5 from 6 votes