This lemon blackberry is a layered lemon cake with blackberry jam. There are three fluffy lemon cake layers full of homemade blackberry jam filling. It is topped with lemon cream cheese frosting. This is the perfect cake to make for a fresh spring flavor!
This lemon blackberry cake is a play on my Blueberry Jam and Cream Cake. It is a lemon cake with a homemade blackberry jam as the filling.
When I was making this cake I wanted it to have the fluffiest lemon cake layers. The cake is made with both lemon zest and lemon juice.
For more cake recipes, try Lemon Sheet Cake with Blueberry Frosting, Andes Chocolate Mint Cake, and Layered Blueberry Chocolate Cake.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Lemon cake layers- These cake layers are full of fresh lemon flavor and has a tender crumb.
- Blackberry jam- The filling has a homemade blackberry jam.
- Lemon cream cheese buttercream- The lemon frosting has both lemon zest and lemon juice. It pairs so well with this cake.
- Layered cake- This cake has three 8-inch cake layers.
- Perfect for spring and summer- This cake is perfect to make for the summer season or for any special occasion.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the ingredients for this cake. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter- For the cake, pull the butter out 2 hours before baking. For the frosting, the butter needs to be slightly cold. This gives it the perfect consistency for spreading.
- Oil- You can use vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Lemons- This uses 4 large lemons. Zest each lemon and use a juicer to get freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Sour cream- Use full fat sour cream. Pull this out 2 hours before baking for it to be room temperature.
- Eggs- Pull the large eggs out 2 hours before baking.
- Buttermilk- Whole or reduced buttermilk is best for this cake. Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Blackberries- You can use fresh or frozen blackberries for the filling. For decoration, use fresh blackberries.
- Cream cheese- Use full fat cream cheese. Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Powdered sugar- Make sure to sift the powdered sugar to avoid a gritty frosting.
Substitutions
Lemon juice- You can use lemon juice from the bottle in a pinch.
Sour cream- Use full fat plain yogurt.
Buttermilk- Use 1 cup of whole milk and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
Blackberry jam- You can use store bought jam instead.
Cream cheese- Instead of cream cheese, increase the butter to 2 cups in the frosting.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make and bake this cake. Use a stand mixer or a hand mixer (electric mixer).
STEP 1: Mix dry ingredients together. Use a sifter to sift the flour to avoid any lumps. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
STEP 2: Beat the butter, oil, and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and white sugar together on high speed for 3 minutes. Add in sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
STEP 3: Add in the eggs. Next, add in the eggs one a time. Then, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
STEP 4: Add in flour and buttermilk. Alternate between the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Mix on low speed just until combined.
STEP 5: Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into three 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Cool the cakes completely on a cooling rack.
STEP 6: Blackberry jam. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
Heat until the blackberries start to release the juice and soften. Next, reduce the heat and mash the berries and cook for another 5 minutes.
STEP 7: Lemon cream cheese frosting- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed.
Next, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Mix on low until combined, then beat on high until fluffy.
Assembling The Cake
- First, use a serrated knife to even out the domes of the cake. They should be flat and even. Stick the cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before decorating. Cold cake is easier to decorate with.
- On the first layer, spread ¾ cup of frosting. Pipe a border around the edge of the cake to keep the filling secure. Add half of the jam on top of the frosting.
- Repeat with the second layer.
- For the third layer, flip it over so the bottom is on top of the cake. This gives the cake the flattest top.
- Spread a light layer over the sides of the cake and the top of the cake. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to lock the cake crumbs. This is the crumb coat layer.
- Frost the rest of the cake.
Decorating The Cake
This cake is best decorated in fresh lemon and blackberries. Pile these high on the top of the cake.
Alternatively you can top the cake with extra swirls of frosting.
FAQ
So I designed the cake to be extra moist with a strong lemon flavor. It doesn't need a brush of extra lemon syrup. It will be plenty soft!
Yes you can! Half the recipe to make 12 cupcakes. You can fill the cupcakes with the jam.
This recipe makes two 9-inch cake layers, or three thick 6-inch cake layers. It will also make a 9X13 inch cake, just half the frosting recipe. You can half the recipe to make a 8X8 or 9X9 inch cakes too.
Storing and Freezing
Store this blackberry lemon cake in an airtight container like a cake carrier. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
Freezing
The lemon blackberry cake can be frozen in individual cake slices. Store the cake slices in an airtight container and freeze up to 30 days. Thaw for 1-2 hours before serving.
The lemon cake layers can be frozen ahead of time. Wrap the cooled cake layers tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze up to 30 days.
Thaw for 1 hour before decorating.
Other Cake Recipes To Try
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Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. I hope you loved it! To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Blackberry Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 3 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup Oil canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar
- 3 Large lemons zested
- ¼ cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
- 4 Large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
Blackberry Jam
- 3 cups Fresh or frozen blackberries
- ¾ cup White granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ½ cups Unsalted butter slightly cold
- 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- 7 cups Powdered sugar sifted
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the cake pans with 8-inch parchment paper circles and spray again.
