The best thing about this cake is the crunchy sugar crust. It reminds me of the sugar rim on a raspberry lemon drop martini, hence the name. Inside, rich, moist pound cake is balanced out by refreshing lemon and tart raspberry flavors. It’s the perfect summertime indulgence that goes great with a glass of bubbles!
Here’s what you need:
Be prepared!
As always, especially when baking, have your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you even turn on your mixer. I also recommend reading through the instructions before beginning so you understand the order of assembly. Preparing yourself this way will keep you from making mistakes and having to start over.
- First whisk together your dry ingredients, which in this recipe, are only flour and salt. Whisk them to evenly incorporate the salt and set aside for later.
- Next, prep your lemons. Use a microplane to zest each lemon and them juice them all into the same bowl as the zest. Set this aside as well.
- Crack your eggs into a bowl or large measuring cup so when it’s time to add them you don’t have to worry about getting shells into your batter.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature
- For the raspberry flavor, I use freeze dried raspberries. This type of cake is dense enough that they don’t weigh it down or make it soggy. Crush them to a very fine powder in a food processor.
Start building the batter.
Start by whipping the butter until its light and fluffy then slowly pour in the sugar, then the raspberry powder and beat until well combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down any batter hanging around the edges of the bowl.
Next, add the dry ingredients, a big spoonful at a time, while the mixer is still going on low. Then finally add the lemon zest/juice. Again, scrape down any batter from the sides that doesn’t want to get incorporated. Continue to mix for a minute until the batter comes together.
And now for my favorite part- the crunchy sugar crust. Brush all over the inside of a 12 cup bundt pan with melted butter. Drain off any excess then pour several tablespoons of granulated sugar inside and spread it evenly by picking up the pan with both hands and shaking and turning it, making sure sugar reaches every little nook, all the way to the top and up the middle.
Be careful with this next part. You don’t want to smear the batter around in the pan because that would mess up the sugar crust. Drop the batter in big spoonfuls all around the pan, then once the batter is all in, use the back of the spoon or a rubber spatula to gently smooth the top. It doesn’t have to be perfectly even. When it goes in the oven the heat will cause it to even out the rest of the way.
Bake for a long time at a lower temp.
The butter and sugar lining the pan burns easily if the oven is too hot. I bake this at 325 degrees for 80 to 90 minutes, but if you have an oven that runs really hot, you may want to lower it just a bit more so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is fully cooked. It will be done when a cake tester comes out clean, top is golden and the edges should be just slightly darker.
Don’t even think of inverting this cake until it has cooled completely! I know it’s agonizing but taking it out too early risks the cake falling apart! (I wish I didn’t know from experience.)
Once cooled, invert the cake onto a cake stand and decorate with fresh raspberries. This naked cake is perfect on its own or topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream!
More recipes like this:
Raspberry Lemon Drop Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature plus 2 tbsps melted for the pan
- 2 cups sugar plus extra to dust the pan
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 lemons zested and juiced
- 3 tbsp freeze dried raspberries ground
- 3 cups all purpose flour sifted
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the room temperature butter for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, slowly add the sugar, then the raspberry powder, then the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Stop whenever needed to use a rubber spatula to scrape down any ingredients that have accumulated on the sides or the bottom of the bowl to get everything evenly incorporated then slowly add the flour and salt a spoonful at a time while the mixer is still going. Lastly, drizzle in the lemon juice and zest and mix until combined.Pour the melted butter into a 12 cup bundt pan and use a pastry brush to coat it entirely. Pour in a few tablespoons of sugar, then gently shake and turn and the pan around to coat the inside entirely. Pour the cake batter into the buttered and sugared bundt pan and use a spoon or rubber spatula to spread it evenly. Place into a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 80 or so minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cake is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before inverting onto a plate. Slice and serve on its own or with whipped cream and fresh berries.
I absolutely love this recipe! It is so moist and delicious and the flavors go so well together!