Summer Raspberry Cake Recipe

A summer raspberry cake recipe is such a delightful way to celebrate the return of sunshine, green grass, and endless blue skies. Sprightly and tart with notes of lemon and ginger and a sweet, creamy topping, this cake is a delicious blend of summer flavors, the ideal thing to take on a summer picnic.

The cake itself is a Victoria sponge, moist and buttery, drizzled with a lemon-ginger glaze infused with Rejuvenation Blend herbal tea and topped with fresh raspberries and Norwegian raspberry snow, a luscious cloud of heavy cream whipped with pureed raspberries, lemon zest, and powdered sugar.

It all sounds very lovely, but in the spirit of full honesty and transparency, I had to make this cake twice. Not because the recipe was wonky, but because my beautiful non-stick Bundt pan was anything but.

Although I carefully attempted to prise my raspberry-studded cake from the clutches of the pan, it stubbornly resisted and I was left with what can only be described as a decimated mess of a Bundt cake.

I then made a valiant effort to salvage it with liberal applications of Norwegian raspberry snow, but it only served to make it look like a wonky confection out of the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.

Sigh.

So out came the mixing bowls again and I stalwartly made another, this time in round cake tins lined with baking paper. The remaining raspberries had all been pureed for the aforementioned raspberry snow, so instead of a cake studied with raspberries, this one was laced with raspberry puree.

It turned out beautifully, but I only had a miserly portion of raspberry snow left, so grand hopes of a multi-layer cake sandwiched with fresh raspberries and creamy snow were set aside in favor of a more humble rendition.

Thankfully, both versions, be they ever so humble, were delicious. There’s something about raspberries and butter and copious amounts of lemon-spiked cream that transcends even the humblest of cakes to delight both body and soul.

Summer Raspberry Cake Recipe

This cake is lavished with raspberry goodness, from the batter to the topping. While fresh raspberries are always wonderful, you can get away with frozen ones in the cake batter and save the fresh ones for the Norwegian raspberry snow and decorating the cake.

I think almost any cake recipe would work well for this, but I used a Victoria Sponge. Dead easy to make, it is consistently flavorsome and serves as an excellent buttery companion for the raspberries.

Although you could serve this cake with just the snow and berries for topping, it’s even nicer when drizzled first with a lemon-ginger glaze. I used an infusion of Rejuvenation Blend lemon and ginger tea to make the glaze. Its notes of spicy ginger and crisp lemon were a wonderful zingy addition to the cake.

There’s no fussing about trying to ice this cake. Simply spoon on a generous portion of the raspberry snow, spread it evenly, then decorate with fresh raspberries.

Cake and Tea Pairings

This berry-rich cake pairs splendidly with our berry teas. Raspberry Revitalizer raspberry lemon tea is a delightful option with its fragrant layers of lemongrass, lemon peel, hibiscus, and raspberries. The Self Care Blend relaxing herbal tea with elderberry, apricot, and calendula is also a good option, as is Meadow Walk blueberry herbal tea with rosemary, lavender, and cranberries.

If you love cake but find raspberries too tart, you could try our Old Fashioned Strawberry Buckle Cake instead, or spice things up with Gingerbread Coffee Cake. If simplicity is what you crave, our Apple Bread with Crumb Topping might be just the thing.