How to Make a Raspberry Celebration Cake – Perfect for Birthdays & Parties

 

Today is my birthday and as today is a day for celebration, I want to make myself a cake worthy of celebrating!  Raspberry Celebration Cake!  This is a cake I have been making for about 20 years now. 

I got the original recipe from one I found in a Good Food Magazine, many years ago. It became a favorite then and it is a favorite now!

The first time I baked it was for a get-together with some lady friends down in Kent. I wanted to bake something worthy of the special occasion that was.

I used to belong to a recipe group on line called Recipe Zaar and a bunch of members who lived in the U.K. decided that we would get together and meet in person. Since I lived on a beautiful Estate at the time, and my employers were away, we decided that it would be the perfect spot to meet.

What a wonderful time we had!  Everyone brought a bit of food and I made this delicious Raspberry cake for dessert. 

It had been a real labor of love. For that first time I even sugared rose petals to decorate the top of the cake. It was so pretty we hated to cut into it.  But we did and we enjoyed it. 

 

We enjoyed it so much that it became the benchmark for any celebration cake I made after that occasion!!

A beautiful golden sponge, dotted throughout with fresh raspberries, put together with a layer of vanilla buttercream and another of raspberry jam.  Finished off with a sweet glaze and more fresh raspberries if desired!  A pretty cak, and a delicious cake!  Well worthy of any celebration!

 

   INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE A

RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE

For the cake:

• 175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
• 175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
• 4 large free range eggs, separated
• 100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g ground almonds (1 scant cup)
• a few drops of almond extract
• 125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)

For the buttercream:

• 75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
• 125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
• few drops vanilla

For the glaze:

• 100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
• water to thin

You will also need:

• about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam

 

Caster sugar is a type of fine granulated sugar, especially valued for baking with as it melts into batters, etc. very quickly and fully without leaving any granules behind.

Use the freshest raspberries. I don't recommend using frozen as they will bleed into the cake and mar it's appearance.

Self-rising flour is not always available I know, but you can easily make your own by whisking 1 cup of flour (125g) with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Icing sugar is also known as powdered sugar, or confectioner's sugar.

Use the best jam you can buy, or homemade is even better!

HOW TO MAKE

DELICIOUS

RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside. (I like to use cake tins with removable bottoms.)
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and extract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.
3. Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.
4. Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.
5. Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.
6. Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
7. Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream.
8. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up.
9. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzle mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icing sugar if desired.

You really cannot find a nicer cake than this one. If you have a reason to celebrate or even if you don't, I hope that you will be inspired to want to bake one for yourself.

This is the gold standard of layer cakes. I just know you will fall in love!

A FEW OTHER 

DELICIOUS CAKES TO ENJOY

 

QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE - We are especially fond of this old, old recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake.  I don't expect there is a Canadian community cookbook without a version of this in it.  It goes way back. 

 It is a simple and delicious cake!  The dates make it incredibly moist. It is also studded with plenty of toasted walnuts. Topped with a sweet caramel icing and sprinkle of coconut, this is a real treat! 

TRADITIONAL SEED CAKE - Seed cake is actually a very traditional cake which goes way back in British history.  It was very popular in Victorian times, and a good seed cake recipe would have been included in most cookery books of that era.

It has a texture very similar to a pound cake and is studded with caraway seeds. It was said to be William Wordsworth's sister Dorothy's favorite cake.  All I can say is that she had exceedingly good taste! 

I absolutely adore enjoying a nice slice of this with a hot cup of herbal tea.

 

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Yield: 8-inch layer cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Raspberry Celebration Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
• 175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
• 4 large free range eggs, separated
• 100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g ground almonds (1 scan't cup)
• a few drops of almond extract
• 125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)

For the buttercream:

• 75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
• 125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
• few drops vanilla

For the glaze:

• 100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
• water to thin

You will also need:

• about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and extract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.
3. Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.
4. Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.
5. Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.
6. Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
7. Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream.
8. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up.
9. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzle mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icing sugar if desired.

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