Blackberry Lavender Cake
Fresh, fragant summer cake for any occasion
Servings: 8 slices
Cost: $3
Ingredients
Blackberry Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup blackberries, mashed and divided (1/2 cup once mashed)
Lavender Frosting
- 1/2 Tbsp lavender flowers
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease 2 - 8" cake pans.
- In a large bowl, cream together the eggs and sugar, whisking until combined and the mixture is a pale yellow.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients (sour cream, lemon juice, milk, vanilla, oil) and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
- Fold in the flour mixture into the wet egg mixture.
- Gently add half the blackberries to the mixture, stir once. Divide the batter into the two cake pans and spread out the batter so it fills the pans evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 min in the pan before inverting to a cooling rack. Let it sit until it reaches room temperature.
- Frosting: Meanwhile, in a small pot, toast the lavender flowers on medium heat for a minute to draw out the fragrance. Add the butter to the pot and continue simmering and stirring on low heat for 5 minutes after butter has melted. Remove pot from stove.
- Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, whisking until well combined. As the frosting cools to room temperature, keep whisking so it cools evenly.
- Assembly: Once frosting and cake have cooled, start with one layer of cake on the bottom. Using half the frosting, frost the top of the first layer. Add the reserved blackberries. Place the second cake layer on top. Frost again using the remaining frosting. Add fresh blackberries and lavender to garnish, as desired.
Notes
- You can use soy milk or any other alternative for all instances of milk here.
- Makes sure you find culinary lavender (like the English lavender varieties, or anything found in the food aisles)
- Frosting tips: continually mix the frosting as it cools every couple minutes so the water and fat don't separate. If the frosting is getting too thick, add 1 tsp of milk to loosen it, and if too thin, add a Tbsp of powdered sugar to thicken. Play around a little at a time until at room temperature, the frosting is just spreadable.