This lemon raspberry poke cake is a perfect cake to feed a crowd! This homemade lemon cake is soaked in sweetened condensed milk and topped with fresh raspberry sauce. Sweetened whipped cream is either piped or spread on top!
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🍰A cake to feed a crowd!
This lemon raspberry poke cake is a one layer cake that is baked in a 9"x13" baking pan. It comes together pretty quickly, and can even be partially made a day ahead!
The cake starts with a lemon cake base. After the cake is baked, poke holes all over the cake. These holes help sweetened condensed milk and raspberry sauce to soak into the cake. At this point the cake can be stored in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, either pipe or spread on the whipped topping. Or top with the whipped topping right away and serve!
Do you like lemon recipes? Try lemon lovers trifle, fudgy lemon brownies, or lemon meringue cheesecake!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Raspberries - frozen or fresh raspberries are fine in this recipe. No need to thaw frozen ones.
- Unsalted butter - you can use salted butter instead. Just omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- Lemons - fresh lemons are recommended for best flavour. Plus you need the zest in this recipe.
- Milk - I like to use 3.25% milk in my baking recipes for best flavour. You can substitute with 2% milk. I don't recommend going with any lighter milk then that.
🔪Instructions
Lemon Cake
To make the lemon cake, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together for at least 3 minutes. The butter and sugar need to be well creamed together. Creaming butter and sugar together is important because the sugar helps fill the butter with bubbles. The more bubbles - the lighter your cake will be!
Add vegetable oil, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Mix in eggs until combined.
Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 9"x13" baking pan, and bake for 28-32 minutes at 350°F (180°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, and then poke holes all over the cake with the end of a wooden spoon, or something of equal sizing. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the cake, using a rubber spatula to sweep the milk into the holes. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Raspberry Sauce
To make the raspberry sauce, combine raspberries and sugar in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Stir until the sauce starts to bubble, breaking up the raspberries as you stir. Once sauce is bubbling, remove from the heat and let cool until it is no longer steaming.
Stir in vanilla extract and then pour sauce evenly over cooled cake. Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly down the holes. There will be a thin amount of sauce remaining on the cake. Refrigerate cake until fully cooled.
Whipped Cream Topping
To make the whipped cream topping, add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Either pipe or spread the topping onto cooled cake. Serve chilled.
✔️Expert tips
- You can make the cake the day before and add the whipped topping before serving.
- Use either fresh or frozen raspberries.
- There is no need to thaw frozen raspberries, if using.
- Use the end of a wooden spatula or something the same size to poke holes all over the cake.
- Make sure there are no chunks in the raspberry sauce. The sauce needs to be smooth so it can sink into the holes.
- Add the whipped topping when the cake has fully cooled.
💭FAQs
A poke cake is a cake that requires holes to be poked all over it after it is baked. Then a liquid is poured over the cake, which settles into the cake holes.
The whole cake, minus the whipped topping, can be made a day ahead. Add the whipped topping before serving.
The lemon cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then poke holes all over it and continue with adding the sweetened condensed milk, raspberry sauce, and whipped topping.
🔖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
Lemon Raspberry Poke Cake
Equipment
- one 9x13" baking pan
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk 3.25% or 2% milk, room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 10 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Raspberry Sauce
- 1½ cups raspberries either frozen or fresh
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9"x13" baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together for at least 3 minutes. The butter and sugar need to be well creamed together.
- Add vegetable oil, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in eggs until combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients in, and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, and then poke holes all over the cake with the end of a wooden spoon, or something of equal sizing. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the cake, using a rubber spatula to sweep the milk into the holes. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Raspberry Sauce
- Combine raspberries and sugar in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Stir until the sauce starts to bubble, breaking up the raspberries as you stir.
- Once sauce is bubbling, remove from the heat and let cool until it is no longer steaming.
- Stir in vanilla extract and then pour sauce evenly over cooled cake. Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly down the holes. There will be a thin amount of sauce remaining on the cake. Refrigerate cake until fully cooled.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Either pipe or spread topping onto cooled cake. Serve chilled. Leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- You can make the cake the day before and add the whipped topping before serving.
- Use either fresh or frozen raspberries.
- There is no need to thaw frozen raspberries, if using.
- Use the end of a wooden spatula or something the same size to poke holes all over the cake.
- Make sure there are no chunks in the raspberry sauce. The sauce needs to be smooth so it can sink into the holes.
- Add the whipped topping when the cake has fully cooled.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️