Raspberry Dream Cake

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This Raspberry Dream Cake has layers of tender, moist vanilla cake and fresh raspberry filling all covered in cream cheese frosting! It’s a wonderfully simple, yet delicious cake!

A Raspberry Dream Cake with a slice removed on a silver cake stand

So the boys seem to be changing so much lately and getting so grown up. They are 18 months and after their 18 month check up I can tell you that being preemies didn’t hold them back one bit. They’ve caught up fully to where they were as far as percentiles when I was pregnant with them. Ashton is up in the 90s with his percentile and Brooks is literally off the chart. Crazy boys. They are over 27 and 31 pounds and getting quite tough for me to hold at the same time.

One thing I’ve been working with them on for a little bit now is drinking from a straw and they’ve totally mastered it now, which is neat to see. They are also really discovering that they have a mind of their own and so sitting down and planting themselves when they don’t want to do what we say is becoming a very popular behavior. And their dance moves are going from a cute little bounce to full on dancing, complete with the same little bounce, stomping, swaying and arm waving. It’s my favorite.

And yet despite all their growth, they are still the same silly boys that love being outside and playing with water. They’ll be taking a big step a week from today, and starting swimming lessons. The place we are taking them does short 10 minute lessons 4 times a week for 6 weeks, so it’s a fairly big commitment. But with drowning literally being the number one death in young kids and us around water so much, it’s a skill they’ve got to have. So survival swimming begins next week!

A slice of Raspberry Dream Cake on it's side next to a fork on a grey plate
Side view of a full Raspberry Dream Cake on a silver cake stand surrounded by raspberries

The boys have also recently developed a taste for baked goods. They initially were questionable on them and now whenever they see stuff I’m working on, they know they want to try it. Eek! There’s always so much stuff around our house, I’m hiding most of it. I just don’t want to give them too many sweets too soon. They didn’t get to try this cake, but I’m sure the day is coming.

How to Make this Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Filling

Speaking of this cake, it really is a dream! It’s modeled after the Publix Raspberry Elegance Cake, which I had recently. It really struck me because the flavors are so simple and seemingly unexciting and yet, when paired together, make an elegant and classy cake. Simple enough that you could eat it any old day but nice enough for an occasion too, and certainly not boring. The cream cheese frosting really ups the game with this cake!

To start, there’s the cake layers. I’ve mentioned using the reverse creaming method in a couple of recent cakes and have used it here as well. I promise I won’t use it for every cake now, but I have kind of fallen in love with the texture it gives a cake. It’s just SO tender! And it creates a really nice, tight crumb that is reminiscent of a bakery-style cake.

To make it, you’ll combine the dry ingredients, then slowly add in the butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture resembles wet sand. This process of adding the fat to the flour actually coats the flour to minimize gluten formation. Ultimately it results in a more tender cake and finer crumb.

A slice of Raspberry Dream Cake with a bite removed on it's side next to a fork on a grey plate
Overhead view of a full Raspberry Dream Cake topped with whole raspberries

Next, the filling is made with some fresh raspberries that are pureed in a food processor. They are then cooked with some sugar and cornstarch to sweeten and thicken it. It thickens enough to make a nice filling, but doesn’t become super thick.

Finally, you’ve got a classic cream cheese frosting. It’s hard not to love a good cream cheese frosting and the flavor it adds compliments this cake beautifully. Frost the cake with it, then decorate it as you like.

I used my favorite 9 inch offset spatula to create some decoration around the outside, then adorned it with some fresh raspberries and few pearl sprinkles. A subtle but elegant look that reflects the simplicity of the cake itself. I hope you enjoy it!

A slice of Raspberry Dream Cake on it's side next to a fork on a grey plate

More raspberry recipes to enjoy:

White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
Raspberry Almond Layer Cake
Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Raspberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Raspberry Roll Cake

Print
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A Raspberry Dream Cake with a slice removed on a silver cake stand
Recipe

Raspberry Dream Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Raspberry Dream Cake has layers of tender, moist vanilla cake and fresh raspberry filling all covered in cream cheese frosting! It’s a wonderfully simple, yet delicious cake!


Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Layers

  • 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups (325g) cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Raspberry Filling

  • 2 1/2 cups (320g) raspberries
  • 4 tbsp (60ml) water
  • 1 cup (207g) sugar
  • 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (172g) butter, room temperature
  • 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch or two of salt

Instructions

Vanilla Cake Layers

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper in the bottom and baking spray on the sides.
  2. Combine the milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl, then separate about 3/4 cup of the mixture into another bowl or measuring cup. About 1 1/4 cups should remain in the other bowl. Set both aside.
  3. In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  4. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the butter about a tablespoon at a time, allowing it to incorporate before adding the next tablespoon. As you add more butter, the mixture will start to clump together a bit a should end up resembling wet sand.
  5. Add the larger of the reserved egg mixture (about 1 1/4 cups) to the dry ingredients/butter mixture. Stir on the lowest speed until it’s incorporated, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds to a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  7. Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the remaining egg mixture in a slow stream until incorporated.
  8. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then turn speed back up and mix until well combined, about 10-15 seconds.
  9. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  10. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. The cakes will pull away from the sides of the pan a little as they cool.

Raspberry Filling

  1. To make the raspberry filling, add the raspberries and water to a food processor and puree until smooth. If you’d like, you can strain the puree to remove the seeds.
  2. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the raspberry puree.
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring consistently until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 8-10 minutes.
  4. Allow to boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Refrigerate and allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. When ready to build the cake, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until well combined and smooth.
  2. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
  3. Add the vanilla extract and salt mix until well combined.
  4. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.

Build the Cake

  1. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. Refer to my tutorial, if needed.
  2. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
  3. Pipe a dam of frosting around the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial, if needed. Spread about 1/2 of the filling evenly on top of the cake.
  4. Place the second cake on top and add another dam of frosting and the remaining raspberry filling.
  5. Top the cake with the final cake layer and frost with the remaining frosting. Refer to my tutorial, if needed.
  6. If desired, use a 9 inch offset spatula to create a design in the sides of the cake. Pipe shells around the top edge of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847. Finish off the cake with some fresh raspberries.
  7. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake is best when allowed to sit out for an hour or two before serving so that it comes a little closer to room temperature. Cake is best when stored well covered for 3-4 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 785
  • Sugar: 109.6 g
  • Sodium: 329.2 mg
  • Fat: 25.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 134.7 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 97.9 mg

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193 Comments
  1. Leona So

    Just now I am eating the cake which I baked yesterday, I have never made such light cake, so delicious I grade it if I could 10 stars, it is that good .You have geven it the Right now I am eating your dream cake it is just what it is a dream cake. My cake did not look like yours but it tasted I am sure just the same. It took me 5 times to read it and understood about the batter as I am 91 years OLD and still bake cakes bread and cook every day, I am in awe of your baking you are the MAX. Thank you for your recipes, also the your knowlegde of baking is just wonderful. With great respect I thank you. Leona So….I do live in Belgium, Thursday my friends will taste the other half of your dream cake, which I saved and froze.






    1. Lindsay

      I imagine that would be fine. If you are planning on making it in a 9 x 13 pan, I would probably reduce the temperature to 325°F.

  2. Ellen Nyberg

    Made the cake for our celebration of birthdays at church. Followed the recipe step by step exactly, Cake was very heavy What would cause this to happen? The delicious raspberry filling saved it from being a disaster.

    1. Lindsay

      It’s very difficult for me to say from a distance, without more information, whether or not it turned out correctly. The reverse creaming method does produce a cake that feels a little more dense and heavy than the traditional creaming method. But it also creates a very tender crumb and kind of a smooth texture. If that describes what you experienced, then it may have been correct, and just a little different than you expected. Otherwise, it could be that it was over mixed or something happened with an ingredient. It can be really hard to say for sure.

  3. Natalie

    I had high hopes for this recipe but the batter never came together correctly. I now have 3 hockey puck cake discs. I am a seasoned baker and can’t even remember the last time a recipe was a total failure. It’s unfortunate…i’ve no idea what could be the cause. I did double check the baking powder and it’s not expired 🤷🏻‍♀️ i made the recipe exactly as written. I’ll frost them anyway as i hate to waste the ingredients but don’t think i’ll try another reverse creaming recipe.

    My only other comment is it seemed unnecessary to put 1/4 of the liquid in a different bowl…instead I would just advise that you put 3/4 of the liquid mixture in, mix together and then add the rest, otherwise you’ve created an extra dish to wash when it’s not necessary.






    1. Anna Kay

      I have really had great luck with reverse creaming. Sorry it didn’t work. One thing- I use high fat butter and make sure it isn’t “sweated” with condensation in case water affects it. I also just dump in all the butter at once.

  4. Bella

    I was skeptical about the reverse creaming method in this recipe as i never heard before but i will probably say this is the best vanilla cake recipe i’ve baked before.Made it for my twins birthday and the cake was gone in a heartbeat.Cake turned out so tender and moist and had a very nice crumb to it.I baked the cakes in 9″ square pans ,reduced the baking time to 17 minutes and they were baked to perfection.






