This beautiful, moist, and delicious Raspberry Lemon Cake is the perfect addition to your afternoon coffee. It's loaded with lemon flavor and fresh raspberries, so easy to make with few pantry ingredients — delicious and guilt-free, made without refined sugars.
The last couple of days I feel such an enormous desire to bake something for my family. I'm craving something sweet, fruity and super light to accompany my afternoon coffee. Since I'm not the type of person who likes complicated desserts - layered cakes with glaze and stuff - I decided to make a simple fruit cake. But fruit idea puzzled me because I didn't have a clear vision what fruit to use.
I had Sour Cherry Chia Jam Cornbread on my mind but then my friend called me and tell me to come over to her house. She had freshly picked raspberries from her garden for me.
I jumped out in my car and drove to her home. And when she handed me a box full of FRESH pink delicious raspberries, I couldn't wait to come home and start baking this delightful, tangy and sweet Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake.
While the cake was still in oven, pleasant aroma started to spread throughout the kitchen that drove my husband and me completely mad. I kept peeping in the oven, and the view on the cake was pure perfection. When the cake was done, we could hardly wait for it to cool properly. Actually, we didn't. We sliced it while was still warm. And oh God how GOOD it was!
Moist, fragrant and sooo sweet with a touch of tangy fruity freshness from raspberries.
Sooo good!
To make this Raspberry Lemon Cake, I used all healthy ingredients - whole grain flour loaded with fibers and many nutrients, healthy coconut oil and all natural sweetener maple syrup.
Both lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice gave this cake incredible aroma.
Of course, the main star of this lemon cake are FRESH raspberries - loaded with nutrients and delightful taste. Not only that raspberries gave the cake very attractive look, but also they gave the tangy flavor that nicely balanced the sweetness of the cake.
This Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake is really easy to make, and it's moderate in calories. So delicious and so guilt-free. Perfect Summer treat that goes so well with cup of coffee on afternoons.
This cake is absolute summertime favorite in my house. I hope it will be in yours too.
Enjoy!
Raspberry Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole grain flour I used Spelt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice about 1 lemon
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360F. Coat 9x5’’ loaf pan with coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, syrup, and lemon juice.
- Add dry ingredients in the mixture and stir well. Add Greek yogurt and continue stirring just until incorporated.
- Pour mixture in baking pan. Place raspberries on top, gently pressing them in the mixture, but not too much.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with crumbs. At about the 45 minute mark, if your bread isn't done but the top is looking pretty browned (especially around the outer edges) you can lay a piece of foil over the bread in the oven to prevent burning while it finishes baking.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More lemon dessert recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Lemon Cardamom Pancakes
- Lemon Oatmeal Muffins
- Lemon Turmeric Balls
- 20 Easy Healthy Lemon Dessert Recipes
*** PIN for later ***
Judy says
Would it be possible to replace most of the coconut oil with more Greek yogurt or would that ruin the texture? Also can I bake this is an 8 in cake pan instead?
Natalie says
Hi Judy. I never tried swapping the oil by adding more yogurt in this recipe. It could work. But I would rather just leave out the oil. This cake is very moist and I'm afraid adding more moisture (yogurt) would ruin the cake. Also, you can use a smaller pan. Just make sure you bake it for at least 50 minutes. This cake needs time. Enjoy :)
Aliya says
Would this work with all purpose flour, and plain yoghurt, instead of whole grain flour and Greek yoghurt?
And also frozen raspberries instead of fresh?
Natalie says
All-purpose flour and plain yogurt will work perfectly fine. But frozen raspberries, unfortunately not. They will release way too much moisture when baking.
Aliya says
Do you think thawing the raspberries would work? Have some frozen raspberries from the summer that I’m dying to use.
Natalie says
Unfortunately not. Same as with frozen raspberries, thawed raspberries will just make the loaf mushy.
Connie says
Have you ever use this recipe to make cupcakes or muffins instead of a loaf? If you were going to do this, how would you modify the recipe? What size of muffin would you recommend I try - mini muffin, standard muffin or jumbo muffin?
Thanks, Connie
Natalie says
I haven't use this recipe to make muffins, but it's a great idea that has cross my mind. :) If I was to convert this loaf to muffins, I would probably use same ingredients and use standard muffin tin size. The main variables that require a little tweaking is cooking time and temperature.
This cake recipe bakes at 360 F for 45-60 minutes. Try baking muffins at 375 F for 25-30 minutes. Since I don't have an exact cook time, use the toothpick test starting at 20 minutes and keep a close eye on the muffins. Once the muffins start looking golden brown on top, you should definitely check them with a toothpick. Hope this helps. :)
Sharon says
You are 100% right about raspberries being decorative! This dessert is a looker and perfect for summer. :)
nicole says
Looks amazing and tastes so good!
Ramona says
Oh wow, I really fancy this beautiful and full of flavour cake with my cup of coffee. It looks so delicious - will be making this super fast as my raspberries in the garden are asking to be picked - perfect timing to stumble across your recipe.
wilhelmina says
This was fabulous with a cup of coffee! My whole family is in love with this cake!
