This Lemon Blackberry Cake is simple to make, vibrantly colorful, and perfectly balanced between tart lemon and sweet blackberries. Its moist, tender crumb makes it a lovely treat for any gathering.
I love bringing home brightly colored produce from the market. Ripe berries and fresh fruit are a constant source of inspiration for my baking, whether it’s a loaf, pound cake, or pie. This Lemon Blackberry Cake grew from that same inspiration.
Instead of folding whole berries into the batter, I puree the blackberries and strain the juice, then swirl the puree into the batter. The result is a soft marbled interior with a delicate purple or pink hue (depending on the berries) and a tender, buttery texture that stays moist.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below. Here are the important ingredients and easy substitutions to consider.
- Frozen or fresh blackberries. Thaw frozen berries first, strain the puree to remove excess liquid, and pat them dry before use. You can substitute raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries if desired.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour and potato starch. The potato starch helps keep the crumb tender and stable against berry juices. If you don’t have potato starch, you can omit it.
- Full-fat sour cream. Sour cream adds moisture and a slight tang that balances the sweetness. It can be swapped for buttermilk or plain Greek yogurt (about 5% fat).
- Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Fresh citrus adds bright flavor that canned juice can’t match — use freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated zest for the best result.
How to Make Lemon Blackberry Cake
- Mash the blackberries into a puree and press it through a fine sieve to remove excess liquid; set the strained puree aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and potato starch together and set aside. Mix the sour cream with the vanilla and fresh lemon juice in a separate container.
- Rub the sugar and lemon zest together, then beat with softened butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, starting at medium speed and increasing to medium-high.
- With the mixer on medium-high, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
- On low speed, add the dry mixture alternating with the sour cream mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Fold about one-third of the batter with the blackberry puree in a separate bowl. Spoon the plain lemon batter and the blackberry batter into the prepared pan in alternating scoops to create a marbled effect, then bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tips
- Use room-temperature ingredients for even mixing and a light crumb. Cold ingredients can lead to a dense cake.
- Avoid over-mixing, especially after adding flour. Finish folding the last bit of flour with a rubber spatula.
- This recipe makes one large 10–12 cup bundt cake (12–16 slices). You can also bake it in a loaf pan—do not fill pans more than 3/4 full.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15–30 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. If it feels too warm when you touch the outside, give it more time to set to prevent sticking.
Topping and Serving Ideas
The cake is delicious on its own, but you can dress it up for special occasions:
- Serve with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Make a quick blackberry drizzle by combining 1–2 tablespoons of strained blackberry juice with 1 cup powdered sugar.
- Add a lemon glaze by whisking 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and drizzling over the cooled cake.
- Brush the cake with lemon simple syrup (combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice; bring to a boil with 3/4 cup water, then simmer 5 minutes) to boost moisture and flavor.
Storing and Freezing
Store the cake covered with foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. A cake dome works well to retain texture.
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container or bag. It keeps up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped at room temperature before serving.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Pear Cake, Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes, Fruit Galette
Leave a comment and tag me on Instagram when you try this recipe.
Lemon Blackberry Cake
20 mins
45 mins
1 12 inch bundt pan
Dikla Levy Frances
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Fresh blackberries (frozen is ok) (170g)
- 2 3/4 + 1 TBS AP Flour (340g)
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 0.5 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 TBS Potato Starch
- 1 1/4 Cup Full Fat Sour Cream (300ml)
- 1/4 Cup Fresh squeezed Lemon juice (60ml)
- 1 Cup Unsalted butter, softened (200g)
- 2 1/2 Cups Sugar (500g)
- 2 tsp Fresh lemon zest
- 4 Large Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan.
- Mash the blackberries to a fine puree and press through a sieve; set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
- Combine the sour cream and lemon juice in a measuring cup.
- Beat the sugar, butter, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 4–5 minutes.
- With the mixer on medium-high, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next.
- Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mix.
- Turn off the mixer and fold any remaining flour with a rubber spatula.
- Scoop about one-third of the batter into a clean bowl and fold in the blackberry puree.
- Spoon the batters into the greased pan in alternating patterns to create a marble effect.
- Bake 45–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Use ingredients at room temperature for best results.
- This cake can be mixed with a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
- Do not over-mix after adding flour; finish the last bit by hand.
- The recipe yields one large bundt cake or two 8–9 inch loaf pans. Do not overfill pans—limit to 3/4 full.
- Allow the cake to rest 15–30 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.