  5. Monica

    Hi can I use home made cake flour with the reverse creaming method as some recipies advise against it . Kindly advise

    1. Lindsay

      I don’t really use cake flour much (I’m just not a big fan in most cases), and I haven’t used it with the reverse creaming method before, so I can’t really say.

    1. Lindsay

      I haven’t tried it, but you could certainly give it a try. It should be fine. I would just recommend reducing the temperature to 325.

  6. Becky

    I am wondering at what altitude you are baking at? I am at 5,000 ft and the cake worked but was a bit heavy, yet so delicious. Wondering how to get it nice and fluffy or is it a heavy cake?

    1. Lindsay

      According to google, our elevation is just below 1,000 ft. This cake has a tight crumb (which could make it feel dense), but it’s also very tender. I hope that helps!

    1. Lindsay

      That should be fine. The cake recipe should make about 24 cupcakes, but you may need a little more of the filling.

  7. Ivy

    Hello thanks for the recipe! I just want to ask if its possible to put the cake in the freezer a week before serving it? Will it still taste delicious?😊

    1. Lindsay

      Are you asking about freezing the fully frosted cake? I don’t typically recommend freezing fully frosted cakes. You could try it though. You could freeze the individual parts. However you decide to freeze it, I would recommend wrapping it well in saran wrap and foil and then thawing it in the fridge before using. If you are going to try freezing the full cake, you can flash freeze it for an hour or two and then wrap it.

  8. Dawn

    Can you make this cake the day before and leave in fridge until serving next day? Or should it not be assembled until the day of? Ty

  9. Saarah

    This looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I wanted to ask though – is it ok to make the raspberry filling and Cream cheese frosting 2-3 days in advance?

    1. Lindsay

      Yes, definitely. You’ll just need to let the cream cheese frosting come back to room temperature so that it’s soft enough to spread on your cake.

  10. Morgann

    Hello! I’m hoping you see this today, I’m making the cake today for a birthday. My mixer suddenly stopped working, us using a hand mixer going to mess up the reverse creaming?

  11. Carol O'Neill

    Help me! I just made this cake. Followed the recipe EXACTLY, used fresh baking powder etc. My cakes hardly rose. They look like frisbees , about a little less than a 1/2 inch in height. I used an oven thermometer , the correct size 8 inch pans (brand new) etc. What happened? Are the cake layers supposed to be 1/2 inches (I even measured the weight of each filled pan to be sure they would all be the same.

    1. Lindsay

      The layers should each be closer to an inch tall. It sounds like your ingredients were fresh, so it may have to do with mixing. Two things to consider – you want to be sure your butter is room temperature and not too soft or too cold so that it properly coats the dry ingredients when you add it. The other is to not over mix everything at the end. It can be hard to say for sure what happened from a distance, but I hope that helps.

  12. Danyelle

    Looking forward to making this for my husband’s birthday tomorrow. I just realized my pans are 9 inches. Will they work?

  13. Holly

    Can I use this recipe for
    4-6” pans? And can I use fresh cherries instead of raspberries
    I am making a white claws cake and cherry is her favorite flavor. So that’s why I need 6” cake pans so it looks more like a can.
    Let me know what I can do to incorporate this one into that

    1. Lindsay

      You can freeze the cake layers prior to frosting the cake. Just wrap them well in clear wrap and foil before freezing them and thaw them in the fridge before using.

  14. Allyson

    Hi there! I’m just curious how you’d compare this vanilla cake to your other “moist vanilla layer cake” that doesn’t use he reverse creaming method (as in taste/texture). Do you prefer one over the other? Thanks!

    1. Lindsay

      Gosh, that’s a tough one and I really think it depends on personal preference. The reverse creaming method creates a tighter crumb that is kind of velvety and smooth. It’s really lovely. But you also might think of it as being more dense because the crumb is more tightly packed, so to speak. My regular vanilla cake has a looser crumb, so I think of it as being lighter and that’s generally the kind of cake I gravitate towards. But this one is really delicious too. Again, it depends on personal preference, the specific cake and what you’re going for with that cake. I’ve used the reverse creaming method in a few places where I really do think the different texture of the cake compliments the overall cake, and this is one of those places. But you could certainly use the regular vanilla cake too.

  15. Allison

    This recipe sounds great! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for adding Lemon to the cake itself? I would love to get a nice lemon flavor to match with the raspberry.

