Raspberry Raffaello cake for a summer birthday

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A special summer birthday calls for a special summer cake! This light and airy Raspberry Raffaello Cake, made with the limited Raffaello Summer Edition, is just the thing. My Minis and I baked this delicious summer treat together for Grandma's birthday.

It's July, which means summer has officially arrived! Even if the weather here in northern Germany doesn't always show it, you'll notice it the moment you walk through the supermarket with your eyes open. Everywhere you look, summer editions of your favorite sweets promise fruity, tropical indulgence.

So when I stumbled across the Summer Edition of my beloved Raffaelos —with raspberry, and in the prettiest shade of PIN*K 😉—they immediately found their way into my shopping cart. Since we're celebrating my mother's 60th birthday this summer, I instantly knew they would become the highlight of her birthday cake: a beautiful summer cake decorated with pink Raffaellos!

Recipe for the Heavenly Raspberry Raffaello Cake

If you're widening your eyes at the thought of baking a naked cake together with your little ones, let me reassure you: You can bake absolutely anything with children! All you need are two ingredients: patience and time. 😉

If you don't have both while preparing this cake, simply bake it on your own this time. But if you do have the time, just divide the process into several steps. Who says your children have to help with every single part of making the cake?

The sponge cake layers and the meringue decorations can easily be prepared two or three days in advance. The meringues can even be made earlier. Breaking the recipe into individual steps makes it much easier to fit into everyday family life. Your Minis can help with plenty of tasks: können:

• Finding and weighing the ingredients
• Mixing the batter
• Unwrapping the Raffaellos
• Spooning the filling onto each cake layer
• Decorating the finished cake
• …and many more!

Ingredients for the Raffaello Cake

Sponge Cake

Makes six layers using a 20 cm (8-inch) springform pan. For the cake shown here, I doubled the recipe and used a 26 cm (10-inch) springform pan.

• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp warm water
• 175 g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 75 g flour
• 75 g cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking powder

For the Filling

• 500 g fresh raspberries (reserve 12 for decorating)
• 500 g raspberries (fresh or frozen) for the raspberry purée
• 250g mascarpone
• 500 g quark
• 400 g heavy cream
• 100g powdered sugar
• 2 packets whipped cream stabilizer (or San Apart)
• 260 g Raffaello Summer Edition** (a mix of classic coconut Raffaellos and raspberry-coconut Raffaellos), reserving 12 chocolates for decorating

Decoration

• 2 egg whites
• 100 g sugar
• Red food coloring from GoodBake*
• 2 wooden skewers
• 12 Raffaello chocolates (I used 6 classic and 6 raspberry Raffaellos)
• 12 fresh raspberries
• Sprinkles, if desired

Discount code for your purchase at GoodBake: With the discount code “LIA12” you save 12% on your purchase from Goodbake.

(*The links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links. I can recommend suitable products that do not cost you more and I receive a small commission that helps me finance my blog. Thank you!)

Baking accessories

Kitchen scale, mixing bowls, hand mixer, fine mesh sieve, rubber spatula, 20 cm springform pan, parchment paper, cooling rack, knife, tablespoon, cake lifter, cake board or serving plate, cake ring, wooden skewer, piping bag with nozzle

Preparation

A layer cake naturally takes more time than a simple sheet cake, but you can make it much easier by dividing the work into several stages. The process can be broken down into four main steps:

• Bake the sponge cake layers
• Prepare the filling
• Assemble the cake
• Decorate the cake

Baking the Sponge Cake Layers

We start with the sponge cake. Fünf Backtipps wie dein Biskuitboden besonders fluffig wird, findest du in diesem Rezept. The cake layers can easily be baked two or three days before serving.

• Beat the egg yolks together with the warm water and sugar on high speed until the mixture becomes thick, creamy, and pale.
• In a second bowl, combine the flour, salt, cornstarch, and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture a little at a time, carefully folding them in with a rubber spatula.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter. Be careful not to stir too vigorously—you want to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
• Pour the batter into a 20 cm springform pan lined with parchment paper on the bottom. Do not grease the sides, as the sponge rises better when it can cling to the edge of the pan.
• Bake at 180°C (350°F) for approximately 30 minutes. Since baking times vary depending on your oven and the thickness of the cake, check for doneness with a skewer.
• Once baked, turn off the oven and leave the sponge inside for a few more minutes.
• Allow the sponge to cool completely before slicing it horizontally into layers.

Preparing the Raspberry Raffaello Filling

For the Filling we'll start by making the raspberry purée that will be spread onto each sponge layer.

• Wash 500 g raspberries thoroughly and allow them to drain in a fine sieve. If using frozen berries, thaw them completely first and drain them well so the cake doesn't become watery.
• Press the raspberries through the sieve using the back of a spoon. Your Mini will probably love helping with this! Continue until only the seeds remain in the sieve and you have a smooth pink purée in the bowl.
• Stir 20 g powdered sugar into the purée and set it aside.

Next comes the coconut cream for the Filling of the Raffaelo cake.

• Let your Mini mix together the quark, mascarpone, and 80 g powdered sugar until smooth.
• Divide the mixture evenly between two bowls. Add the classic white Raffaellos to one bowl and the raspberry Raffaellos to the other. (Remember to reserve six of each for decorating.) Crush the chocolates while mixing, or chop them beforehand with a fork. The pieces should remain large enough to provide a pleasant crunch. If you prefer a smoother filling, crush them more finely.
• If desired, tint the raspberry filling a light pink with a little red food coloring.
• Whip the heavy cream together with the whipped cream stabilizer until stiff. Divide it equally between the two fillings, folding it in gently so the cream stays light and airy.

Assembling the Raspberry Raffaello Cake

Now it's time to bring everything together. Let`s assemble the summer cake!.

• Wash the fresh raspberries and let them drain well.
• Slice the sponge cake into six even layers. A cake lifter or flat plate makes transferring the layers much easier.
• Place the first layer on your serving plate and secure it with a cake ring.
• Spread one portion of raspberry purée over the sponge.
• Scatter fresh raspberries evenly across the layer. They don't need to completely cover the surface—spread them out so they'll last through all the layers.
• Spread one-third of the raspberry Raffaello cream over the berries.
• Place the second sponge layer on top.
• Repeat these steps four more times, alternating between the raspberry filling and the white coconut filling. After the fifth layer, you should finish with the raspberry cream. Place the sixth sponge layer on top as the cake lid.
• Divide the remaining white filling in half. Spread one half smoothly over the top of the cake. Pipe the remaining cream into twelve dollops around the edge of the cake like the numbers on a clock. If you have extra cream, pipe additional dollops across the surface.

Your Raspberry Raffaello Cake is almost finished—it just needs its meringue decorations!

Meringue Decorations for the Summer Cake

Since we're already decorating the cake , let's keep going!

A large part of my cake decorations consists of homemade meringue kisses and meringue lollipops , which you can prepare several days in advance.

• Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat until glossy.
• Tint part of the meringue with food coloring if desired. I colored half of mine pink.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe little meringue kisses onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
• For the meringue lollipops, draw circles on the parchment paper and slide a wooden skewer underneath each circle to create a lollipop stick.
• Dry the meringues in the oven at 100°C (210°F) for about 90 minutes. Once cooled, they're perfect for decorating cakes—or simply enjoying as a sweet treat.

Once the meringues were ready, I alternated the classic and raspberry Raffaellos on top of the whipped cream dollops together with the little meringue kisses. My Mini added another circle of fresh raspberries inside the ring of cream dollops, and finally I placed the two meringue lollipops into the cake at different heights.

But I'm sure your own little bakers will already have wonderful ideas for decorating this spectacular summer cake—so simply let your creativity run wild! 😉

My Minis and I wish you and your little ones lots of fun baking this special Raspberry Raffaello Cake! 

And to you, dear Mom— Happy Birthday once again! ❤️

Yours, Lia

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Have you baked the recipe?

How exciting! We're really happy about that! We are pleased that we were able to delight you with our recipe. Feel free to share your treat with us on Instagram using the hashtag #backenmitminis.