This high altitude blackberry cake has three layers of soft blackberry vanilla cake, frosted with blackberry buttercream. The fluffy vanilla cake is full of plump, juicy blackberries, and the buttercream is naturally tinted pink with seedless blackberry jam. This cake looks lovely decorated with fresh blackberries and edible flowers.
You might also love these blackberry crumb pie bars, no bake blackberry cheesecake, and raspberry vanilla cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fresh Blackberry Flavor. The cake is bursting with fresh blackberries in every slice, with more blackberry flavor in the buttercream from seedless blackberry jam. You could even layer a few more fresh blackberries between the cake layers as you frost and assemble the cake.
So Pretty for Spring. I don’t often decorate my cakes with fresh flowers, but the lilacs and apple blossoms in my back yard were just starting to bloom the day I photographed this cake. Since those flowers are edible, I thought they’d be so beautiful on top of the cake, tucked around more blackberries. If you choose to use fresh florals on a cake, be sure they’re washed and edible before placing them on the cake. This makes a gorgeous presentation for any spring celebration or Mother’s Day.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Butter + Cream Cheese. The high fat content of the butter and cream cheese makes a rich, moist, flavorful cake that you’ll just love.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure and strength.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Flour. For a light and fluffy cake, use cake flour, not all-purpose flour. Cake flour has a lower percentage of protein, making very soft, fluffy white cakes and vanilla cakes.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake so it rises as it bakes.
- Cardamom. A lovely complementary spice to the blackberries.
- Whole Milk. Adds fat and moisture for a tender and soft cake.
- Lemon Juice. A touch of acidity tenderizes the cake crumb. Instead of the whole milk and lemon juice, you can also use buttermilk.
- Blackberries. I recommend using fresh, not frozen blackberries for the best results in your blackberry cake.
Buttercream
- Butter. I always use unsalted butter for my baking, but you can certainly use salted, and just omit the extra salt in the frosting.
- Blackberry Jam. Choose a good quality, seedless blackberry jam. If yours isn’t seedless, you can press the jam through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. The jam will add flavor and a natural pink tint to the buttercream.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla. Flavor.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray. (For best results, also line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment paper.)
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for 7 minutes. Scrape the bowl down several times while mixing.
- Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating in each egg on medium speed for 1 full minute before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cardamom. In a separate glass measuring cup, combine the milk with the lemon juice. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Increase speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds.
- Gently fold in the blackberries with a spatula. TIP: If your blackberries are large, cut them in half, or even in fourths, so they’re more evenly dispersed throughout the cake batter.
- Divide the cake batter between the pans, and smooth out the top. Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before assembling and frosting with the buttercream.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with 3 tablespoons of the blackberry jam, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined but clumpy. Add the vanilla.
- Increase speed to medium, and beat for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to stir, and mix for 1 minute.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then frost with a final coat of buttercream. For the streaky look on today’s cake, take the last tablespoon of jam, randomly dab it on the sides of the cake, then smooth and blend it into the buttercream with a bench scraper.
- Decorate the top of the cake with fresh blackberries and clean, edible or non-toxic flowers.
Recipe Variations
- 8-Inch Layer Cake. For a larger, three layer 8-inch cake that serves up to 16 people, double the cake recipe and bake the cakes for a few minutes longer. Increase the buttercream by 1 1/3x (scaled up 33%).
- Sheet Cake. For a single layer, 8 or 9 inch cake, make the recipe as is and bake in an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Increase the baking time by a few minutes, testing the center for doneness. For a 9×13 inch sheet cake, you should double the cake recipe, but you do not need to double the buttercream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the leftover cake?
Keep the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Can this blackberry cake be frozen?
You can bake the cake layers in advance, let them cool, then wrap them in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3-6 months, then let thaw completely before frosting and assembling your cake.
What can I use instead of blackberry jam in the buttercream?
If you don’t have blackberry jam, you can also make your own blackberry compote. Just simmer blackberries with a touch of sugar and lemon juice, puree, and strain out the seeds. Simmer for a few minutes longer until thickened and reduced. You can also use a few tablespoons of freeze dried blackberry powder instead of jam, but it’s not a common ingredient and you’ll likely have to search for it on Amazon or other online stores.
