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Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

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Soft, light and moist vanilla layer cake frosted with the most delicious raspberry buttercream. If you ever need a cake to welcome spring, this bright and cheerful vanilla cake with raspberry frosting is it!

Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Today marks the official start of spring. Well, at least that’s what they say in the news. Never mind that I still wear my parka out. If it’s on TV, it must be true right? Right.

Whatever the weather where you are, you’re sure to have a spring in your step (sorry, couldn’t help it!) after having a slice of this cake. It’s perfect for Easter too. Or Mother’s Day. Or I-Deserve-A-Cake Day (a.k.a. everyday).

Birthdays too!

This vanilla cake with raspberry frosting makes for a delightful birthday cake too. The cake, once frosted and decorated, looks so bright and happy (who can resist that colour?) and just waiting for a birthday song.

Just so happens it’s my brother’s birthday today so yay! Happy birthday J! Much love xoxo.

It’s finally spring! Celebrate with this delicious vanilla cake with raspberry frosting!Click To Tweet

Vanilla cake

Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

So on to this cake. First the vanilla layers. I like a unique cake as much as the next person (ginger matcha persimmon carrot mocha cake anyone?) but I always go back to the classics. Like chocolate, lemon and, of course, vanilla.

We probably all grew up having a vanilla cake on one of our birthdays and I just love the simplicity of it.

The cake base here is the same one I used for my Rainbow Cake but I amped up the vanilla flavour even more.

Raspberry frosting

Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

For the frosting, I used ready-made raspberry jam. It had seeds in it but that didn’t bother me one bit. Of course, you can opt for a seedless jam.

Also, you can make your own. I bet that would be incredible.

Have a slice of this very vanilla cake frosted with the most delicious raspberry buttercream!Click To Tweet

Vanilla cake with raspberry frosting

Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Whatever you choose, the result of these two components together is a cake that’s bursting with flavour. The vanilla and the raspberry complement each other so well. The frosting does not bring down the lightness of the vanilla cake. The vanilla flavour does not get overpowered by the raspberry frosting.

It’s not overwhelmingly sweet either (and I’m not just saying that so I can eat more than 1 slice at a time). Perfect with coffee, tea or, you know, just because.

So whatever you’re celebrating, add this vanilla cake with raspberry frosting to your spread. It’s delicious, bright, light and just all-around cheerful.

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Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Soft, light vanilla cake frosted with delicious raspberry buttercream. Need a cake to welcome spring? This vanilla cake with raspberry frosting is it!

Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 3 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla paste (you can substitute with the same amount of vanilla extract)
  • 3/4 cup (175 ml) canola oil
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk, room temperature
    For the Frosting:
  • 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam
  • 3 cups (384 grams) confectioner's sugar (more may be needed to achieve desired consistency)
  • 3 tablespoons milk (more may be needed to achieve desired consistency)

Instructions

    For the Cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease the sides and the bottoms of 3 8-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper for easy release.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 4 eggs, 2 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla until light and triple in volume (7-10 minutes). Start on low speed then gradually move up to medium-high speed. Drizzle the 3/4 cup canola oil while beating.
  4. Switch to low speed and add a third of your flour then half your milk. Another third of your flour, the rest of your milk and finally the rest of your flour. Make sure each addition is incorporated well. Beat the batter until smooth (3-5 minutes). Remember to scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl.
  5. Transfer your batter into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with minimal crumbs.
  6. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
    For the Frosting:
  1. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup raspberry jam on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
  2. Switch to low speed and add confectioner's sugar a little at a time until well incorporated. Once you've added all the sugar, add 3 tablespoons milk and beat the frosting on high speed for 2 minutes until very smooth and fluffy. At this point, check your frosting and decide if you're happy with the consistency. If not, add more sugar or milk about 1/2 teaspoon at a time and continue beating until you get the consistency you want. Be sure to taste the frosting as you go.
    For the Assembly:
  1. Trim the tops of the cake to ensure they are level. Evenly spread frosting on top of first cake layer. Do the same for next two layers. Then proceed to cover the rest of the cake with frosting and decorate as desired.
https://theunlikelybaker.com/vanilla-cake-raspberry-frosting/

Happy baking!

Did you make this vanilla cake with raspberry frosting? What were you celebrating? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Here are more celebration cakes for you:

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Comments

  1. I made this cake, I thought it was a bit dry, but overall good. I added some fresh raspberries in the cake. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  3. This cake looks so pretty and delicious! I love the idea of a raspberry frosting – I feel like I tend to only see raspberry thrown in with other flavors like lemon or chocolate.

    Reply

    • Thanks Kate! I must say the raspberry frosting steals the show here. I may or may not have eaten it with a spoon haha. Hope you get to try it…it’s a great spring frosting.

      Reply

  5. I lOVE YOUR BLOG! There is a sense of comfort when I started reading (I felt like I was stalking haha creeps) your recipes…because I am from Manila too (hallooooooo!) But I was drawn to your little space of heaven up north! Haha layo! Keep blogging! ❤ love, love your masterpieces. I shall try doing them. 🙂

    Reply

    • Awww this made my day Lica! 🙂 That’s very kind of you to say. Are you in Manila still? If you are know that I am jealous lol! And I hope you get to try one of the recipes on here soon. Have a lovely evening!