  16. Christina Cox

    This cake was excellent. Made it for my daughters birthday and the whole family loved it. Moist, dense and flavorful! I did make some changes – only had two 8” pans so baked about 28 minutes. After cooling, I cut each layer into two. Also had only 8 oz of cream cheese so i subbed 8 oz of mascarpone and added one cup heavy cream, one cup powdered sugar and one tablespoon of vanilla.
    Definitely making this again.






    1. Lindsay

      I can’t tell you the exact ingredients for reducing it. It might be best to just bake the full cake in two layers. The layers may turn out a little bit more dense that way. And you may not need quite all the frosting. You should be able to cut the filling in half.

      1. Tina

        I am so bummed out. I followed directions exactly as written for the cake batter. I did not over mix, as someone below commented may have been the reason someone else’s cake didn’t turn out correctly. The rounds are thin and dense. Should I have sifted the cake flour? 🙁

      2. Lindsay

        Sifting shouldn’t make a huge difference in the way it bakes. I can’t see your cake layers to know how thin is thin. They should be about an inch thick. If they didn’t rise properly, it could be that you over mixed the batter or that your baking powder is out of date.

  17. Kristy

    I want to do strawberry instead of raspberry. Would I fix it the same way and the same amounts as the raspberry?

    1. Lindsay

      I have not frozen it. Typically it’s best to freeze only the individual cake layers. I would wrap them well before freezing and thaw them in the fridge before using. I probably wouldn’t freeze them for more than a month.

  18. Suelyn

    Tried to make this cake don’t know what went wrong the batter was not fluffy it was very liquidy and lumpy, I took my time to go through the instructions, I didn’t even bother to put in cake pan batter didn’t look right at all.

  19. Gina DeMarco

    I have seen this cake in Publix numerous times,and I would like to make it myself, but I don’t like cream cheese (or any other kinds of cheese). Do you have a vanilla frosting recipe that’ll be perfect for this particular cake?






  20. Hannah

    I LOVED this cake!!! I made it for my birthday dinner, and all my friends were obsessed with it!! I put the cream cheese frosting in between the layers as well just to make it a little taller, and then put the filling in too. It was amazing!!






  21. Samantha L

    I’m going to try out this recipe this week. I’m just wondering if there’s something I can substitute the vegetable oil with. I’m soy free, so we try to stay away from it.

    1. Kelsey K

      Try using olive oil, I do gluten free cakes and olive oil is a great substitute I hardly bake with veg oils. My mother in law also cannot do soy so she chooses to do olive oil for everything as well. 1-1 ratio and I think it makes things very moist compared to other oils.

    1. Lindsay

      It should last about a week. I would probably make it a few days ahead at most so it doesn’t go bad in the cake if you have leftovers.

  22. Wanzhu Zhao

    This is a great recipe, the only thing I changed was the amount of sugar in every single component otherwise it’s just too sweet. I knew from looking at the amount it would be too much for my family’s taste so used 1 cup for the cake, half a cup for the raspberry and five cups for the icing. It turned out great. I love the reverse creaming method, very light crumb and perfect texture for the frosting. The other thing is I don’t have vanilla extract so I used two vanilla beans instead. Great flavor, im saving this for future as well!






  23. Ann

    I made this for my son’s birthday and it was perfect. I tried it again as a practice for my daughter’s wedding…doubled the recipe and used 12″ pans. It turned our totally rubbery. Any suggestions?






    1. Lindsay

      I’m glad you enjoyed it the first time around! I don’t really make any 12 inch cakes, so it’s hard for me to say exactly. I wouldn’t think that that would change the result. I’m not really sure, I’m sorry.

  24. Ivy

    My 8 year old requested raspberry filing cake and while I would normally make a copycat bundt cake from a well known place – I decided to try yours. I did reduce the powdered sugar leaving out 250g in the icing, which by the way came out just as great and not overly sweet, but the cake itself seemed quite dry despite baking it for only 22 min. I was hoping for a more moist cake. Edible but on the hunt for something more moist.






  25. Kathryn

    This cake recipe was awesome!!! I made this dairy and gluten free and it was still amazing! You could not tell that it was gluten or dairy free at all. It was so fluffy and light! I used King Arthur gluten free flour, almond milk, and country crock dairy free butter. It got RAVE reviews from my family. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.






