Blackberry Lavender Cake

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Blackberry Lavender Cake is a delicious vanilla cake that is lightly flavored with lavender and cardamom that is filled with blackberry jam then is topped off vanilla lavender buttercream frosting for a taste of spring in every bite.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Welcome to #SpringSweetsWeek 2023 hosted by Heather from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks! The sun is shining, the weather is getting warmer, and we are celebrating the beginning of spring with plenty of spring sweets and a fun giveaway! This year 20 food bloggers from around the country are sharing over 75 sweet recipes that are perfect for spring. So get ready to enjoy amazing spring treats like cupcakes, cookies, pies, jams, and even a few beverages!

Thank you to our #SpringSweetsWeek sponsors that are helping us give away some great prizes. Thank you to Melissa’s Produce, Anolon, Taylor and Colledge, and Selefina Spices for your generosity and support. We have an incredible giveaway with four amazing prizes and would love it if you would take a moment to read about it and the prizes that you can win.

Let’s start by talking about lavender.   I am a huge fan of the scent of lavender and the gorgeous soft purple color. 

I am not generally a fan of it in desserts.   All too often people use way too much lavender and it tastes like I am eating a flower.   On a handful of occasions I’ve found a lavender dessert that I’ve enjoyed but more often than not I can’t stomach them.

That is not the case with this cake.  Instead of using dried lavender I used Taylor & Colledge Lavender Extract Paste.   While it’s fairly concentrated with lavender flavor it doesn’t taste like I’ve put a plant in my mouth.

I paired the lavender paste with Taylor & Colledge Organic Vanilla Bean paste and the combination together made a light and fragrant flavor.  That, combined with Selefina Spices Cardamom, gives this cake lightly floral and spicy notes.

Ingredients:

• Cake flour (It’s important to use cake flour.  If you don’t have it you can make it, see the note below)
• baking powder
• cardamom (use a good, strong scented cardamom)
• salt (I like to use sea salt but table salt is fine)
• butter (I prefer salted butter but you can use unsalted and add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cake)
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• vanilla bean extract paste (you can use vanilla extract if you don’t have paste)
• lavender extract paste
• vanilla Greek yogurt
• blackberry jam (I made my own but you can use store bought jam.  Use my recipe for blueberry jam and substitute blackberries for the blueberries)

The base of this cake is easy to make.   It’s a simple cake where the ingredients are mixed together and the cake batter is poured into a pan.

It’s a basic yellow cake base but the addition of the vanilla paste, lavender paste, and cardamom really make it something special.  All three flavors are subtle but definitely featured in the flavor of the cake.

While you can make this cake in two 8 inch round cake pans I chose to go a different route.   I used Anolon’s 9 inch Aluminized Square Cake Pan.   I love the clean lines of a square pan and I only needed to use one pan instead of two to make my cake.

How do you make this cake?

I made the cake by combining the ingredients and mixing them by hand.  If you prefer to use a mixer you can.  Just make sure you don’t over mix the batter as it will make for a tough or chewy cake.

Once the cake is baked and cooled it needs to be cut in half so that the center can be filled with buttercream frosting and jam.

How do you cut a cake into layers?

The best way to cut a cake in half is by using toothpicks.  This may sound crazy but if you measure one inch from the bottom of the cake you can then stick a toothpick into the cake.

On a square cake I usually use 3 to 4 toothpicks per side.  Then grab a serrated knife and slice right above the toothpicks using them as a guide.  You will get straight, even layers every time!

How do you keep the jam from seeping out of the cake?

There are two main issues with filling a cake with jam.  One is that jam may seep out of the cake and the other is that the jam may seep into the cake.

Fixing this is easy.   Place a layer on a cake board.  Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake.  This will keep the jam from seeping into the cake and disappearing.

Then place your frosting in a piping bag and pipe an outline around the outer edge of the cake layer.  This will keep the jam from seeping out of the cake.

Once the frosting is on the cake and around the edge fill the center of the cake with the jam.  Then carefully put the top layer on the cake.

How do you store this cake?

I keep all of my cakes under a cake dome.  My husband found ours for cheap at the local Goodwill and I’ve been using it for years.   If I’m making more than one cake or my cake won’t fit in the dome I store it in my cupcake carrier.

If you don’t have any of these options your best bet is to place the cake on a plate or a cake board and stick 4 toothpicks in the top of the cake in opposite corners.   Then wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil.  The toothpicks will keep the plastic wrap or foil from layer on the cake and tearing off the frosting.

The cake will last in an air tight container for up to 4 days.   It will last under plastic wrap or foil 2-3 days.

Once the cake is cooled you will need to cut it into two layers.  This is because you want to fill the center with blackberry jam.

