Along with this buttercream kitty cat cake I posted yesterday, I also made a goldfish cake… which is a hilarious and super cute combo ever! Both of these cakes were for a 60th birthday party for a twin brother and sister.
I’ve never been asked to create a “fish” themed cake before, so this was what I came up with. It is an 8″, four-layered lemon cake with a raspberry filling in-between the layers. The raspberry filling is key to any lemon cake. The combination of the tangy, citrusy lemon with the ever so sweet raspberry filling is a match made in cake heaven.
(Not only do I sometimes taste test the tops of my cakes, but I’ve been known to eat the rest of the leftover raspberry filling… like I literally lick that bowl clean. I’m v proud of that. Everybody deserves a bowl of raspberry filling to themselves.)
Raspberry Filling Ingredients
- 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Raspberry Filling Directions
- In a small sauce pan, combined all of the ingredients and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat (keep stirring until thickened for best results).
Lemon Cake Ingredients
- 3 cups (345g) sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Lemon Cake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans greased with butter and then dusted with flour.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes
are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack.
