This raspberry champagne cake is a symphony of flavours, perfect for celebrating life’s sweetest moments. Nestled between champagne cake layers lies tangy sweet raspberry filling. The cake is frosted in a dreamy champagne buttercream this is lightly dyed pink. Whether it’s a bridal shower, an anniversary, or simply a Tuesday , this cake is your ticket to pure indulgence.
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🍾A Cake For Celebrating
This raspberry champagne cake is such a fun cake! It has champagne in both the cake layers and the buttercream frosting. To keep the layers moist we brush on a simply syrup with champagne in it before assembling. If you like champagne in recipes, check out this recipe and this one! Both have champagne in them.
In between the layers is a tart and sweet raspberry filling. You could easily use a store bought raspberry jam, but I like to make things from scratch, so it's in the recipe below. I find store bought raspberry jam can be too runny, so try to find one that is thicker. I add cornstarch to the raspberry filling to make it firmer. You don't want raspberry filling falling out between the cake layers.
This cake would be perfect to serve at a bridal shower, an anniversary, a birthday, or whenever you want a slice of an amazing cake!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Frozen raspberries - I recommend using frozen raspberries for the filling and some fresh raspberries to decorate the top of the cake.
- Vegetable shortening - You can substitute shortening with unsalted butter if you prefer a full butter frosting.
- Champagne - Any sparkling wine will do. You can use pink sparkling wine too!
- Lemon - For best taste, use a fresh lemon for this recipe.
🔪Instructions
Champagne Cake
First place champagne in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until champagne has reduced and thickened. You should have about ½ champagne when ready. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of three 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt together.
In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together for at least 2 minutes. Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and reduced champagne. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides and bottom when needed.
Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen from pan. Then remove cakes from their pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Champagne Simple Syrup
To make the champagne simple syrup, add sugar and champagne to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl to cool.
Raspberry Cake Filling
Add water and cornstarch to a medium bowl and cook over medium heat until cornstarch has been dissolved.
Add raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar to the pan. Continue to cook over medium heat until the raspberry filling has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer cake filling to a bowl and store in the refrigerator until needed.
Champagne Buttercream Frosting
Add champagne to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until champagne has thickened and reduced to about 2½ tablespoons. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
Add butter, shortening, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Mix until well combined, at least 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine. Add pink food colouring if desired.
Assembly
Brush champagne simple syrup on each cake layer. Add a thin coating of buttercream frosting to the tops of 2 cake layers. This is so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep into the cakes.
Place one buttercream frosted cake layer onto a cake table. Pipe a border of buttercream frosting around the top edge of the cake so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep out the sides of the cake.
Spoon half of raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake, within the buttercream border. Add second buttercream frosted cake layer on top of first layer.
Pip another buttercream border on that layer, and spoon raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Use a piping bag and tip to decorate the top. Add some fresh raspberries.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
✔️Expert Tips
- Don't over beat the cake batter. I like to use my mixer until just before it's all mixed together. Then I use a spatula to do the final mix to make sure it doesn't get over mixed.
- Don't overbake the cake layers.
- Use store bought raspberry jam if you like. Just make sure you get the thickest jam you can find.
- Don't forget to do a thin layer of buttercream on top of the bottom and middle cake layers. The jam needs that layer of buttercream to sit on. If the buttercream wasn't there, the jam would seep into the cake layers.
💭FAQs
Champagne cake is a vanilla cake made with champagne instead of milk or buttercream. The taste is a very light champagne flavour.
The alcohol is baked out of the cake layers, leaving just a light taste of the champagne. You can forgo the champagne simple syrup and use a regular simple syrup if you want. Also the buttercream has a very little amount of champagne per slice. You can easily substitute milk or heavy whipping cream in the buttercream instead of champagne.
You can make the raspberry filling ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until needed. You can also make the cake layers ahead. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can freeze individual slices of this cake. Wrap well and store in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
🔖Related Recipes
📋 Recipe
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Raspberry Champagne Cake
Ingredients
Champagne Cake
- 1 cup champagne
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Champagne Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup champagne
Raspberry Cake Filling
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 14 ounces rasperries frozen and thawed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Champagne Buttercream Frosting
- ⅓ cup champagne
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 drops pink gel food colouring optional
Instructions
Champagne Cake
- Place champagne in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until champagne has reduced and thickened. You should have about ½ champagne when ready. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of three 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pans.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together for at least 2 minutes. Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and reduced champagne. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides and bottom when needed.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen from pan. Then remove cakes from their pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Champagne Simple Syrup
- Add sugar and champagne to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl to cool.
Raspberry Cake Filling
- Add water and cornstarch to a medium bowl and cook over medium heat until cornstarch has been dissolved.
- Add raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar. Continue to cook over medium heat until the raspberry filling has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Transfer filling to a bowl and store in the refrigerator until needed.
Champagne Buttercream Frosting
- Add champagne to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until champagne has thickened and reduced to about 2½ tablespoons. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
- Add butter, shortening, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Mix until well combined, at least 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine. Add food colouring if desired.
To Assemble
- Brush champagne simple syrup on each cake layer. Add a thin coating of buttercream frosting to the tops of 2 cake layers. This is so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep into the cakes.
- Place one buttercream frosted cake layer onto a cake table. Pipe a border of buttercream frosting around the top edge of the cake so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep out the sides of the cake.
- Spoon half of raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake, within the buttercream border. Add second buttercream frosted cake layer on top of first layer.
- Pip another buttercream border on that layer, and spoon raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Use a piping bag and tip to decorate the top. Add some fresh raspberries.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Don't over beat the cake batter. I like to use my mixer until just before it's all mixed together. Then I use a spatula to do the final mix to make sure it doesn't get over mixed.
- Don't overbake the cake layers.
- Use store bought raspberry jam if you like. Just make sure you get the thickest jam you can find.
- Don't forget to do a thin layer of buttercream on top of the bottom and middle cake layers. The jam needs that layer of buttercream to sit on. If the buttercream wasn't there, the jam would seep into the cake layers.
Cheri L Jacobsen
Nina, do you think I could use cup to cup gluten free flour?
Nina
HI Cheri, I do not have any experience working with gluten free baking. I did a quick search however and it looks like a one-to--one swap will work. Please let me know how it turns out! 🙂