Suzy says
The raspberry and lemon are perfect together in this cake! love how moist and tender it turned out!
Estelle Forrest says
Raspberry and Lemon are always so good together! This looks yummy.
Cindy says
I want to make it this weekend and I have some strawberries - would they work instead of raspberries. thanks for sharing!
Marina says
This raspberry and lemon cake will make a great addition to our weekend family parties. The combination of flavours is fantastic
Kay says
This is just how I like making cakes, simplicity is the best way sometimes and this shows the proof is in the pudding or cake in this case LOL.
I will be trying this out very soon and enjoy with a cup of coffee :)
Thanks for sharing!
Amy says
Yum! The cake looks so moist! Recipe looks simple enough so I might get my daughter to try this on the weekend since she loves raspberries so much too. Love the use of yoghurt. A much healthier choice.
Olga Parker says
Wonderful cake, you did a great job! Thank you Natalie for sharing! I'm sure that the children will be delighted!
Natalie says
Thanks Olga. I'm so glad you like it. It's one of our family's favorite.
Stephanie Simmons says
Raspberry and lemon make such a great combination don't they?! I love the look of this cake!
swathi says
Raspberries and lemon's can't go wrong, I love this combo a lot, planning to make a pound cake with it,Now I changed mind, I am going try this one.
Catherine says
Oh what a gorgeous loaf cake! This is such a seasonal beauty with those lovely berries on top. A slice of this in the morn with coffee would be perfect.
Karyn Ryan says
Refined sugar free and made with fresh raspberries!!! Yes Please I could see my kids having a big slice of this for breakfast..a lot of days they just run out the door . This gorgeous loaf would tempt anybodies taste buds
Veena Azmanov says
Raspberry and lemon is always a great flavor combination. I also love that you used coconut oil. Sounds incredibly moist. I bet it tasted absolutely delicious with these three flavors combined.
Angela Cardamone Campos says
Wow Natalie!! This recipe is so delicious sounding and the pictures are GORGEOUS!! So summery and bright!! Great recipe.
Gloria says
Raspberry and lemon is such a great flavour combination. Love the sound of this delicious cake. I would eat this for breakfast LOL!! After all ....it does contain fruit right!!
Wajeeha says
How pretty and delicious looking this lemon loaf is...I love raspberries in baked goods!
Adriana Lopez Martin says
This raspberry lemon cake looks incredible, so moist and perfect. I am not a baker but now I want to try this cake at home looks so good!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I adore raspberries in anything. This looks fantastic. I would love to be cutting a big slice of this right now for my snack!
Rachel says
This sounds so yummy and looks really pretty!
Elysia says
This looks so yummy Natalie! Love how you've made it healthier with the whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt! I'll definitely have to try this out!
Kimberly Hatting says
Raspberries and lemon are a perfect flavor combo! We had several raspberry bushes at our previous house, and I miss having access to an (almost) endless supply of my favorite fruit.
Abbey Sharp says
Mmm this loaf looks amazing! Love the whole raspberries in this.
Carrie A Groff says
Looks yummy and would be perfect with coffee! I love the refreshing combo of lemon and raspberry too!
plasterer bristol says
one of my all time favorite cake recipes. Thanks for sharing. Simon
Natalie says
Thanks Simon :) Glad you like it!
LakeladyP says
A little confused. You say add half the dry ingredients, but you never say when to add the rest of the dry ingredients. Am I crazy?
Natalie says
Ups, my bad :) I'm gonna correct it asap. Thank you for letting me know :*
Anastasia Lekka says
I am definitely trying this one!! Looks absolutely delicious!!!
Natalie says
Thank you, Anastasia :)
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
Raspberries and lemon is such a great combination!
Natalie says
I couldn't agree more ;) Thanks for stopping by ladies :)
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
This raspberry lemon cake looks so pretty and absolutely delicious! Sharing and pinning! :)
Natalie says
Thank you, Marsha :)
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
This cake looks super yummy and amazing! Do you think I could sub GF flour?
Natalie says
Thank you, Bethany :) I don't see why not. I guess you'll have to add some extra liquid or oil in a mixture. Honestly, I'm not an expert. I only used almond flour few times. If you make this cake gluten free, let me know how it turned out ;)
Aliza says
Looks absolutely delightful! I will definitely be attempting this in the near future!
Natalie says
Thank you, Aliza :) Let me know what you think once you try it ;)
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
I love how wonderfully that all worked out! You had a craving for cake, your husband had a craving, and then your amazing friend had some fresh berries ready to go. Is there really anything better than fresh-picked fruit? :) Natalie, this raspberry lemon cake looks simply amazing. So delicious and moist. It's so wonderful that you managed to make something so pretty also so healthy! <--Perfect combo, in my opinion. :) Have a wonderful weekend! Pinning, of course. :)
Natalie says
Hehe yes, everything turned out quite great. My husband is still talking about that cake.. and it passed what, a week now since I baked it. Could be his next favorite dessert ;) Thank you, Demeter, for lovely comment and share ;)
mira says
Looks so delicious! Pinning to try it!
Natalie says
Thank you Mira ;)