Lemon Blackberry Cake

Why This Recipe Works

This lemon blackberry cake is one of my all-time favorites. The reverse creaming method + buttermilk makes this cake incredibly tender. The lemon soak keeps the cake moist while amping up the lemon flavor in this cake.

Fresh ingredients like fresh blackberries and tons of fresh lemon juice and zest make the flavors unbeatable! We use fresh blackberries in this blackberry buttercream sandwiched between the cake layers, all covered in a silky, smooth lemon cream cheese frosting on the outside.

Ingredient Notes

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• Cake Flour. Cake flour has less protein in it which makes for lighter, tender cakes.
• Sugar. White, granulated sugar helps sweeten while keeping this cake light.
• Baking Powder. Make sure your baking powder is fresh so your cakes rise well.
• Salt. A little salt helps maximize flavor.
• Poppy seeds. Poppy seeds have slightly nutty and fruity flavor that is perfect for this lemon blackberry cake.
• Butter. Butter adds incredible flavor, and adds moisture. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Lemons. We use lemon zest in the cake to give this lemon cake the best and most natural flavor.
• Buttermilk. Buttermilk makes this cake tender and soft.
• Egg Whites. Egg whites keep this lemon blackberry cake light while also working as a binder.

Lemon Syrup

• Lemon Juice. Fresh lemon juice is best and will provide the best flavor.
• Sugar. White sugar sweetens the tart lemon juice for this simple syrup.

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

• Blackberries. Fresh blackberries provides amazing flavor and color for this blackberry buttercream.
• Lemons. A little lemon juice and lemon zest gives the right tang to this frosting.
• Salt. Salt balances out the sweetness and amplifies flavors.
• Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar sweetens and keeps this frosting smooth.
• Butter. Salted or unsalted butter will work.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese. Full fat cream cheese works best. Cream cheese makes this frosting smooth and tangy.
• Butter. Butter adds the best flavor while also helping this cream cheese frosting hold it’s shape. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar sweetens and keeps this frosting smooth.
• Salt. Salt balances out the sweetness and amplifies flavors.
• Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Lemon Extract. A little lemon extract to up the lemon flavor.
• Lemon Zest. Lemon zest provides natural lemon flavor.

How to Make this Recipe

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

1. Soak Poppy Seeds. Pour hot water over the poppy seeds and let soak for one hour before using. This will help make sure your poppy seeds don’t absorb too much moisture from the cake.

2. Reverse creaming. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. The dry ingredients should have no lumps. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to dry ingredients and using a hand mixer or stand mixer mix until the mixture resembles sand. Whip on high for 1 minute to help aerate the butter.

3. Add Liquid ingredients. Whisk together buttermilk, egg whites, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry a little at a time, mixing in between and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Your batter should be smooth.

4. Prep Cake Pans.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your cake pans with parchment paper and grease. Divide batter evenly between your pans.  Bake until the cakes gently spring back at the touch or a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted.

5. Lemon Simple Syrup. While the cakes are baking prepare the simple syrup. Add lemon juice and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for one minute then remove from heat.

6. Soak Cakes. After removing cakes from the oven, let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from their pans. Take a toothpick and poke holes all over the top of the cake. Use a spoon to generously spread lemon syrup over the tops of the cakes. You may not need all of it. Let cool before assembling cake.

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

7. Make Jam. Add lemon juice and blackberries to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until berries begin to soften, then mash berries thoroughly. Cook until you have a thick jam-like mixture.

8. Blend. Place butter and blackberry jam in a food processor or high speed blender and blitz together until smooth. Chill.

9. Make buttercream. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, salt, and lemon zest to blackberry butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the remaining powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

10. Beat butter and cream cheese together. Cream together cream cheese, and butter until smooth and fluffy.

11. Make frosting. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest and beat until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.

Assembly

12. Layer cakes. Place first lemon cake bottom side down with a tiny bit of frosting on the center of your cake plate to keep in place. Add ½-¾ cup of blackberry buttercream in the center of the cake and spread frosting evenly across the cake. Place second cake on top and repeat layering the blackberry buttercream on top Place last cake on top bottom-side up so you have a flat edge as your top.