Where can I buy edible flowers?
It can be difficult to find a grocery store or farmer’s market that carries packages of fresh edible flowers intended for use on food, although I have found them in the past at either Sprouts or Whole Foods. On today’s cake, I used lilacs and roses from my own backyard, so I was confident that they were clean and safe to use after washing them. I recommend that you do your own research and use common sense and discretion if decorating a cake with flowers from your grocery store or florist.
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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Blackberry Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 6-inch Round Cake Pans (x3)
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 oz full fat cream cheese (block style), softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 5 oz fresh blackberries (about 1 cup)
Buttercream
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup seedless blackberry jam, divided
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray. (For best results, also line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment paper.)
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for 7 minutes. Scrape the bowl down several times while mixing.
- Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating in each egg on medium speed for 1 full minute before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cardamom. In a separate glass measuring cup, combine the milk with the lemon juice. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Increase speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds. Gently fold in the blackberries with a spatula.TIP: If your blackberries are large, cut them in half, or even in fourths, so they're more evenly dispersed throughout the cake batter.
- Divide the cake batter between the pans, and smooth out the top. Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before assembling and frosting with the buttercream.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with 3 tablespoons of the blackberry jam, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined but clumpy. Add the vanilla.
- Increase speed to medium, and beat for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to stir, and mix for 1 minute.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then frost with a final coat of buttercream. For the streaky look on today's cake, take the last tablespoon of jam, randomly dab it on the sides of the cake, then smooth and blend it into the buttercream with a bench scraper.
- Decorate the top of the cake with fresh blackberries and clean, edible or non-toxic flowers.
Nora Labarbera
You make the most beautiful cakes , making this for Mother’s Day as the blackberries here in Illinois are so sweet right now . Do I need to make any adjustments for Illinois ?
Thank you
NL
Heather Smoke
I hope you love it! Please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for various altitudes: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
Clarita Scioscia
If I wanted to use 8″ cake pans, should I make 1 1/2 times the recipe?
Heather Smoke
You should double the recipe.
Clarita Scioscia
Thank you!
Val
Such an exquisite cake! I’m curious about the use of meringue powder – I use when making royal icing but have not done so with buttercreams; would you elaborate? Thanks.
Heather Smoke
The meringue powder adds stability and improves the texture. You can read all about how I make my buttercream in this post: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/perfect-american-buttercream-frosting/
Natalie
Hello, do you think I could bake the layers and leave in the freezer for a week? You are incredibly talented and love the recipes you post. Thank you so much! Natalie
Heather Smoke
Yes, wrap the cake layers individually in plastic wrap for freezing, then thaw completely before assembling the cake.
Sara
My cakes didn’t rise very much – they are barely an 1″ high. what do you think caused that? My elevation is roughly 5200′ and in Colorado
Heather Smoke
My thought would be either expired baking powder or oven temp isn’t calibrated correctly.
sara
Baking powder fresh and oven calibrated correctly…..can it be anything else?
Shelley Dahlgren
This cake was so yummy; definitely will make again! I do need to practice on making mine look as pretty and elegant as the pics, though:-)
Emma
This has quickly become my go to vanilla cake! It is delicious with the berries but I have also made with lemon butter instead as well as without any berries. Seriously scrumptious every which way and stays fresh for so long, even after being stored in the fridge (its been hot here in Australia!).
Cyn
This recipe looks wonderful. I prefer to weigh my flour. I am confused by 1 1/2 cups flour “fluffed”? Is that the same as “sifted”? The reason I’m asking is that the weight conversions for the flour I use has it for both “sifted” and “unsifted”. Or does it even matter? Sorry for my confusion!
Heather Smoke
“Fluffed” means to use a fork or spoon to fluff it up a little in the canister or bag so it’s not compacted, then lightly spoon it into the measuring cups and level off the top. I sift after that step.
Kate Lewis
My friends and I loved this cake. I didn’t have cardamom or meringue powder, but it still turned out fabulous. It was moist, not too sweet, and said, “welcome spring.” I added a few more blackberries in the batter, and put sliced blackberries in between the layers. It was wonderful.
I moved to Denver 2 years ago, and it was so great to have a recipe I didn’t have to adjust for the altitude. Thank you!!!