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I'm not gonna lie. I am SO ready for Fall! It's my absolute favorite season, and since Texas just didn't have Fall, I haven't seen a real fall in five years!!! Now that we're back in our home state (yay, Michigan!), I am just ecstatic that we're headed into September. All that said: berries!! They're still in season, and I'd be crazy not to use them for as long as I can! This Blackberry Cake is easy, flavorful, and just LOOK at that color!! <3
The Blackberry Cake gets that awesome color from fresh blackberry puree. Just blend up 8 ounces of blackberries and you're good to go. I did strain my puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds. That step isn't necessary, but I preferred the light, soft texture of the cake without the crunchy seeds.
The cake flour ensures a light, tender cake! If you can't find cake flour in your local grocery store, you can find it here. You can substitute with all-purpose flour, but the cake won't be as light or tender.
Now, we have to talk about this frosting. The vanilla bean cream cheese frosting is soooo light and fluffy, and I just looove the flavor (and the beautiful vanilla bean flecks!) from the vanilla bean paste in the frosting! If you're looking for vanilla bean paste, you can find it here. If you'd like, you can substitute with one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I just love this cake! It tastes amazing and, although it's easy to make, that color makes it a real showstopper! I have a couple more summer recipes to share with you before I go full apple-and-caramel-and-pumpkin on you. After all, there;s still 3 weeks of summer left. 😀
Other posts you may like:
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats (link here).
Blackberry Cake
Ingredients
Blackberry Cake:
- 8 oz blackberries, pureed and strained
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature (about ¼ cup)
- 1¼ cups cake flour (see note)
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
- 8 oz cream cheese, cold
Garnish:
- fresh blackberries, if desired
Instructions
For Cake:
- First, puree the berries and push the puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. The straining isn't necessary if you don't mind seeds in your cake, but I preferred the light texture without the crunchy seeds.
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease an 8" cake pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the egg whites to the bowl and mix to incorporate.
- Add ⅓ of the cake flour (see note), followed by ⅓ of the berry puree, allowing the ingredients to incorporate after each addition. Repeat adding the remaining flour and puree ⅓ at a time until all ingredients are added to the bowl. Mix just until incorporated.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for an hour before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, cream, and vanilla bean paste (see note). Using the whisk attachment, beat until the mixture is as thick as greek yogurt.
- With the mixer running, add the cream cheese a few tablespoons at a time, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Once all the cream cheese is added, whip on high speed until the frosting is smooth and light in texture, 2-3 minutes.
- Frost the cooled cake and top with additional fresh blackberries, if desired.Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.
Nikki
I think I'll strain out all the seeds next time (I just strained some of them), but the cake has great flavor!
Amee
I feel the same way about the seeds, Nikki! So glad you enjoyed the flavor and that you're planning to make it again! <3
Kelsey
I made cupcakes. They turned out more purple than blue. Any ideas why? Delicious!!
Julie Daniels
I’m making these tonight. Also doing cupcakes. I have several pounds of fresh berries they are just in season in central Florida
Barb
The flavor of the cake pairs so well with the cream cheese frosting! We really liked it.
Amee
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it, Barb! Thanks so much for your review!
Beth
How many cups of purée do you need?
Amee
Hi Beth! It will be about 3/4 cup of puree.
Ryan Zurkuhlen
Does the cake turn out moist or somewhat more of a crumb or coffee cake texture?
Mel
Would this work with blueberries and keeping the same ingredient amounts? My niece wants a blackberry and blueberry cake for her birthday, so I was thinking I’d double it and do one layer with blackberry as written above and a second layer with blueberry!
TLA
I’m not blaming the recipe because it seemed to work great for everyone else, but I used frozen blackberries to make my purée and got very, very little rise. How much volume of blackberry purée should I have after straining? I’m concerned my purée was possibly too wet?
Amee
I'm so sorry that the recipe didn't work out for you! I checked my original recipe notes, and unfortunately I didn't record the volume of the puree. An internet search indicates that 8 ounces of blackberries will produce between a 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup of strained blackberry puree, depending on the specific moisture content of the berries and how thoroughly the puree is strained. It could have been a moisture issue, or perhaps you used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?