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Blackberry Cake

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I’ve partnered with Oregon Berries to make this absolutely delicious blackberry and peach cake! It’s made with fluffy cinnamon cake layers, and its blackberry peach frosting is perfectly balanced with a tart blackberry filling.

While all of that sounds wonderful on its own, the real star of the show is the blackberry jam filling and blackberries from Oregon!

Image of a blackberry peach cake

Packing this Blackberry Cake with Flavor

What really makes this cake so delicious is its alternating layers or blackberries, jam, and diced peaches.

I love using fresh blackberries when they’re in season, but to be totally honest I use frozen berries the rest of the year.

Oregon blackberries are naturally ripened, picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen with 24 hours of being picked. This locks in all their delicious flavor and means that frozen berries are just as wonderful to bake with as fresh berries.

image of a blackberry layer cake being filled with fresh blackberries and blackberry jam

As an added bonus, frozen berries have a longer shelf life and are actually a better value compared to fresh berries. It’s truly a win-win situation!

Making This Blackberry Cake in Different Sizes

I used 8″ cake pans to make this cake, but this recipe can be used to make different sized cakes. You can also half or double the ingredients to make a half or double batch!

image of a blackberry layer cake being filled with fresh blackberries and blackberry jam

You can make four 7″ or 6″ cake layers with one batch of batter. Bake the cake layers at 350 F / 175 C for 32-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

One batch of batter can be also be used to make one 9×13-inch sheet cake. Bake it at 350F for 40-50 minutes and use flower nails or heating cores to help the cake bake evenly.

You can also use this recipe to make a Bundt cake! Bake time can vary based on the size and type of pan you use and can take anywhere from 45-75 minutes. I recommend using a toothpick to test for doneness and checking on it every 5-10 minutes once it’s been in the oven for 45 minutes.

The final variation of this recipe is cupcakes!! This recipe makes about 36 regular sized cupcakes. Fill 3/4 full and bake for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Decorating this Blackberry Layer Cake

Once you’ve determined what size of cake you want to make, it’s time to think about the best part of making any cake – the decoration!

While I always share the details on how I decorate my cakes, don’t let my choices limit your creativity. Feel free to decorate this blackberry cake however you want.

I opted for a textured look on the side of the cake, which is a pretty forgiving and easy technique. I used a few different shades of purple frosting to swipe dabs of frosting around the side of the cake.

The top of the cake is decorated with buttercream dollops and fresh blackberries. I used an open star tip (like a Wilton 1M), a small French tip (like an Ateco 826) and a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) to create this look.

image of a pretty blackberry layer cake decorated with purple buttercream and fresh blackberries

Tips for Making the Best Blackberry Peach Cake

  • Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale.
  • Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature to help them mix together better.
  • Don’t over-mix your batter, stir until the flour is just incorporated.
  • Don’t level and torte your cake layers until they have completely cooled to room temperature.
  • Pipe a ring of buttercream around each cake layer before adding the jam and fresh berries. It will help keep all that delicious filling in place.
  • If you have a lot of fresh or frozen Oregon blackberries on hand, make my homemade blackberry freezer jam! It’s absolutely delicious and makes a wonderful cake filling. Or if you don’t want to make your own jam, look for Oregon blackberry jam at your local grocery store.
  • Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency. This will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
  • If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, read my cake troubleshooting guide to see where things might’ve gone awry.

Making this Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

  • Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.
  • Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a month or the freezer for 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
  • A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for a week. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
  • If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think

If you make this blackberry cake recipe, please tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so I can see your beautiful creations.

image of a slice of blackberry layer cake being assembled with cinnamon cake layers, blackberry jam, fresh blackberries, and blackberry peach buttercream
Yield: 24

Blackberry Cake

image of a beautiful blackberry and peach layer cake that's been cut into to show it's peach and blackberry filling

This blackberry cake is made with fluffy cinnamon cake layers, and its blackberry peach frosting is perfectly balanced with a tart blackberry filling.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 33 minutes

Ingredients

Cinnamon Cake Recipe

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (500g)
  • 1 cup egg whites from a carton - about 7 egg whites, room temperature (235g)
  • 3 cups cake flour (360g)
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (10g)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (6g)
  • 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
  • 1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature (380g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (56g)