  26. Erin

    Sounds amazing. I am going to add lemon zest and some lemon juice to turn this into a lemon cake. I was also wondering if I could substitute the milk for buttermilk in this recipe. 😉






    1. Lindsay

      I would probably recommend you check out some of my lemon cake recipes if you want lemon cake layers. There’s a lot of acidity in lemon and buttermilk, so you need some baking soda usually to balance that out. Just adding lemon to this cake may not give you the results you want.

  27. Amber

    Hello! I am trying out this recipe this week and was wondering if I can make the raspberry filling a day in advance and refrigerate? Thanks!

  28. Paula Henrikson

    I make dessert request for everyone on my team at work for birthday celebrations. Just made this and it was a hit for most but for me and some others the sugar part of your site name was overwhelming. I stopped adding powdered sugar after 8 cups instead of 10 in the recipe, as I thought the frosting was getting a little stiff. Combined with the cup in raspberries and 1.5 cups in the cake…WOW, a lot of sugar.

  29. Camilla M

    Hi Lindsay,
    This cake sounds interesting. But I’m curious about why it seems more complicated than most cake recipes. Usually it’s adding dry ingredients to wet and done. Adding the butter to the dry flour sounds odd. Can you tell the purpose of this step?
    Thank you,
    Camilla

    1. Lindsay

      It’s just one of several different methods for cake making. As I mentioned in the blog post, it’s called the reverse creaming method. It creates a different textured cake. I personally really enjoy it. Feel free to give it a try!

  30. Liz Hewitt

    Thank you so much for replying. I baked the cake at 160 Celsius. It turned out fine except some of the mix leaked through the loose bottom of the tin.

  31. Liz Hewitt

    Hi Lindsay,
    I’m going to bake this cake later today. I made your chocolate cake and it was wonderful!
    Just a quick question…should I drop the oven temperature by 10 degrees as my oven is fan assisted and in degrees Celsius?

    1. Lindsay

      I wouldn’t adjust it for a convection oven. Mine is convection as well. Not sure about the celsius part though. I’d guess it should stay the same, but in celsius.

  32. Debbie

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree, ganache would be my go-to as well so I was stumped when she wanted a white cake with berry — just can’t see putting chocolate on that. I’ll be giving it a try this weekend, wish me luck!

    1. Lindsay

      You could try using white chocolate ganache. That might work better than regular chocolate. I hope it goes well!

  33. Debbie

    My daughter wants a white cake with raspberry filling for her birthday and your recipe looks perfect. However I was going to decorate the cake as a Tiffany’s gift box (her theme), so I would love your thoughts on how to adjust the recipe if I were to cover the entire cake with the blue fondant. Would you recommend the cream cheese icing as the base beneath the fondant, or would buttercream be better, or does it matter? Any other tips? Thanks!

    1. Lindsay

      I really don’t work with fondant much and don’t cover cakes with it, so take my advice with a grain of salt. But if you cover the cake after refrigerating it, the frosting should be nice and firm (either cream cheese frosting or buttercream) so I imagine it would be fine. Back when I did cover some cakes with fondant though, I preferred ganache because it ended up giving me harder edges, which I preferred. Buttercream tends to end up having a softer edges after being covered.

  34. Ashley

    Hi! I wanted to make this cake for a christmas dinner but in cupcake form because I loved it so much when I made it for Valentine’s Day. How long should I bake for if I decide to do that?

    Thank you@






  35. Maya

    Made this cake for a cousins birthday and it was a hit! We now just use the cake recipe for all birthdays. Thanks for the amazing recipe!






  36. Christine Bashara

    I see that on the cake instructions you call for unsalted butter.  For the frosting, though, it just calls for 3/4 cup of butter.  Can I assume it’s regular salted butter.  Thanks in advance.  The cake looks lovely.  






    1. Lindsay

      You could use either honestly. The salt adds some flavor and cuts down on sweetness so it’s more a matter of preference.

  37. Jamesyn Horton

    Absolutely delicious! I really like your recipes, I’ve made 2 now, the lemon cheesecake and this one. I think in gonna make the Snickerdoodle Cake next! I am also a fellow cinnamon lover😀. Are all the recipes on this website in your cookbook?






  38. Louise

    My son has asked for a raspberry and lemon curd cake- this looks like an awesome start. What are your thoughts on alternating layers of the raspberry filling and lemon curd?

