This lemon blackberry cake is flavored with lavender and fresh lemon! It’s a moist three layer cake with fresh blackberries and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect recipe for spring and summer!
Fluffy Lemon Blackberry Cake is full of lemon flavor and the perfect hint of lavender. It is layered with fresh blackberries and luscious lemon cream cheese icing!
If you’re looking for more lemon recipes, try my Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes, my Lemon Sour Cream Cookies and this Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake
- This blackberry lemon cake is a moist and delicious.
- It’s flavored with lemon and hinted with lavender just like my glazed blueberry lemon scones.
- The cream cheese frosting has a tangy flavor from the cream cheese and lemon zest! It brings out the lemon flavor of the cake. It’s also delicious on my cupcakes with blueberry filling.
- This lemon and blackberry cake is filled with juicy blackberries! Lemon and blackberry make an amazing combination!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes on some of the ingredients for this lemon and blackberry cake.
- All purpose flour and almond flour: This recipe uses mostly all purpose flour plus a little almond flour. Almond flour gives the cake a nice, tender crumb.
- Culinary lavender: Lavender adds a lovely hint of flavor. It’s delicious with the lemon and berries. English Lavender is the most common type of lavender used for baking. For more information about lavender, check out this What Makes Lavender Culinary post.
- Blackberries: This lemon cake with blackberry filling is made with fresh blackberries.
- Unsalted butter: Use room temperature unsalted butter for the cake and the frosting.
- Lemon zest: Lemon zest adds so much fresh, tangy flavor! I recommend using a microplane to grate the lemons. A microplane has a long, narrow blade with sharp edges. It’s perfect for zesting citrus. Be sure to zest only the yellow part of the peel. For another citrusy cake, try my recipe for Fruity Pebbles cake!
- 3 large eggs: 3 large room temperature eggs.
- Sour cream: Use full fat room temperature sour cream. Sour cream makes this cake tender and delicious. If you have leftover sour cream, be sure to try my lemon sour cream cookies!
- Milk: Use whole, room temperature milk for the cake.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat, room temperature block style cream cheese. Do not use cream cheese spread.
- Powdered sugar: Sift powdered sugar before using. This will ensure your frosting is free of bumps from the powdered sugar.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Plain whole fat yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- Use all purpose flour in place of almond flour.
- If you do not have lavender or prefer not to use it, you can leave it out. The cake will still be delicious!
- Buttermilk is a good substitute for the milk in the cake. You can use heavy cream in place of the milk in the frosting.
- Fresh blueberries or raspberries are great substitutes for blackberries.
Step By Step Instructions
Below are directions for making this lemon cake with blackberry frosting.
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients.
STEP 2: Using a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract.
STEP 4: Stir in half the dry ingredients with a spatula. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt followed by the milk. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
STEP 5: Pour batter evenly into 3 6″ straight edge cake pans. Bake for 26-32 minutes. Cool layers on cooling racks.
STEP 6: Beat the butter and the cream cheese until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy.
STEP 7: Place the first layer on a cake stand. Frost the layer and top with blackberries. Add the next layer and top with frosting and blackberries. Place the third layer of cake upside down. Frost the top and on the sides of the cake. If making a naked cake, use a cake scraper to scrape off any excess frosting. Top with blackberries if you like!
Recipe FAQs
After cooling and trimming your cakes, wrap the layers individually in plastic wrap and freeze them. Frozen cakes allow for the frosting to go on smoothly and keeps crumbs from getting into the frosting.
This blackberry and lemon cake recipe makes three 6 inch cake layers. The batter should be enough to make two 8 or 9 inch round cake layers, one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes. You will need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size you go with.
Store leftover blackberry lemon cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Expert Tips
- Tip #1: Use a scale to weigh your cake pans while you’re adding the batter. This is the easiest way I’ve found to make sure my batter is distributed evenly.
- Tip #2: When assembling the cake, look at the cake from all sides to make sure the layers are on evenly.
- Tip #3: Use full fat, block cream cheese for the frosting. Do not use cream cheese spread.
