This quick and easy one-bowl Lemon Raspberry Loaf Cake is deliciously light, moist and fresh. Perfect dessert for the Summer, this cake is full of bright flavours and has an amazingly soft texture.
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Bright, zesty, and bursting with fresh berries, this Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake topped with a tart lemon glaze is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Just like my Lemon Raspberry Muffins!
Made with fresh lemon, juicy raspberries and Greek yoghurt, it is a soft and super moist cake that’s ideal for Spring and Summer.
This one-bowl cake is super quick and easy to make as well - no need for a mixer! Just grab a large bowl, a whisk and a loaf pan and get ready to bake.
More to try: Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake | Raspberry Pistachio Loaf Cake
Ingredients
What is Lemon Raspberry Loaf made of:
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities
Ingredients notes:
- Lemon: we love a strong lemon flavour! And to get the best of it, we are using both fresh lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest. To develop the lemon flavour even more, the zest is rubbed into the caster sugar (fine white granulated sugar) to release its natural oil and flavour.
- Eggs: large eggs, at room temperature.
- Oil: use a flavour-neutral oil such as Canola Oil or Grapeseed Oil. Using oil instead of melted unsalted butter makes the crumb more moist (and keeps it that way for longer!).
- Yoghurt: Greek Yoghurt or Natural Yoghurt (unsweetened). It is the secret to a super soft, moist and flavourful loaf cake like my French Yoghurt Cake!
- Self-Rising Flour: can be substituted with Plain / All-Purpose Flour with the addition of 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda and a pinch of Salt.
- Raspberries: I used fresh raspberries for this recipe but you could use frozen raspberries as well. No need to thaw them, add them frozen to your cake batter!
Optionally, you can also add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract.
To finish the cake, you can optionally make a lemon icing by combining powdered sugar / confectioners' sugar (or icing sugar) with lemon juice.
How to make Raspberry Lemon Bread
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12 x 30 cm loaf pan (5 x 12-inch loaf pan) and line it with a sheet of baking paper / parchment paper.
I cut the baking paper to the length of the loaf pan to line the bottom and two longest sides of the pan only. Make sure the two narrow sides that remain unlined are well greased so that the can does not stick.
- Photo 1: In a large bowl, combine the caster sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest and sugar between your fingers to release the fragrant essential oils contained within the zest.
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- Photo 2: Add the eggs and whisk for a minute or until lightly bubbly.
- Photo 3: Add the oil, lemon juice and greek yogurt and whisk until combined.
- Photo 4: Lastly, add the self-rising flour (or dry ingredients mix if using AP flour) and salt and gently whisk until no lumps remain. Your lemon cake batter is ready!
- Photo 5: pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with half of the raspberries.
- Photo 6: Cover the raspberries with another 1/3 of the batter, gently spreading it over the fruits with a small spatula. Be careful not to crush the berries.
- Repeat the process one more time, adding the second half of the raspberries and finishing with the last third of the cake batter.
Alternatively, you cold simply add the raspberries into the lemon batter and gently fold them in. I find that the berries tend to get crushed in the process, turning mushy and starting to taint the batter with their colour. I prefer the layering method that gives you better control over the final crumb!
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden. Use a toothpick, skewer or small knife poked in the centre of the cake to check it is fully baked. There shouldn't be any moist crumbs on the utensils when ready.
- Place on a wire rack and leave to cool down completely before removing from the loaf tin.
- Optionally, prepare the Lemon Icing. In a medium bowl, combined sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until you get a paste. If it looks too liquid, add a bit more sugar. If too thick, add a bit more juice. Drizzle the icing over the cool cake and let it drip on the side.
- Finish with a few more fresh raspberries and some fresh mint leaves (optional).
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, the cake will be equally delicious with other berries such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or even cranberries! Simply be aware that you might want to adjust the quantity of sugar when using a fruit that is less tart than raspberries (like strawberries).
I use a 12 x 30 cm / 5 x 12-inch loaf pan. If using a different size loaf pan, make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.
For a cake that is thicker (smaller but deeper pan), bake for a little bit longer.
For a wider, thinner cake (longer / wider pan), bake for 5 to 10 minutes less.
The lemon raspberry cake can be kept at room temperature for up to three days, or be stored in the fridge if preferred. Store in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
The cake can be frozen whole or in slices - but I recommend freezing it without the lemon icing that won't thaw well. Wrap well with one layer of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminium foil. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
Tips for Success
- To create an even "crack" in the middle of the loaf, you can use one of two method. Either pipe a very thin line of soft butter where the crack should form, or take the cake out of the oven after the first 10 minutes of baking and use a sharp knife to cut a line where you want the cake to crack.
- If the top of the raspberry lemon cake seems to be browning too quickly while the centre of the cake is still raw, cover the loaf pan with aluminium foil and continue to bake until fully baked.
- The best way to zest a lemon is to use a microplane zester (or similar brand). This type of utensil produces some very thin zest that will distribute well within the cake batter.
I am so excited to share that my debut cookbook
"Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker"
is now available for purchase!
Recipe
Lemon Raspberry Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 12 x 30 cm Loaf Pan (5 x 12 inch)
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Cake
- 180 gr Caster Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 3 large Eggs, at room temperature
- 90 ml Neutral Oil, such as Canola Oil
- 90 ml Lemon Juice
- 180 gr Greek Yoghurt, or natural yoghurt
- 300 gr Self-Rising Flour, (*)
- 1 pinch Fine Table Salt
- 200 gr Raspberries
Lemon Icing (optional)
- 100 gr Icing Sugar, or powdered sugar
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
- 50 gr Raspberries (optional), to serve
Instructions
Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12 x 30 cm (5 x 12-inch) loaf pan and line it with a sheet of baking paper / parchment paper (see note 1).
- In a large bowl, combine the caster sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest and sugar between your fingers to release the fragrant essential oils contained within the zest.
- Add the eggs and whisk for a minute or until lightly bubbly, then mix in the oil, lemon juice and greek yogurt.
- Lastly, add the self-rising flour (*) and salt and gently whisk until no lumps remain.
- Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with half of the raspberries, spread over the batter evenly. Pour another 1/3 of the batter over the raspberries and gently spread with a spatula to fully cover the fruits. Spread the second half of the raspberries over the batter and pour the remaining cake batter to fully cover the fruits (see note 2).
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden and a toothpick / skewer comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack and leave to cool down completely before removing from the loaf pan.
Lemon Icing (optional)
- In a medium bowl, combined sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until you get a paste that is slightly thick but still fluid (see note 3). Drizzle over the cool cake, letting the icing drip over its side.
- Optionally, finish with a few more fresh raspberries and some fresh mint leaves.
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Notes
- I cut the baking paper to the length of the loaf pan to line the bottom and two longest sides of the pan only. Make sure the two narrow sides that remain unlined are well greased so that the can does not stick.
- Alternatively, you cold simply add the raspberries into the lemon batter and gently fold them in. I find that the berries tend to get crushed in the process, turning mushy and starting to taint the batter with their colour. I prefer the layering method that gives you better control over the final crumb.
- If it looks too liquid, add a bit more sugar. If too thick, add a bit more juice.
Nutrition (per serving)
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