Vanilla Raspberry Cake

This raspberry cake recipe is for two layers of vanilla cake sandwiched together with a homemade raspberry compote and covered in raspberry cream cheese frosting. The cake can be made in one bowl which is just amazing as well!

If you love trying out different layered cake recipes then you’ve come to the right place! This Bar One Cake is perfect for all those chocolate lovers out there and this Vanilla Chocolate Cake is great when you can’t decide what you’re in the mood for!

Ingredients

To make this easy vanilla raspberry cake you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking. 

Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams. If you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs then weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Sunflower oil – This cake uses oil and butter for extra moistness! Use neutral-tasting vegetable oil like sunflower or canola oil.

Self-raising flour - If you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. Check the recommendations on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much to add.

Vanilla extract – choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence to give this recipe a great vanilla flavor. You can also use vanilla bean paste.

Unsalted butter – use unsalted butter rather than salted butter. It is also essential that you use room-temperature butter.

Raspberries – use fresh or frozen raspberries. 

Cream cheese – choose a full-fat cream cheese, like Philadelphia for this recipe. 

Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To make this delicious vanilla layer cake with raspberry frosting follow the simple steps below. First, make the homemade vanilla cake and allow it to cool, then make the raspberry puree and raspberry cream cheese frosting. 

Instructions for vanilla cake 

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2x 22cm (9 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.  

STEP 2: Beat butter, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, butter, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at medium to high speed until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the whole eggs. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

STEP 4: Add dry ingredients. Sift together the salt and self-raising flour and add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.

STEP 5: Add wet ingredients. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cake mixture with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.

STEP 6: Bake. Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes, before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

instructions for raspberry purée  

STEP 1: Heat castor sugar, lemon juice, and raspberries. In a small saucepan set over medium heat add the fresh raspberries, castor sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt. Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help them break down if needed.

STEP 2: Cool the puree. Once the sugar is melted and the purée has thickened, transfer the filling to a small bowl and allow raspberry purée to cool to room temperature.

instructions for frosting 

STEP 1: Beat icing sugar and butter. Add the icing sugar and butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

STEP 2: Add cream cheese. Add the cubed softened cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Add raspberry puree. Add ¼ cup of the cooled raspberry puree and the vanilla to the frosting and beat again. 

STEP 4: Beat until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat again at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. 

instructions for decorating 

STEP 1: Level cake layers. Use a sharp knife to trim the domed tops off the cake layers if necessary. 

STEP 2: Layer with frosting. Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with some frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the surface of the cake and smooth this out with an off-set spatula. 

STEP 3: Add raspberry puree. Pipe a ring of frosting around the circumference of the bottom cake layer and fill this with the remaining raspberry filling. 

STEP 4: Secure the top cake layer. Place the second layer of cake onto the first layer with the cut side facing down. 

STEP 5: Cover the cake with frosting. Pipe the frosting over the tops and sides of the cake and use a knife to create swirls in the frosting. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh raspberries, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Hint: For a lump-free smooth buttercream make sure both the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Otherwise, you may get lumps of cold cream cheese or butter in your frosting. 

Variations

This cake is delicious as is but you can make slight tweaks if you like! If you aren’t a fan of cream cheese frostings you can use this Raspberry Buttercream recipe instead which doesn’t use cream cheese. 

If you can’t find raspberries and are dead set on making this berry cake, you can make the filling and frosting using other fresh berries like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or even cherries. See this Strawberry Cake Filling recipe to help you get started.

Equipment

For this delicious cake recipe, you will need x2 22cm round cake pans, a wire rack for cooling, a disposable piping bag, and an electric mixer, either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer.

I always use a stand mixer or electric whisk to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate digital scale when baking.

Storage

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To freeze this cake, cut the frosted cake into individual slices and remove any fresh fruit. Wrap each slice of cake in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.

I love making this beautiful pink raspberry cake, it’s gorgeous to look at and even better to eat!

If you give this recipe a go, please leave a star review and comment below – I love hearing about your kitchen stories!

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Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty