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It's raspberry season in Michigan!  I love going to our local orchard with my kids to pick fresh raspberries.  First, we take a hayride to the fields, and then we spend the afternoon filling our buckets with raspberries.  When we return home, we make a dessert with our gathered goodies.  This year we made this zesty Raspberry Lemon cake. I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon in the mid-west.  

One thing I really like about raspberry picking is the fields aren’t as picked over as certain “other” red fruits.  You know, the ones with the green stems that people use to make shortcake.  Although I am a sucker for anything fresh and fruity this time of year, I feel as if raspberries don’t get the credit they deserve.  I decided to create this Raspberry Lemon Cake to show these berries can hang with the big reds.  They’re flavorful and sweet and look gorgeous on top of this cake.  

To make this cake more impressive with its presentation, I used a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt pan.  Although any can pan can be used, this is a fun way to jazz up this dessert recipe.  Hopefully, these berries get the credit they deserve with this recipe.  They may be delicate and small, but raspberries really add flavor to this zesty Raspberry Lemon Cake.  

Cake: 
*1 box of lemon cake mix plus, water, oil, and eggs as called for per package directions
*zest of 2 lemons
*1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Raspberry Icing:

Cake: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease your cake pan if not non-stick.
3. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.
4.  Zest 2 lemons and fold into cake mix.

5. Using a knife, gently swirl 1/4 cup raspberry preserves into the batter for added flavor and to create a "marbled look".

6. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Jennifer Gilbert is a freelance writer and creator of the blog What’s Baking, Babycakes?  Her recipes have been published in magazines such as Taste of Home, Simple and Delicious, and Country Woman.