She’s pink, she’s full of flavour, she’s the dessert to make this summer. This cake has two light and citrusy sponge layers with a generous amount of blackberries folded through. It’s filled and topped with a gorgeous Blackberry curd and topped with more fresh blackberries to truly feature them during berry season.
Blackberries are my favorite berries so I wanted to create something that complimented their perfection. This cake does have lemon in it, but because the star of the show is the blackberries, the lemony flavour is a lot less prominent and acts more like a support for the blackberries to shine!
Yield: 1 7″ cake with 2 layers of sponge
INGREDIENTS:
BLACKBERRY SPONGE-
- 110g Caster Sugar
- The Zest of 2 Lemons (save the juice to make the curd filling!)
- 90g Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs, room temp
- Splash of Vanilla Extract
- 80g Greek Yogurt
- 40ml Whole Milk
- 180g Plain/AP Flour
- 2tsp Baking Powder
- 1tsp Salt
- 150-200g Fresh Blackberries, if frozen, do not thaw (Add as many blackberries as your heart desires)
BLACKBERRY CURD-
CREAM-
- 200g Mascarpone Cream
- 250ml Double Cream
- 1tbsp Powdered Sugar
- Splash of Vanilla Extract
DECORATION-
- 115g Blackberries
STEPS:
BLACKBERRY SPONGE-
- In a large bowl, add sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your hands to extract the flavours
- Add butter then cream everything together until light and fluffy
- Add oil, eggs, vanilla, yoghurt, and milk. Mix to combine
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt then mix on low speed until it’s fully incorporated. Avoid over-mixing by stopping right when there are no longer any visible dry clumps
- Add the blackberries and fold so it’s evenly dispersed
- Split the batter in half and distribute it evenly between the two cake tins. Give the cakes a tap to get rid of any large air bubbles then pop them into the oven at 170°C for about 20min. Check to see if it’s baked through by poking it with a skewer and if it comes out clean it is done!
- Let it cool for 15 min then remove it from the tin to cool completely. When cooled, it can be wrapped in some clingfilm and kept in the fridge or freezer until the cake needs to be assembled
CURD- Click here for the recipe!
- Make this ahead of time so it can cool completely before assembling!
Cream-
- In a large bowl, combine mascarpone cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Using an electronic mixer, whisk until it’s fully combined and loosened up.
- Add the double cream and whip until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Give it a taste to see if it’s sweet enough, and add more powdered sugar if needed. But the cake will be sweet so I tend to lean towards the less-sweet side
ASSEMBLE
- Start with a layer of sponge
- Pipe a thick circle of cream onto the sponge to create a border for the filling to sit in. Fill the inside with a generous layer of the curd and press a few blackberries into the curd.
- Place the second layer over and give it a firm press to seal in the filling
- Cover the top of the cake with the rest of the cream. Use a spoon or offset spatula to create a well in the centre of the cream, then add more of the curd and a mountain of blackberries in the middle
- Leave the cake in the fridge for 1hr to set
- Let it come to room temp before you cut in and enjoy!
STORAGE-
- Keep the cake in the fridge and covered to prevent it from drying out but let it come to room temp before you eat it for the best texture!