  39. Ashley White

    I baked this cake for my birthday this past week and it turned out SO DELICIOUS!! My whole family loved it as well as a few friends I delivered a slice to. I didn’t have any 8 inch cake pans so I used 2 9 inch cake pans and the full recipe was the right amount of batter for two layers. I did have filling and frosting left over but that was to be expected with only 2 layers. Also, I read the comments that said 10 cups of sugar was necessary when I was debating whether or not to reduce it, but I put a whole bag of powdered sugar (2lbs) and I just could not open the new bag to pour in more sugar!! However, the consistency, taste, and texture of the frosting was actually perfect for me. This cake really was a dream!!
    Thank you,
    Ashley






    1. Beth

      Amazing cake! I just made for a friends birthday and everyone loved! I used 3  (8 inch) pans and had read a couple of reviews that layers seemed thin so i made 1 1/2 recipe of cake batter and it made a beautiful cake! Everyone loved the texture with reverse creaming method. The raspberry filling was perfectly sweet and spread nice  and was the exact amt of frosting with some extra to pipe edging and top! Thanks for the great recipe and i will certainly make again

  40. Donovan A Carter

    Hi! This was the first cake I’ve ever baked (for my Father’s birthday) and I gotta say, your recipe is tasty! Also, I really loved the buttercream! I am a begginner as far as making a cake from scratch so I did come across some issues with the texture and I did some things a bit differently that I think affected the end result. The cake came out a bit dense which we didn’t mind, but it was also dry. I cooked the cake for 25 minutes but I used 9 inch cake pans (i didn’t have any 8 inch ones), so I think I may have cooked for too long. I didn’t have cake flour so I made my own by sifting together some corn starch and all-purose flour. I sifted all the dry ingredients together as well. I also forgot to let the eggs get to room tepurature and I mixed all the wet ingredients before adding it to the dry (I’m unsure if this is correct or not). Long story short, I was wondering if there is a way to make the cake moister and lest dense. Sorry for the long comment, but I plan on trying to make this recipe again because I really enjoyed the flavor and I’m quite interested in baking now that I’m home much more. Thanks for the recipe!






    1. Lindsay

      When it comes to cream cheese frosting, you really do need quite a bit of powdered sugar to have a good consistency. You could try reducing it, but the frosting may not stay in place as well or be pipe-able.

  41. Kristin Voldseth

    You comment “the cake is best when stored well covered for 3-4 days”. By that do you mean the cake improves with sitting 3-4 days prior to eating; or do you mean it will keep 3-4 days when well covered and refrigerated?

  42. Reina

    Hellow, I was wondering if I could swap out the raspberries for strawberries. Would I need to change anything in the recipe if I do? Thank you.

  43. Rudi

    Made this cake at the last minute (since my cheesecake leaked inn water) for a high school graduation party.
    Instead of raspberry, I used strawberries and the cake came out beautiful and very tasty.
    Because of your recipe I received a lot of compliments.






  44. Val

    So excited to make this. This cake looks beautiful and has two of my favorite things: cream cheese frosting & raspberries. Can I prepare the raspberry filling in advance? At least puree and separate the seeds?

  45. Jo

    What Cake Flour did you use? Im trying to make this cake for Mothers day and I want it to be perfect :)! first time making a cake. 

  46. Lauren

    Hi- my sweet six year old asked for this for his birthday tomorrow. However I cannot find cake flour anywhere 😖. Would something else work?

  47. Mahsa

    Hi lovely, i want make this cake for my daughter birthday but I have only one pan and can not go outside to buy more, can I use this recipe in 1 pan? Thanks 

    1. Lindsay

      I would not recommend adding all of the cake batter to an 8 or 9 inch pan. It would take quite a while to bake and make quite a thick layer and end up very dense. You could try baking one layer at a time and do either two or three layers.

  48. Ashley

    Hi!
    I made this cake based off your recipe the other day and it was amazing! I loved the raspberry filling and the cream cheese frosting! 

    I just have a quick question, would I be able to make this cake in a 9×13 pan instead of the 8in rounds? 

    Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! 






    1. Lindsay

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tried it in a 9 x 13 so I’m not exactly sure how it would turn out. If you try it though I might reduce the baking temperature to 325°.

  49. Patty

    I made your raspberry dream cake today for my husbands birthday and it turned out perfect and it was a big hit with my husband, the sweet lover, and our adult kids and grandkids.  Thank you, I know I’ll be making many more times. 






    1. Mellisa

      Hi Lindsay!

      I am wanting to make this but I know elevations are a huge difference factor in baking. I live in Colorado so when I try and make baking recipes off an online site, more than half the time the results are a flop. What is your elevation so that I may adjust the flour or leavening agents to my altitude?
      Thank you

      1. Lindsay

        I don’t really know anything about high-altitude baking and I’m not sure of my altitude, but I am in Atlanta, Georgia.