      Reply

    • Hi Cameron. That’s how I started baking too 🙂 Then I slowly ventured into by-scratch cakes and realized they’re not that hard to do after all. Hope you like this cake!

      Reply

  11. This cake is absolutely stunning! I completely prefer the look of a 3-tier cake vs a 2-tier. And I love that you used raspberry. It’s the perfect color for the spring and packs a great punch of flavor. I gotta try this one out!

    Reply

    • Hi Sharon! I love 3 layered cakes too (I once made a rainbow cake that had 6 layers and had so much fun!!).

      Reply

    • Ahaha thanks Mark! Full disclosure, I got lots of failed cakes too. But yes, I practice and practice and there is always hope! 🙂

      Reply

  17. This looks so good! I’ve been thinking about making a white cake – love the raspberry frosting! This is so perfect for spring.

    Reply

  18. I have a delicious vanilla cake recipe from the Amish but will be trying out your raspberry jam frosting. Raspberry is my daughters favorite.

    Reply

    • Hi Candy! I absolutely adore this frosting. I’m sure it will go well with your recipe too 🙂 Hope your daughter likes it!

      Reply

  23. This looks like my kinda cake- light, fluffy and pink! I really wish they would finally come up with a technology where I can taste what’s on the pictures, cause I would love to take a bite off this big slice of goodness! 🙂

    Reply

  28. This sounds like the perfect cake for a spring birthday. I love raspberries but I’ve never tried to make raspberry icing before, sounds delicious!

    Reply

  29. The cake looks perfect! I love the versatility of having a vanilla cake base because you can frost it or decorate it with whatever fruit you have on hand. I am saving this recipe for the vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. I’m going to make this for my mom on Mothers Day.

    Reply

  34. I think raspberry treats are so underrated! This looks like a fun change-up from the typical vanilla or chocolate on vanilla! Definitely going to keep this on the back burner for my next cake!

    Reply

    • Hi Katie! They are, aren’t they. I personally like fruity desserts. And this is quite exceptional if I say so myself 🙂 Hope you like it!

      Reply

    • Ahahaha! I’m sure the funfetti cake was delicious and well appreciated (not to mention so much fun!) 🙂 This can be your Happy-Birthday-Last-Week cake!

      Reply

  36. This cake sounds so good and the pictures are beautiful. Raspberry is such a wonderful flavor to work with. A cake like this wouldn’t last long at my house. 🙂

    Reply

    • To be honest, we had to give most of it away because we kept eating it lol! We needed to share the love (and the calories teehee!)

      Reply

  38. Oh my goodness that cake looks delicious! I love vanilla cake, but am not usually too fond of raspberry, but may give this one a try because it looks really tasty.

    Reply

  47. Umm, this is gorgeous! Now, I am craving cake. My birthday is tomorrow, I told everyone I don’t want cake but NOW I WANT CAKE!

    Reply

    • Yes, that frosting! So yummy 🙂 I thought about straining the seeds out but since I’m lazy…lol. It worked out in the end 🙂

      Reply

    • Thanks Jenny! I thought about chocolate too though vanilla won in the end 🙂 Happy spring to you too! (If only warm weather came with it eh? LOL!)

      Reply

  57. i am such a sucker for both vanilla and raspberry! This cake looks so yummy and refreshing! Def going to try making this for fun. Hehe! 🙂

    Reply

  58. I happened upon this recipe today…the first day of spring! I love the classic flavors and raspberry and vanilla are so complimentary. A sweet underlying blend of vanilla and the kick of raspberry sounds so good. It looks light too! I’ll be trying your recipe!

    Reply

    • It’s a lovely spring cake (though of course I’m biased haha!). Vanilla and raspberry just work so well together. Hope you like the cake Jessica! Would love to hear how it goes 🙂

      Reply

  59. I wonder how this would turn out if I tried to make it gluten-free? Proabably not as light and fluffy as this one looks. I think it might be an I-Deserve-A-Cake Day soon! lol! 😀

    Reply

    • I’m afraid I have no experience baking gluten free cakes so I can’t really say. So I’m really quite curious to see how your cake turns out! And yes, this is definitely one of my favourite I-Deserve-A-Cake Day cakes! 🙂

      Reply

  65. Another beauty of a cake, Jolina! The fresh raspberries on top add such a lovely, fresh (and pretty touch). Your layers are perfect too! It is definitely not spring-like around here today. We have snow! Then, it’s supposed to be freezing rain. Ugh, Well, at least there’s cake….hehehe 😉 Happiest of birthdays to your brother!!

    Reply

    • Thanks Dawn! I think my borderline OCD has gotten worse since I started baking. If you could only see my “tools” to get those dang layers straight lol! It was spring-ish here today…temperature was +6 or something though gloomy. Hope spring arrives there soon! Oh and thanks for the birthday greeting 🙂

      Reply

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