Raspberry and Lemon Upside Down Cake. Deliciously refreshing lemon upside down cake recipe, fluffy lemon sponge with a layer of sharp raspberry jam to give a great combination. A great cake recipe, perfect for afternoon tea or a party.

When you're looking for a simple and tasty cake, this raspberry and lemon upside-down cake wins every time! The recipe is incredibly easy to make, and it's a case of simply mixing all the ingredients together and baking.
We often make this cake for the weekend when we have family over for dinner. You can make it the day before or in the morning, and cut it into slices.

Served warm with a drizzle of homemade custard is lovely! Eating at room temperature with a blob of freshly whipped lemon cream and a cup of tea is wonderful! Serve as part of an afternoon tea. You could cut this cake into dainty slices and present them on a pretty cake stand. Or simply eat a slice just as it is.
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At the end of the recipe, we've given some other suggestions to switch the flavors, and also information on making this in a different size pan and halving the recipe. So be sure to read those tips too!
The appearance of this cake is lovely. When it's turned upside down on the board, you see a wonderful glossy raspberry glaze from the raspberry jam we've used. It looks so inviting and tasty.

This cake has a wonderful refreshing flavor. The lemons we've used are freshly squeezed, and also the added zest will give a nice zingy flavor. The balance of sugar and lemon is perfect, however, we know tastebuds will vary, so if you like really sharp lemon flavor, (you know, the kind that makes your eyes screw up!), then add 1 more lemon zest and juice.
This cake is quite sweet because of the raspberry jam. You can by all means reduce the sugar quantity in the cake so it isn't so sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth, then leave the amounts as stated in the recipe.

The texture of this cake is as fluffy as a feather! The crumb is tender, moist and soft, and it certainly is very easy to eat more than 1 slice!
So let's take a look at the recipe, we've used regular pantry ingredients so you can make this whole cake from scratch!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Serves
8 slices
Ingredients

8 Tablespoons Raspberry Jam
1 &½ cups or 175 g All Purpose / Plain Flour
1 Heaped Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
6 oz or 175 g softened butter
3 large eggs
¾ cup or 175 g Regular Sugar
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon OR 2 teaspoons lemon extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325F, 170C Fan. Grease and line the base of a 9 inch (23cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
Note: You need to use parchment as you will be turning the cake out and you don’t want the raspberry jam to stick to the pan.
2. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the parchment in the base of the pan. If it is a bit stiff, pop in the microwave for 30 seconds to loosen and make it spreadable. (The photos below shows what it looks like with the jam, from our lemon upside down cake recipe)

3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and zest or lemon extract if using instead.
5. Add the SIFTED flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold gently so as not to lose too much air.

6. Transfer cake batter to the baking pan and spread evenly.

Make sure you spread to the corners too!

7. Place in the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until golden on top and the center is cooked through.

8. Once baked, turn the cake out onto a plate or serving board. I find the easiest way is to place the board on top of the baking pan and turn the whole thing upside down. Then remove the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and discard.
NOTE: be sure to use a tea bowl or oven gloves as it will be very hot!


9. Slice into 8 sizes.
14. Serve warm with some lovely warm custard or a blob of freshly whipped lemon cream.

Variations
- Steamed or Slow Cooked Cake - You can also steam this cake (around 55 minutes) or make in the slow cooker, set on high for 2 hours.
- Change the flavor - You can use any jam you like, for example, use our orange curd recipe and add orange zest and juice, or a spread of blueberry jam together with the zest and juice of lemons in the cake batter
- Add fruit - Feel free to add 1 cup of soft berries of your choice to the batter. We suggest you add the batter to the pan first, then sprinkle the berries all over the top and just gently push them down using a spatula.
See this Delicious Steamed Lemon Cake version on Lovefoodies!
Equipment
We've used an 9-inch round pan. This will also fit in a 9 x13inch pan if you double the recipe ingredients and increase the cook time to around 55 minutes if you'd like to make a larger cake.
Storage
This cake will keep at room temperature in an air-tight container for around 3 days. you can also freeze this cake.
Top tip
To get a light and fluffy cake, really make sure you cream the butter and sugar until it turns a pale, almost white color and has a fluffy texture.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card

Raspberry and Lemon Upside Down Cake
Raspberry and Lemon Upside Down Cake.
Deliciously refreshing lemon upside down cake recipe, fluffy lemon sponge with a layer of sharp raspberry jam to give a great combination. A great cake recipe, perfect for afternoon tea or a party.
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons Raspberry Jam
- 1 & ½ cups or 175 g All Purpose / Plain Flour
- 1 Heaped Teaspoon Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 6 oz or 175 g softened butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup or 175 g Regular Sugar
- Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon or 2 teaspoons lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F, 170 C Fan. Grease and line the base of a 9-inch (23cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
Note: You need to use parchment as you will be turning the cake out and you don’t want the raspberry jam to stick to the pan. - Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the parchment in the base of the pan. If it is a bit stiff, pop in the microwave for 30 seconds to loosen it and make it spreadable.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, lemon juice, and zest or lemon extract if using instead.
- Add the SIFTED flour, salt and baking powder. Fold gently so as not to lose too much air.
- Transfer the cake batter to the baking pan and spread evenly. Make sure you spread to the corners too!
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until golden on top and the center is cooked through.
- Once baked, turn the cake out upside down on to a plate or serving board. I find the easiest way is to place the board on top of the baking pan and turn the whole thing upside down. Then remove the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and discard.
NOTE: be sure to use a tea bowl or oven gloves as it will be very hot! - Slice into 8 sizes.
- Serve warm with some lovely warm custard or a blob of freshly whipped lemon cream.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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MEYKISS Cake Tester, Stainless Steel Cake Tester Probe Skewer Kitchen Baking Tools, Set of 2
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Rachael Ray 54073 Yum -o! Nonstick Bakeware Baking Pan With Grips / Nonstick Cake Pan With Grips, Round - 9 Inch, Gray
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Springform Cake Pan 9 inch Heart Shaped Cheesecake Baking Mold Nonstick Baking Pan with Removable Loose Base Leakproof Bakeware by Kemxing
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 426Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
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