      2. Vivian

        Hi Melissa! I love in Colorado also. We are at 6700 feet. I have NEVER made any adjustments to baking when baking WITHOUT yeast. I have always had great results and have never had a problem. When I first moved here 42 years ago I used to try to make all they necessary adjustments, but now (and for many, many years) I don’t do anything differently and the results are perfect! Hope you have the same results that I have had….Good luck!!

  50. Anne Scott

    I made the raspberry filling for a chocolate cake and it was fantastic! I plan to make this actual cake soon because I love a good vanilla cake. Question on the filling, how long does it last in the fridge?






  51. Pam

     I read the reviews of this cake and just pulled cake layers out, cooled and removed and found the layers are thin.  I’ve been baking and decorating cakes for a very long time.  My ingredients are fresh as I made several cakes this week and all was good.  My question is does this cake recipe just make thin layers.  I have done reverse creaming many times before so just wanted to know Lindsay if your layer were thin?  They look and smell fantastic.  

    Thanks

    1. Lindsay

      It’s kind of difficult for me to know what “thin” means to you compared to someone else. The cake in my photos is roughly 4 inches tall, maybe a little less. So each layer is about an inch or so tall. I’m not sure if you would consider that thin or not. I will say that with the reverse creaming method, cake layers tend to pull away from the cake pan a little bit as they cool. But that’s normal and OK.

  52. Erin

    This cake tastes SO good, Lindsay! The slices looked so pretty, too, which was a big bonus! I love the raspberry filling; it’s delicious paired with cream cheese frosting. And the vanilla cake layers are so fluffy and soft. Overall, wonderful recipe! 🙂

  53. Erin

    I’m making this cake today for a dinner tonight; the cake layers I made last night, and they turned out beautifully! I love the end-result of reverse;creaming-method cakes, but my batters always seem to turn out lumpy instead of creamy. I begun to think I should just veto the recipe’s idea of adding all the wet ingredients at once and instead add them in parts, like you do here. Your recipe was perfect, Lindsay! This method yields the creamy, deliciously smooth batter I expected. I can’t wait to see how it tastes later today, with the raspberry filling and the frosting! Oh, and happy 2nd birthday to Asthon and Brooks! Hope they’re having a great day so far! 🙂

    1. Lindsay

      That is so sweet of you to remember the boys’ birthday! And I’ll actually be posting an update on them tomorrow. 🙂

  54. Gloria

    Can you tell me if this cake would freeze well? I’d love to try it, but would need to make it ahead of time.  

    1. Lindsay

      I don’t ever really freeze full cakes, so I’m not sure. If you do try it, I recommend thawing it in the fridge when you are ready.

  55. Carol

    Hi Lindsay

    I’ve been searching for a great white/ vanilla cake recipe and will be trying your reverse creaming method.  I read that you have the batter at 3 of the 8-inch cake pans. I have 3 of the 6-inch cake pans…I was thinking of using the rest of the batter for cupcakes. At what temperature and time would you say I bake this cake at if I use the 6-inch cake pans.
    By the way, I made chocolate cupcakes from your recipe…it’s definitely super thumbs up, super moist!

    Thank you
    Carol 

    Carol

    1. Lindsay

      I’m glad you enjoyed the chocolate cupcakes!

      I haven’t baked any 6 inch cakes, so I’m not really sure what the baking time would be. I’m sorry!

    2. Monica

      Hi Lindsay

      Quick question: can I make this cake in a bundt cake pan? I know the baking time would have to be adjusted. Any thoughts?

      1. Lindsay

        I honestly haven’t tried it to be able to say. I would think it would bake, it’s just a question of what the texture would be like.

  56. Sharon C Karani

    I would love to make this recipe. Would it work with vanilla buttercream frosting instead of cream cheese? I am making a 2 tier cake for a baby shower and I would prefer to use a more stable frosting.

  57. Jessica

    This cake looks delicious. I recently tried the raspberry elegance cake from publix and I was looking for a way to remake it. The thing that scares me is for the frosting recipe, it says 10 cups of sugar which is a way, too much for me. Why so many cups for this frosting? Do I really need to use that many cups of sugar, 10 whole cups of sugar seems excessive. Also since you only need the frosting for the outside of the cake, wouldn’t have alot of frosting left over?

