Simple Raspberry Lemon Cake
This tender cake is incredibly easy to make yet looks elegant enough for company! It has the perfect balance of sweetness in the cake and tartness from the fresh raspberries. Leftovers will stay fresh for at least 3 days if tightly covered in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free flour* (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (10g) lemon zest (about 1 very large)
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (120mL) agave
- ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 very large)
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (280g) fresh raspberries (about 1 ½ pints)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the agave and lemon juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the raspberries in a circular pattern, beginning with the outer rim before finishing with the interior, and gently press each into the batter. (See the photos in the blog post above, where the raspberries were placed on their sides.) Bake at 350°F for 32-37 minutes. Place the cake pan onto a wire rack, and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own!) Too much flour will make your cake dry, rather than moist and tender.
Do not use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients with amounts given in mL (ie lemon juice, agave, or milk). Use measuring cups instead.
IMPORTANT SPRINGFORM PAN NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I prefer using a 9"-round springform pan because (a) its sides are removable, so you don't have to invert the pan to get the cake out, and (b) it has taller sides, which can help your cake rise more evenly.
If you do not have a springform pan, use a regular 9”-round cake pan instead, and line the inside with foil before coating with cooking spray. After letting the cake cool for 10 minutes, carefully lift the cake out of the pan by holding onto the foil, and transfer it to a wire rack to let it cool completely.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour may all be substituted in place of the whole wheat pastry flour. If using regular whole wheat flour, the cake will have a slightly denser texture.
IMPORTANT LEMON NOTES: I developed this recipe using Meyer lemons, which are somewhat sweeter and less acidic than regular lemons. I highly recommend using them, if you can find them!
For the best flavor results, regardless of whether using Meyer or regular ones, use lemons that are pure yellow with no green spots. Measure the lemon juice with measuring cups, and measure the zest with a kitchen scale or measuring spoons. Do not measure by "1 very large" lemon. Not all "very large" lemons are the exact same size!
AGAVE NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I used agave because it has the purest sweetest of any clean-eating friendly sweetener. Honey or pure maple syrup may be substituted, but both of their flavors will detract from the lemon flavor.
Alternatively, substitute ½ cup (96g) light brown or granulated sugar PLUS an additional ¼ cup (60mL) milk for the agave to preserve the lemon flavor.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
RASPBERRY NOTES: If the raspberries are pressed into the batter with the hole-side facing downward, you’ll need closer to 3 cups (about 2 full pints).
I don't recommend substituting frozen (or frozen and thawed) raspberries. They don't produce the same texture.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Other store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should also work, if measured like this.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.