Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with milk, until fully combined.
Optional: Freeze fresh raspberries for 30 minutes before adding them to batter to prevent sinking.
Gently fold in the fresh raspberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Once cooled, frost or serve as is with a dusting of powdered sugar.