This fresh lemon cake is great any time of year, but is especially welcome while ringing in the spring and warmer weather.
We made this Lemon Blackberry Cake recipe for a large party and it was a huge hit. The fresh lemon really comes through, and coupled with lemon cream cheese frosting and some blackberry jam, it is the perfect spring bite. The cake recipe comes from my baking guru go-to – Sally’s Baking Addiction.
I) Lemon Blackberry Cake
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 heaping tablespoon of lemon zest (about 2 lemons)…or more
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Steps 1-4:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare your pans – grease your cake pan fully (bottom and sides) using butter, oil, or a spray oil. Then line the bottom of your pan with parchment.
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- In a stand mixer (or separate bowl using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar well until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Steps 5-9:
- Add in eggs and vanilla, beating them on medium-high until fully combined (about 2 minutes).
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
- With the mixer still running on low, add the milk, lemon juice, and zest.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake (for two 8”-10” rounds bake for 21-26 mins until a toothpick comes out clean; for cupcakes bake about 18-22 mins; mini cupcakes should only take 8-10 mins).
- Allow to cool fully before decorating.
II) Decorating Your Cake
I ran short on time decorating the cake, but do as I say, not as I do… give it a good crumb coat, chill it in the fridge for at least a few hours, then frost with a clean offset spatula or knife.
A) Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Just use our basic cream cheese frosting recipe, but add 1 tsp of lemon extract or 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
B) Blackberry Filling
For the filling, I used a high-quality blackberry jam, but raspberry would also work beautifully. First, coat the first layer in frosting and either pipe around the perimeter or create a holding wall around the edge with your spatula. Add the jam to the center of the cake and spread evenly to the edges. Top with your next layer and then apply your crumb coat. Chill the crumb-coated cake for at least a few hours and then apply a smooth top coat of frosting and decorate as desired.
I decorated this cake with some teal and orange swirls and chocolate toppers in the initials of the firm we were hosting for this occasion.
Here is a link to the cake stand turntable I used.