13. Crumb Coat. Cover the outside of the cake with a thin layer of lemon cream cheese frosting. Place cake in the freezer for 15 minutes or fridge for 30 minutes.

14. Frost Cake. Frost cake completely with lemon cream cheese frosting.

15. Decorate. If desired, decorate your lemon blackberry cake with fresh blackberries, buttercream swirls, fake or fresh flowers, lemon slices, and white chocolate butterflies.

Reverse Creaming Method

You might be familiar with a traditional creaming method which requires butter and sugar to be beaten together until light and fluffy before additional ingredients are added.

Reverse creaming is where butter is mixed with the dry ingredients first, then add your liquid ingredients. The idea behind reverse creaming is that is eliminates any problems of under or over creaming the butter and sugar that you might have with a traditional creaming method.

When you mix the butter with the dry ingredients first, you limit the gluten development, which results in a velvety tender crumb.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Tips for Frosting and Decorating Your Cake

Start With a Crumb Coat & Then Freeze

Spread of thin layer of frosting all around your assembled cake and then freeze it for 15 minutes. This ensures that you don’t get any extra little cake crumbs in your cake when you’re frosting it.

Use a Cake Scraper

I like to use a cake scraper to give this cake smooth sides. The best way to use it is to hold it straight up and down against the cake, scrape the frosting with a light but firm touch. This will smooth the frosting so it's even around the lemon blackberry cake.

Freeze Your Decorations

For the decoration of this lemon blackberry cake I piped rosettes and stars out of frosting, and used fresh mint leaves, fresh blackberries, lemon slices, fake flowers, and homemade white chocolate butterflies. I piped the rosettes and stars on parchment paper and froze them before placing them on the cake. This made it super easy to arrange the  decorations on the top of the cake. I’ve got a tutorial here that shows you how to make these white chocolate butterflies!

Make Elements Ahead of Time

Making a cake can be time consuming. One thing I often do, is make elements of this lemon blackberry cake ahead of time so it’s not so time consuming on the day you need the cake.

Cakes. If you make the cakes ahead of time, make the cakes, apply the lemon syrup while  the cakes are hot and then let the cakes cool completely. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap individually and then freeze until you need them. You can even freeze these up to 3 months.

Frostings. The frostings can be made up to two days in advance if stored in the refrigerator. You’ll want to tightly cover the frostings in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. You can also tightly wrap any frosting in plastic wrap or place in a gallon freezer bag and store in the freezer until needed. You’ll need to bring the frosting to room temperature before using and then re-beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy

Substitutions in this Recipe

• Make the Cream Cheese Frosting a Buttercream. If you’d prefer a lemon buttercream frosting on the outside of this lemon blackberry cake you can substitute the cream cheese for more butter.
• Buttermilk Substitute. If you do not have buttermilk you can substitute sour cream or thick plain Greek yogurt. Add enough water or lemon juice to the yogurt or sour cream so you get the consistency of buttermilk. Your total volume should still be 1 ¼ cups.
• Use Raspberries or Blueberries. You can easily substitute the blackberries in the blackberry buttercream for raspberries or blueberries.

Storage Tips

Storing the Cake in the Refrigerator & Room Temperature

This cake is fine to sit out at room temperature for several hours. However, it should be stored overnight or for long periods of time in the refrigerator. If the cake has been cut, wrap any exposed areas in plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out. Let the cake come to room temperature before eating. This cake is best eaten within 3 days.

Freezing a Cake Whole

If you have the room in your freezer you can freeze an entire frosted and decorated cake whole! I recommend chilling the cake so the frosting is solid, then wrapping the cake tightly in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap to prevent any freezer burn. You can store the whole cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap the cake and let come to room temperature by thawing on the counter.

Freezing individual slices

One of my favorite ways to store leftover cake is to freeze individual slices! Slice the lemon blackberry cake and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Then store in a plastic Tupperware container in the freezer. It’s easy to pop out one slice whenever you have a craving, just unwrap the individual slice, thaw, and enjoy.

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