This lemon and raspberry loaf cake is light and refreshing, with a vibrant citrus kick! It’s the perfect recipe to bake and enjoy on a lovely spring or summers day.
Favoured with vanilla extract and lemon zest, the cake is dotted with fresh raspberries and infused with a lemon drizzle sugar syrup. I’ve decorated the cake with simple lemon glace icing and scattered freeze-dried raspberries on top.
Reasons to love this Lemon and Raspberry Loaf Cake
- Fresh fruity flavours. If you’ve not had lemon and raspberry together before, you are in for a treat! Fresh raspberries and lemon zest are folded into the cake mixture. Then once the cake is baked, a lemon drizzled is poured over the cake giving it a sweet and citrusy kick!
- Light and fluffy texture. This lemon and raspberry loaf cake is soft, buttery, moist and fluffy, all combined into one! It’s one of those cakes that’s so refreshing and light, it will keep coming back for “just one more slice” 😅 TOP TIP: Use margarine (Stork Original is my favourite) instead of butter. It helps the cake rise with a flat top, making it easier to decorate, and it’s the secret to super fluffy cakes.
- Quick and easy to make. This recipe uses simple ingredients, basic equipment and is perfect if you’re looking to make a quick and easy cake. The cake will take no more than 10 minutes to prep, but it will need a good hour in the oven (it’s a pretty large loaf cake).
Recipe FAQs: Lemon and Raspberry Loaf Cake
How many lemons do I need?
This recipe uses the zest and juice of 2 lemons in total.
How do I know when my cake is baked?
I recommend a baking time of 60-70 minutes. The cake should have risen and be golden brown in colour, and if you give the baking tin a gentle shake the cake should be stable. The middle of the cake shouldn’t look wet, if it does, bake the cake for another 5 minutes and keep a close eye on it. If the cake starts to brown too much, you can lightly place a piece of foil over the cake after 45 minutes.
Why has my cake sunk in the middle?
The most common reason is opening the oven door before the cake was fully baked. Try not to open the oven door before 45 minutes and even then, do it by opening the oven door just a little and be as quick as possible so the hot air doesn’t escape.
What size loaf tin should I use?
For this lemon and raspberry loaf cake recipe, you will need a 2lb loaf tin. The dimensions of the tin I used are 15.5cm width x 29cm length x 7.5cm depth.
Can I use a 1lb loaf tin instead?
Yes, absolutely. You can use a 1lb loaf tin, but you will need to half the ingredient quantities and reduce the baking from 60 minutes to 45-50 minutes.
How do you prepare a loaf tin?
Unlike square baking tins, loaf tins can be a little tricky to prepare. Here are the steps I follow to properly line a loaf tin:
- Lightly grease the loaf tin with butter or cooking spray.
- Cut a piece of greaseproof paper that is long enough to line the base and long sides of the tin.
- Press it into the base and sides of the tin, scoring the edges so they are sharp and straight.
- Leave enough greaseproof paper hanging over the long edges to help you lift the cake out.
Equipment & ingredients used for this Raspberry Loaf Cake
Lemon and Raspberry Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Raspberry loaf cake
- 300 g Margarine or unsalted butter I use Stork Original
- 300 g Golden caster sugar
- 3 large Eggs At room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 300 g Self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 1 Lemon Zest only
- 150 g Fresh raspberries
Lemon drizzle
- 0.5 Lemon Juice only
- 25 g Golden caster sugar
Lemon Icing
- 225 g Icing sugar
- 1 Lemon Juice only
- 2-3 tsp Cold water
- 1 tsp Freeze-dried raspberries
Instructions
Start by making the raspberry loaf cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin (I used this one by Circulon) and line with greaseproof paper (see notes in the post above for how to do this). Set the baking tin aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the margarine, golden caster sugar and vanilla extract together until creamy.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, adding 2 tablespoons of the 300g flour after each egg to stop the mixture from curdling.
- Add the remaining flour, lemon zest and milk. Fold the mixture together until smooth and fully combined.
- Gently fold in the fresh raspberries. I tossed the raspberries in a teaspoon of flour first to stop them from sinking to the bottom.
- Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, smoothing it out the top. Bake for 60-70 minutes* until golden in colour and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out crumb-free.
Make the lemon drizzle
- Mix the lemon juice and sugar together in a bowl.
- As soon as the loaf cake is out of the oven, prick it all over with a toothpick or skewer and spoon over the lemon drizzle, letting it sink into the cake.
- Leave the cake to cool in the baking tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Decorate with lemon icing
- Stir the icing sugar and lemon juice together. The consistency of the icing should be thick but still pourable. If it's too thick, stir in a teaspoon of cold water at a time.
- Pour the lemon icing over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
- Sprinkle over the freeze-dried raspberries and leave the icing to set for 10 minutes.
Notes
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