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour. Add in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.3 ½ cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high for 3 minutes. It will be almost white in color and creamy. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream. Beat on medium until combined. Scrape the bowl.¾ cup Unsalted butter, ¼ cup Oil, 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar, 3 Large lemons zested, ¼ cup Lemon juice, ¼ cup Sour cream
- Add in eggs one a time. Beat on high for 2 minutes. It will appear slightly separated, but this is normal.4 Large eggs
- Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk mix on low. Add in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.1 cup Buttermilk
- Pour the batter into the three cake pans. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Blackberry Jam
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add in blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until the berries and soften and the juice starts to release.3 cups Fresh or frozen blackberries, ¾ cup White granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Reduce the heat to medium and lightly mash the berries. Cook until the jam thickens (about 5-8 minutes).
- Pour the jam into a glass measuring cup. Cool completely.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes. While you wait sift the powdered sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, zest the lemon.1 ½ cups Unsalted butter, 7 cups Powdered sugar, Zest of 1 lemon
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and slowly add in the powdered sugar. It will be very thick.8 oz Cream cheese
- Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Mix on low until combined. Switch to high speed and beat on high for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.¼ cup Lemon juice, ½ teaspoon Salt
Cake Assembly
- Spread a small amount of frosting on top of the board you are decorating on. If there is any domes on the cake, then use a serrated knife to trim the cakes until even.
- Place the 1st layer of cake on the board. Spread ¾ cup of frosting on the cake. Pipe a border of frosting on the edges of the cake. Spread ½ of the jam on the cake.
- Repeat with the second and third cake layer. Apply a light layer of frosting over the cake. Freeze for 15 minutes to lock the cake crumbs into the cake.
- Frost the rest of the cake. Top with lemons and blackberries.
Alicia says
I made this (minus the icing because my daughter wanted a lavender frosting) and the cake ended up dry. I'd like to make again and you mentioned measuring the flour. Could you give me how many ounces or grams you use in your cake? The weights for flour are a bit all over the map from 4.25 oz up to 5 oz per cup. Thanks!
Stephanie Rutherford says
I do have metric measurements in the recipe card. Also, when you scoop the flour, use a spoon and spoon the flour into your measuring cup before leveling the top. This is what I do and fixes the too much flour problem.
anita says
Hi there,
Your cake looks amazing- i plan on making this weekend but have a couple questions:
- is 1% buttermilk sufficient (tough to find fuller fat in Ontario Canada)
- is it OK to leave the seeds after you make the blackberry jam? Or do i have to strain it for seeds?
Stephanie Rutherford says
You can use the 1% buttermilk and you can keep the seeds in if you wish!
Sarah Wineland says
This cake was a hit with everyone at our dinner party, even the kids! There was only one slice by the end, and I made sure to scoop that up for myself! These aren't two flavors I would've thought to put together, but they were perfect! The best spring treat!
Emily says
Could i use cake flour in this? xx
Stephanie Rutherford says
I recommend all purpose flour for this recipe.
Sunshine says
Hi~Curious if I could sub the blackberries for raspberries?
Stephanie Rutherford says
Yes you can!
Ali says
Top tier recipe. The cake was a hit - and I followed the 2 cups of sugar recipe for the frosting. However, careful with that as the texture of the frosting DOES change if you change the butter to cream cheese ratio. Also, the cake by itself was superb!
Jen says
This turned out great. I will say, I couldn’t taste the cream cheese at all amongst three sticks of butter. Next time I would use one stick of butter and cream cheese. Also the recipe calls for 7 cups of powdered sugar. I used only 2 and it was still very sweet. It makes a huge portion of icing too. It’s a very decadent cake for sure. Thank you.
Jacquelyn says
This was SO good!! I could tell just by looking at the batter that it was going to be a good cake. I also like how you added how much of the ingredient we need within the directions so I don't have to keep scrolling up and down. Will definitely make this again!
Amanda says
Hi, how are you? I wanted know if I can leave out the sour cream, if not what can I replace it with?
Stephanie Rutherford says
You can use plain greek yogurt!
Amber says
I’m very new at baking and this was an amazing recipe that makes me feel like a professional. Best yellow cake I have very made and I can’t wait to make it again.
Joanne says
Popped up my Instagram feed and I immediately wanted to try this cake ! So I decided to make it for Mother’s Day. Very easy recipe to follow and tasted amazing! Just remember to ask people if they like their jam with or without seeds lol
Will be looking at other recipes to make !
becky says
is this for 3 8 inch cake pans or 2 9 inch cake pans? it says two different ones in various places. (9inch at the top and 8inch below in the recipe)
Stephanie Rutherford says
You can do both! The cake batter will fit in those two types of pans. I did use three 8-inch can pans.
Cassie Gay says
Could you use 2 -10 inch instead?
Stephanie Rutherford says
Yes you can! It will have thinner cake layers.
Lisa O says
This cake was perfect for a spring birthday party. Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nikki Elliott says
This cake is unreal, so soft, moist and fluffy. the lemon comes through lovely and tangy against the sweet blackberry jam. I didn't use all the frosting, as I don't like my cakes with too much, but definitely recommend using all the jam.
Laura says
Oh I would love to make this but it’s too hard to take to work like that is there a way I could make it in a 13 x 9 pan?
Stephanie Rutherford says
Yes you can! Just half the frosting. The cake batter will fit in a 13X 9 inch pan.
Ben says
Honestly the cake turned out so perfect!
Virgina says
This cake is super soft and fluffy. I love the lemon and blackberry combo together.