Looking for a bright and refreshing dessert that is both simple and show-stopping? This Easy Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe is the one to bake! This homemade cake is full of fresh lemon flavor, loaded with juicy blackberries, and layered with tangy lemon curd and fluffy blackberry buttercream.
The cake is super moist, layered with flavor from the blackberry buttercream and lemon curd, and topped off with both. Whether you are baking for a summer gathering, need a sweet addition to a spring brunch spread, or just want a delicious treat this Lemon Blackberry Cake is surprisingly easy to make and guaranteed to impress anyone! My Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream has a simpler flavor profile, but the same ease of baking and show stopping quality.
If you're looking for more delicious cake recipes check out my Italian Cream Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake, or Lemon Curd Cake!
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Why You'll Love This Lemon Blackberry Cake
- It is the perfect cake for spring and summer. It's a great way to use blackberries and lemons while they are in season and extra flavorful. You could also use lemons to make my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.
- This cake uses fairly simple ingredients that come together with show-stopping results, both in looks and taste! My Homemade Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies also use simple ingredients with amazing results.
- Adding blackberries to the cake is a bright, fruity twist on a classic lemon cake. Poppy seeds add their own twist on lemon cake in this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.
- This Easy Lemon Blackberry Cake is soft, tangy, and packed with fresh berries. It is sure to please anyone. My Coffee Cake Muffins are always a crowd pleaser as well!
You can also check out my Coconut Cake Recipe or White Forest Cake for more layered cake goodness!
Ingredients
Key Ingredients and What They Do
- We'll use fresh lemons, both the juice and the zest, to add flavor to the cake. I also use both in my Lemon Brownies.
- Fresh blackberries will add flavor, moisture, and texture throughout the cake.
- Buttermilk and sour cream hold all that moisture in the cake and add flavor. I also use buttermilk to add moisture to these Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins.
- Baking powder and baking soda work together to give our cake a nice rise. I use both in my Brookies as well.
- Cake flour keep the crumb light and fluffy.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recommended Tools
- A zester will make zesting you lemons a breeze and help you get the most flavor into your cake.
- This blackberry lemon cake recipe requires quite a bit of mixing, especially the blackberry buttercream frosting, so I highly recommend a mixer of some kind. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
- Two 9-inch cake pans. I use stainless steel for even baking.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap out the blackberries for another fruit of your choice to switch up the flavor profile. Blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries would be delicious. Lemon and blueberry play together well in my Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
- For a lighter cake try a whipped cream frosting instead of buttercream. I use a light whipped cream frosting in my White Forest Cake.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened butter and sugar until light and airy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs whites, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. (Photo 1)
STEP 2: In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. (Photo 2)
STEP 3: Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. (Photo 3)
STEP 4: In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and sour cream.
STEP 5: Gently fold the buttermilk mixture into the batter until just mixed. (Photo 4)
STEP 6: Gently fold the mashed blackberries into the lemon cake batter until just combined. (Photo 5)
STEP 7: Spray two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and evenly divide the lemon blackberry cake batter between each pan. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before baking. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
STEP 8: In a medium heat-proof bowl whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, egg, and egg yolk. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water and add butter. Let cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. The curd is ready when a thermometer reads 180 degrees (F) or when it is the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove the curd from the heat and cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap. Let cool completely. (Photo 6)
STEP 9: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until very soft and creamy. Add the salt, vanilla, and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat for 5-6 minutes. (Photo 7)
STEP 10: Add the blackberries to the buttercream and beat until they are broken up and combined. (Photo 8)
Assemble the Cake
- Place one cooled cake layer on a plate.
- Spread your desired amount of blackberry buttercream over the top.
- Add half of the cooled lemon curd to the center. Don't spread all the way to the edges.
- Top with second cake layer.
- Frost the top and sides (if desired) with remaining buttercream.
- Drizzle or dollop the rest of the lemon curd on top.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer ensures that you are baking your cake at the perfect temperature.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cake batter. The ingredients will combine much easier and you won’t have chunks of cold butter in your batter.
- Weigh your ingredients. One of the most common baking mistakes that I see is measuring incorrectly, especially with flour. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
- Don't overmix. You need to mix your batter until all of the ingredients are JUST combined, otherwise, you will make too much gluten and your cake will be tough instead of fluffy.
Storage, Freezing, and Make-Ahead Tips
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container this Easy Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: If stored correctly in an airtight container the cake will last up to a month in the freezer.
How to Freeze Cake Layers
To freeze the cake layers before frosting, wrap them each tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.
Make-Ahead Strategy
- Bake layers, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze or refrigerate.
- Make the lemon curd and store with plastic wrap on the surface.
- Make the buttercream and bring to room temperature before re-whipping.
- Assemble the day of serving for freshest texture.
Pro Tip: Let the chilled cake come up to room temperature before serving so the texture is soft and moist.
Recipe FAQ's
I think fresh blackberries work best, but you can use frozen if that's all you have on hand. I would let them thaw and drain as much of the liquid from them as you can before adding to the cake batter.
You can, but it will change the taste and texture. If you don't have buttermilk on hand or just don't want to use it you can replace it with equal parts of milk.
Personally, I love the look of the mashed up blackberries swirled into the cake batter and the color it gives the cake. If you want large chunks of blackberry instead of small pieces, don't mash up the blackberries. Instead, leave them whole and roll them in flour before gently folding into the cake batter.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Easy Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Easy Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For Lemon Blackberry Cake:
- 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large (120 grams) egg whites room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- juice of 2 medium lemons
- zest of 2 medium lemons
- 2 ¾ cups (328 grams) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (113 grams) buttermilk
- ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream
- 1 cup blackberries roughly mashed
For Lemon Curd:
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (48 grams) lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 large (50 grams) egg
- 1 large (15 grams) egg yolk
- 6 tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter cubed and softened
For Blackberry Buttercream:
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 3 ¾ cups (423 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup blackberries
Instructions
For Lemon Blackberry Cake:
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened butter and sugar until light and airy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs whites, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
- In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and sour cream.
- Gently fold the buttermilk mixture into the batter until just mixed.
- Gently fold in the mashed blackberries until just combined.
- Spray two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and evenly divide the cake batter between each pan. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before baking.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing.
For Lemon Curd:
- In a medium heat-proof bowl whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, egg, and egg yolk.
- Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and add the butter.
- Let the mixture cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- You will know the curd is ready when a thermometer reads 180 degrees (F) or when it is the consistency of mayonnaise.
- Remove the curd from the heat and cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap. Place the curd in the fridge while you make the buttercream.
For Blackberry Buttercream:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until very soft and creamy.
- Add the salt and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and the blackberries and beat for 5-6 minutes.
For Assembly:
- Place one fully cooled cake layer on a plate.
- Add your desired amount of blackberry buttercream frosting on top and spread to the edges
- Add half of the cooled lemon curd to the center but don't spread it to the edges.
- Place the second cake layer on top. Add the remaining buttercream to the top and sides of the cake, if desired.
- Dollop of drizzle the rest of the lemon curd on top of the cake.
Notes
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cake batter. The ingredients will combine much easier and you won’t have chunks of cold butter in your batter.
- Don't over mix. You need to mix your batter until all of the ingredients are JUST combined, otherwise, you will make too much gluten and your cake will be tough instead of fluffy.
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate for the entire cake, the calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
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