Lemon Blackberry Cake
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients:
Lemon Cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups sugar
3 Tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon lemon oil (see note)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
⅔ cup milk, at room temperature (I used whole milk)
Blackberry Frosting:
1 ½ cups blackberries
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Be sure to only include the yellow part of the rind, and not the white pith underneath, as it is bitter. Run the mixer on low for a few minutes to allow the oils from the lemon to infuse the sugar.
Add the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, at least three minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to incorporate before adding the second. Add the lemon oil (see note) and lemon juice and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
Alternatively, add the dry ingredients with the milk: with the mixer on low, gradually add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans (a kitchen scale helps with this; see note). Bake until lightly golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached, 23-25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool at least ten minutes in the pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you’d like to make the cakes in advance, you can bake them the day before, wrap them well, and leave them on your counter to frost the next day. Storing the unfrosted cakes in the refrigerator may dry them out. For longer-term storage, make sure that the cakes are completely cool, wrap them tightly, and freeze them for up to three months. Just thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then frost.
For Frosting:
Combine blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the blackberries break down and give off their juice, about 5 minutes.
Strain the blackberries in a fine mesh strainer (see note), keeping the juice and discarding the skins/seeds. Pour the blackberry juice back into the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. (I started off with ½ cup of blackberry juice, and reduced it to ¼ cup).
Make sure to stir it often as it cooks so that it doesn’t stick to the pan or scorch as it thickens. Allow the blackberry reduction to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Gradually add the blackberry reduction (should be about ¼ cup) and mix to incorporate.
If not using the frosting immediately, place it in an airtight container, and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. You’ll have to take the frosting out of the fridge to warm it up to a spreadable/pipeable consistency. If necessary, the frosting can be re-whipped to a smooth consistency.
Frost the cooled cake layers with the frosting, and top with fresh blackberries and lemon slices, if desired.
The frosted cake will keep for up to five days in the refrigerator. I press plastic wrap up against the cut edges of the cake to help it from getting dry. The frosting is quite firm when cold, so take the cake out of the fridge about an hour before you want to serve it.
Enjoy!
Notes:
Note on lemon oil: For a punch of lemon flavor without adding much liquid! If you’d like, you can substitute one teaspoon of lemon extract.
Note on cake pans: This recipe is written for an 8-inch two-layer cake. I suggest using pans that are light in color to avoid overbaking the cakes (as darker pans bake the cake faster).
Note on kitchen scale: You can just eyeball it, but a scale will help to ensure you have the same amount of batter in each pan.
Storage:
If you’d like to make the cakes in advance, you can bake them the day before, wrap them well, and leave them on your counter to frost the next day. Storing the unfrosted cakes in the refrigerator may dry them out. For longer-term storage, make sure that the cakes are completely cool, wrap them tightly, and you can freeze them for up to three months. Just thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then frost.
Once the cake is frosted, I store mine in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to five days. Once sliced, I’ll press some plastic wrap up against the cut edges of the cake to help it from getting dry. The frosting is quite firm when cold, so take the cake out of the fridge about an hour before you want to serve it.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 797kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 4gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 27gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 214mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 2gSugar: 83gVitamin A: 1396IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 1mg
Recipe courtesy of Live to Sweet.com
