So I had to go into work yesterday and since I didn't know how long I would be there I didn't want to make plans and be a last minute flake. So as I was driving home from work I decided to stop at the grocery store and buy ingredients to make a Raspberry Lemon Cake. And I know when you think cake you often think of multiple layers, gads of icing and a kind of more fluffy dessert variety. However, this cake definitely reminds me more of a coffee cake and so that is what I had for breakfast this morning...raspberry cake and chai tea. Yum! Sure I will be hitting the gym as soon as I finish writing this, but actually to be honest this cake is pretty low in fat and calories since the butter is cut down with the use of plain yogurt.



This cake is perfect for a summer or I guess as of today fall treat. The fresh raspberries coupled with the lemon curd make it tart which I just love and the powdered sugar gives it just enough sweetness so your mouth doesn't pucker. I have to say that I am a huge lemon curd fan...I fell in love with it when I went to this cute scone shop in Carmel a million years ago and it has been one of my favorite foods on the planet ever since.



In case you wanted to know a little bit about lemon curd let me share. It is most well known for being British and it is normally associated with tea, as an accompaniment to scones, muffins, etc. It has been around since the 18th century so it definitely is not a new thing. It is made with lemon juice, sugar and egg whites and its cooked to make a custard type of mixture. I haven't personally tried making it but I did read a few recipes just so I could share with you all.  Sometime it has lemon zest added to it to give it an even more intense citrus flavor. I also read that sometimes butter or cream are added to make it more soft and creamy, however I have never had it that way. I just love the tart, strong, lemon flavor. Supposedly it is also made in other citrus varieties like orange, tangerine or lime but I have never tried or seen those so I can't vouch for them.



Anyway back to the cake. It is super easy to make and it is pretty much made with one bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, yogurt, milk and lemon curd and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients which consist of flour, baking soda and baking powder. The cake is put together kind of in a lasagna style, layer of batter, layer of raspberries, layer of batter and finishing with a layer of raspberries. Voila!



I was worried that the raspberry juice would smear into the batter and turn it a funky pink color so I did dry the raspberries after I washed them and that seemed to work just fine. The recipe says to bake the cake for an hour, however mine still had raw batter in the middle after an hour so I baked it for closer to an hour and 15 minutes just so someone didn't get a dough ball in the middle of their cake.

Let the cake cool for an hour and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. I was pretty excited as this cake gave me an excuse to buy a sifter so I could put the pretty smattering of powdered sugar on my cake. Loved it!!

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt 
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup lemon curd*
• 2 1/2 cups flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 3/4 cups raspberries (about 18 oz.)
• Powdered sugar

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, salt, vanilla, yogurt, milk, and lemon curd until mostly blended.
2. 2. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl and beat until smooth. Spread half of batter in pan and scatter half of raspberries on top. Gently spread remaining batter over berries. Scatter remaining berries on top.
3. 3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour; if cake begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Let cake cool about 1 hour, then dust lightly with powdered sugar.
4. *Find with jams at grocery stores.

The only drawback to this cake is the fact that it makes 15 servings so if anyone wants raspberry cake this weekend please give me a call. I would be more than happy to be a raspberry cake delivery service...well within reason...I do have a delivery driving range. Cheers my friends!!