    1. Lindsay

      Buttercreams often have a large amount of powdered sugar in them for volume and stability. Meringue based buttercreams have less sugar because of the volume added by whipping the egg whites for the meringue. The 10 cups of powdered sugar is necessary especially with cream cheese frosting to help it be stable. Cream cheese frosting is much more finicky than any other basic buttercream. If you reduce the amount of powdered sugar, you would want to reduce the overall amount of ingredients you were using in the frosting to maintain a stable consistency. You can definitely do that if you don’t think you’ll use all of the frosting. I do tend to be heavy handed with my frosting. You can read more about my cream cheese frosting recipe here. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/cream-cheese-frosting/

      1. Lindsay

        So I start from the bottom and use my 9 inch offset spatula to create the lines around the bottom first. I start at the bottom and swipe up. Once I’m happy with the look of the lower swipes, I do the second row. And then just to finish off the corners of the cake I did horizontal swipes around the top. I hope that helps!

  58. Brenda

    I have just finished making this cake, and will serve it tomorrow for my mom’s 96 birthday at a restaurant. The cake went great, as I have been baking for 50 years, but I was disappointed that the layers were very thin, and the cake did not look like a 3-layer cake. i did put all three pans in same oven, and they were touching a tiny bit. What went wrong. Every crumb I tasted was delicious.






    1. Lindsay

      It’s hard to say for sure what went wrong, but it sounds like they didn’t bake correctly. I wouldn’t suggest having your cake pans touching in the oven. It prevents the hot air from being able to evenly heat the cakes as they bake. That could definitely have affected it.

  59. Arminda Du

    This cake looks amazing and I’m thinking of making it for my nieces Baptism. I was wondering if you’ve tried substituting the milk with buttermilk?

    1. Amelia Boone

      I just made this cake tonight.  It is a denser cake, but  just as Lindsay described it, tighter crumb and tender.  I’m glad she said it.  I kept trying to think how to describe it, but she nailed it.  Very good cake, not too sweet.






  60. Janice

    I’m going to make this cake for an outdoor event, not sure about using a cream cheese frosting. Your vanilla frosting using butter & shortening would probably be best. Your thoughts

  61. Suzy-q

    This is a beautiful cake. Almost too pretty to eat! Did you remove the seeds from the filling? I will put this on my list of cakes to bake. Thanks, Lindsay! So glad to hear the boys are doing great!

  62. Gina

    One of the best cakes I have ever made. Made this cake today for my husband’s birthday and everyone loved it!!! The raspberry is just right not too sweet and the frosting is perfection. I don’t know if it’s the reverse creaming or having oil with the butter in the cake but whatever it is, this is the first white cake I’ve made that isn’t dry and tasteless. This is my new go to white cake recipe.
    Thank you Lindsay for the best white cake recipe.






      1. Pam

        Excited to make this. I dont have three cake pans and was thinking about two 9-inch spring forms instead. I like they are straight walled versus my slant wall cake pans anyway.
        Thoughts?

      2. Lindsay

        Two 9 inch pans should be fine. You just might need to adjust the baking time a little bit. Also be sure that you’re springform pans don’t leak.

  63. Kris Garrett

    Hey Lindsay! What a wonderful time with your boys! So many precious “firsts 💙” I was just wondering how this cake compares to the Berry Mascarpone Layer cake, not the filling but the cake part?
    Many Blessings for your beautiful boys! 
    Thx
    Kris

    1. Lindsay

      Gosh, it’s hard to compare them. It’s been a while since I made the other cake too. I remember really loving the other cake. But this one is going to have a tighter crumb and be tender in a different kind away. The other one I think is a little more airy, whereas this one is kind velvety but has a tighter crumb. I hope that helps!

    1. savannah

      Question is this cake suppose to be semi dense I’ve made it a couple of times dont know if its me doing something wrong or its just a heavier cake.

      1. Lindsay

        The reverse creaming method produces a cake that is a little more dense than the traditional creaming method – it has a tighter crumb. It sounds like that’s probably how it’s supposed to be.

  64. Erin

    Definitely making this cake! It’s absolutely gorgeous! I was pretty much sold as soon as I read “cream cheese frosting” and “reverse creaming method”. And I can’t help but feel some white chocolate ganache would be terrific along with the raspberry filling between the cake layers… 🙂

      1. Addison Milligan

        Can I use whipped cream frosting instead? Also do you have any recipes for whipped cream frosting? I want to have a lighter frosting. Do you have any other recommendations?






      2. Solange Sakem

        Hi please I would love to make this cake for my brothers birthday tomorrow but I can’t find cream cheese. It’s mascarpone or Philadelphia cheese thesame as cream cheese please?

      3. Lindsay

        Philadelphia makes cream cheese, so without seeing it to say for sure, it sounds like it might be right.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29