Lemon cake with raspberry filling and whipped cream cheese frosting

This recipe is written to make one tall 4-layer cake. OR for a quick and easy dessert: This recipe can make TWO 9x13 inch sheet cakes--the kind that can be baked, frosted, delivered, and served in the same pan. After the cakes have cooled, top with the raspberry filling and then the whipped cream cheese frosting. Chill until ready to serve.

Lemon Cake

1 box of white cake mix 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 small box lemon instant pudding mix 

¾ teaspoon salt

Zest of 2 lemons

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup oil or melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon extract

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

 

Prepare pans by lightly greasing and flouring and lining bottoms with parchment paper. Fill pans about half full. Use two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before inverting onto wire cooling rack.

Allow cakes to cool completely. Using a long serrated knife split each cake lengthwise to make 4 cake layers. Wrap and freeze until ready to use.

Raspberry Filling

6-ounce carton of fresh raspberries OR 6 ounces frozen raspberries

21-ounce can of raspberry pie filling

If using fresh raspberries, wash and dry the fresh raspberries, then cut each berry in halves or quarters. Pour the raspberry pie filling into a bowl and gently stir in either fresh or frozen berries.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ⅓ packages of cream cheese (about 11 ounces total)

1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Pinch of salt

2 cups whipping cream

In a medium bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and salt several minutes until smooth and glossy. (Sugar should dissolve.) In another bowl, beat whipping cream until firm peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture, and stir until smooth. Put about half of the frosting into a prepared piping bag fitted with a wide round or open star tip.

To assemble the Cake

Remove the cakes from the freezer and unwrap. Place first cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of whipped cream cheese frosting around the inside edge of the cake to create a dam. Fill the dam with a third of the raspberry filling. Top with next cake layer and repeat dam and filling process. When all four cake layers are filled, frost sides and top of cake with whipped cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

For a room temperature cake, use Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe in place of Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.