In order to make blackberry jam I put a cup of blackberries, a cup of strawberries, 3/4 cup of sugar, and a few tablespoons of lemon juice in a saucepan.  Bring it to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it has thickened.   At this point you will need to smash the berries completely.

Depending on how you like your jam you can leave it as is with all the seeds or you can push the jam through a fine mesh sieve to get out all of the seeds.  I personally don’t mind the seeds so I just left them in.

Once the cake is filled you will need to frost the cake.  I made a basic buttercream frosting and dyed it lavender color.  I added plenty of vanilla to the frosting and just a touch of lavender. 

Use a butter knife, offset spatula, or a bench scraper to make the sides smooth and clean.  After that the decorating is up to you!

More Cake Recipes:

• Spring Watercolor Triple Layer Cake
• Lemonade Cake
• Almond Bundt Cake
• Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
• Hummingbird Bundt Cake

I ended up piping swirls on top of the cake.   I started at each of the corners and then put a swirl in the middle of each side.  Then I filled in with swirls in between those.  This helped keep it neat and clean. 

Then I put a fresh blackberry on every other swirl.  On the alternating swirls I used blue and purple dragrees.   Dragrees are the round, ball shaped sprinkles with a hard outer shell. Finally I sprinkled the whole cake with clear sanding sugar.

The resulting cake was gorgeous.   It was simple to decorate but looked amazing.  I was hoping that it tasted just as good and I wasn’t disappointed. 

The cake had lights lavender and cardamom notes.   The frosting tasted of sugar and vanilla.  The sweet and tart blackberry jam brought all the flavors together. 

I thought it might be too many flavors but they all worked together in harmony making for a lovely spring flavored cake.  I took this cake to work and it was gone before lunch!

If you’ve tried my Blackberry Lavender Cake or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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Monday #SpringSweetsWeek Recipes

Banana Spice Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting by Family Around the Table

Blackberry Lavender Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Color Changing Eggless Blood Orange Jello Cake by Magical Ingredients

Easy Glazed Lemon Ginger Scones by Blogghetti

Easy Mini Cheesecakes by Art of Natural Living

Funfetti Conchas by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Gluten Free Lemon Lavender Icebox Cake by Frugal & Fit

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Kate’s Recipe Box

Key Lime Bars by Jen Around the World

Key Lime Coconut Thumbprints by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Lavender Linzer Cookies with Kumquat Marmalade by The Spiffy Cookie

Lavender Madeleines by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Lemon Blueberry Upside Down Cake by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Lemon Carrot Loaf Cake by Sweet Beginnings

Lemon Lime Dessert Crepes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Lime Pink Peppercorn Cookies by That Recipe

One Pan Chocolate Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake by Cookaholic Wife

Pink Peppercorn Cookies by Palatable Pastime

Rosemary Pine Nut Cornmeal Shortbread by Shockingly Delicious

We share recipes from #SpringSweetsWeek on Pinterest! Make sure you follow the board to see all the delicious recipes shared this week.

Check out these amazing prizes!

Prize #1:  A Fresh and Dried Organics Basket from Melissa’s Produce.

One winner will enjoy an abundance of fruit with Melissa’s Fresh and Dried Organics Basket. This hand-woven basket holds a delicious combination of fresh and dried Organic fruits and is carefully wrapped with cellophane and finished with a colorful ribbon. Melissa’s Produce has everything from common apples and bananas to exotic passion fruit and kumquats. 

Prize # 2:  A $30 Gift certificate to Selefina Spices.

One winner will enjoy a $30 gift certificate to buy all their favorite spices for cooking and baking! Selefina Spices sells an assortment of spices gathered using dedication and care with which we’ve curated their online tea collection. With our decades of experience sourcing products and establishing global connections their mission is to be able to bring you fresher, higher-quality spices and seasonings at lower prices. 

Prize #3:  A selection of 4 extract pastes from Taylor and Colledge.

One winner will receive a selection of extracts to include almond, lemon, organic vanilla bean, and lavender. In 1897, Taylor & Colledge won its first award for excellence in vanilla. Since then, the Taylor & Colledge commitment for unsurpassed quality has earned its reputation as one of the world’s finest producers of vanilla.

Prize #4:  AnolonPro Bakeware 2 Piece Set of Half Sheet Cookie Pans.

One winner will win a 2-piece set of 13-inch x 18-inch half sheet baking pans for cookies!  These aluminized steel professional sheet pans deliver unmatched durability and heat conduction for incredibly reliable results and are oven safe to 550°F.  You’ll be able to bake all your favorite cookies to perfection. Anolon Pro Bakeware gives you professional grade bakeware at affordable prices.

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Thank you #SpringSweetsWeek Sponsors: Selefina Spices, Anolon, Melissa’s Produce, and Taylor and Colledge for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #SpringSweetsWeek giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older.   All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Four (4) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #SpringSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #SpringSweetsWeek posts or entry.