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Lemon Blackberry Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour or use additional all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons culinary lavender optional
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 7 ounces cream cheese full fat, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons whole milk or use heavy cream, add a little more if needed
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3¼ cups powdered sugar sifted, add an extra ¼-½ cup if needed
- pinch salt
Blackberry Filling
- 12 ounces blackberries fresh, for layering and topping
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 3 6″ straight edge cake pans. Line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, lavender and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and mix two more minutes on medium high speed.
- Stir in half the dry ingredients with a spatula. Stir in the sour cream (or yogurt) followed by the milk. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Pour batter evenly into greased layer pans. Bake for 26-32 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of each cake. Remove from oven and place a cooling rack on top of each cake pan and invert. The cake should fall to the rack on its own.
- Allow cakes to cool at room temperature before trimming tops. Once cooled, use a cake leveler or a sharp bread knife to trim the tops of the cakes to make sure you have even layers. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and freeze before frosting.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the cream cheese on medium until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk or cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Beat 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add up to a tablespoon more of milk until desired consistency.
Assembling and Decorating
- Dab a tablespoon of frosting in the middle of the cake stand or cake board to help keep the cake in place. Place the first layer on the cake stand. Spread an even layer of frosting overtop. Arrange an even layer of blackberries on top. Add the next cake on top and look at it from all sides to make sure it is on evenly. Spread an even layer of frosting on top and arrange another even layer of blackberries.
- Place the third layer upside down to make sure that the top is as even as possible. Use a spatula to dollop the rest of the frosting on top and on the sides of the cake. If making a naked cake, use a cake scraper to scrape off any excess frosting. Add some or all of the remaining blackberries to the top of the cake. Zest additional lemon on top, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
*This site contains affiliate links which means that I may receive commissions for purchases made through these links. Please know I only link to products that I use and can recommend based on my experience!
Jenny
I’m a pretty good baker when it comes to muffins and cookies, but I’d never made a cake myself. I recently made this for my birthday this year as a fun project and it was incredible! As a first time cake baker, I can’t imagine all cakes are this wonderful -A friend even asked for the recipe already to make for Mother’s Day too, it was that good!
I added lemon curd between the layers in addition to the frosting and blackberries, and I used gel food coloring to tint my outermost frosting a muted purple. It was lovely and delicious.
Natalie
Hi Jenny! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for making this cake! I’m sooo happy you enjoyed it and love that you made it for your birthday! Such a great idea to add lemon curd and food coloring for the outer layer! Can’t wait to see what cake you will bake next 🙂 -Natalie
Jane
This is one of our family’s favorite cakes! Soooo much better than a boxed cake mix! I made it for my mom’s birthday and my husband has ready requested it for his next month! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Natalie
Hi Jane, Aww so nice to hear this is a family favorite! Love that it’s a hit with everyone! XO Natalie
Ashley
Amazing Cake! Made it this past week the lavender is a great add to it. It was gone within a couple of days. Thank you for the recipe will be making again for sure
Natalie
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake Ashley! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Have a great evening! -Natalie
Janetta
Culinary lavender that you use is a lavender leaves or lavender oil. Let me know thanks
Natalie
Hi Janetta, Apologies for the slightly delayed response! I use lavender leaves. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Hope you enjoy the cake 🙂 Natalie
Joyce Riley
Made this cake for the second time and it is very good! Made it the first time for my 60th birthday celebration! Thanks for this delicious recipe; the cake was very moist and lemony. The lavender gave it a perfect twist! 🥰
Natalie
Hi Joyce! Thank you so much for making this cake twice! I’m so honored you made it for your 60th birthday celebration and so happy you enjoyed it! Happy belated birthday:) -Natalie
Sam
Another baked perfection by Natalie. I baked this cake and tasted while baking and oh my goodness! If you are a lemon lover this cake is a must try! The lemon and lavender is a perfect combination. The icing is more lemony than the cake which make a perfect balance! Don’t let it intimidate you. It is worth baking!
Natalie
Thank you for making this cake Sam! So happy you enjoyed it! xNatalie
Barbara Ward
Really-this is the Ultimate!!