Blackberry Peach Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (565g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 8 cups powdered sugar (1000g)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream (56g)
  • 2 Tbsp Blackberry jam (40g)
  • 2 Tbsp peach preserves (40g)

Filling and Decorations

Suggested Tools and Equipment

Instructions

Cinnamon Cake Layers

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3, 8-inch cake pans and line them with parchment rounds.
  2. Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a high speed with a whisk attachment for a few minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as need with a rubber spatula. The mixture will become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
  3. Add the egg whites and mix at a medium speed until they're incorporated.
  4. Sift the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt) into a separate bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until just incorporated.
  5. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and oil, and mix at a low speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  6. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients on a low speed.
  7. Pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. I like to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my pans, to make sure my layers will be the same height.
  8. Bake for 31-34 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through to help them bake evenly.
  9. Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan and flip the layers onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  10. Once the cake layers have fully cooled, use a serrated knife to level the tops. I chose to cut each cake layer in half horizontally, to make six thin cake layers but this is optional.

Blackberry Peach Buttercream Frosting

  1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the blackberry peach buttercream frosting.
  2. Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a hand mixer or stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment until smooth.
  3. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt on a low speed until incorporated.
  4. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Add in the heavy cream halfway through to make the frosting easier to mix.
  5. Continue to mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached. Place 1/2 cup of the plain vanilla buttercream into a small piping bag fit with a small French tip and set aside - this will be used to decorate the sides and top of the cake later in the process.
  6. Mix the Oregon blackberry jam and peach preserves into the remaining buttercream.
  7. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
  8. Stir by hand with a rubber spatula to make the frosting extra smooth. Place 1 cup of frosting in a small piping bag fit with a round piping tip, then cover the remaining frosting with plastic wrap and set aside.

Assembling this Blackberry and Peach Cake

  1. Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
  2. Spread an even layer of blackberry peach buttercream on top of the first cake layer. Pipe a ring around the cake layer to act as a frosting dam to keep the filling in place.
  3. Carefully spread 2 Tbsp of Oregon blackberry jam on top of the frosting and top with a 1/3 cup of fresh blackberries.
  4. Repeat this process with the 2nd cake layer but use 2 Tbsp of peach preserves and top with 1/3 cup of diced peaches.
  5. Chill the cake in the freezer for 5 minutes once the two layers are stacked to help lock the filling in place and make it easier to stack the remaining cake layers.
  6. Repeat this process with the remaining cake layers.
  7. Once all the cake layers are stacked, spread a thin coat of blackberry peach buttercream around the cake to fully cover the cake layers.
  8. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
  9. Add a second, thicker layer of buttercream to the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper.
  10. Divide the remaining buttercream into three bowl, and color 3 different shades of purple using gel food coloring.
  11. Decorate as desired! I chose to add a textured look with the reserved white frosting and ombre purple buttercream and decorated the top of the cake with buttercream dollops and fresh blackberries.

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Blackberry Peach Cake

  • Be sure to properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale.
  • Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature to help them mix together better.
  • Don’t over-mix your batter, stir until the flour is just combined.
  • Don't level and torte your cake layers until they are completely cooled.
  • Pipe a ring of buttercream around each cake layer before adding the jam and fresh berries. It will act as a frosting dam and keep all that delicious filling in place.
  • If you have a lot of fresh or frozen Oregon blackberries on hand, make my homemade blackberry freezer jam! It's absolutely delicious and makes a wonderful cake filling. Or if you don't want to make your own jam, look for Oregon blackberry jam at your local grocery store.
  • Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency. This will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
  • If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, read my cake troubleshooting guide to see where things might've gone awry.

Making This Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

  • Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and make it more approachable.
  • Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
  • This blackberry cake filling can be made up to two weeks in advance if stored in an airtight container in the fridge
  • A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
  • If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 603Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 76mgSodium 244mgCarbohydrates 81gFiber 1gSugar 63gProtein 4g
© Chelsey White
Cuisine: American / Category: Cakes

Leah

Monday 14th of March 2022

This looks awesome! Out of curiosity - about how tall are each of the individual cake layers once you cut them?

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Angie

Thursday 3rd of June 2021

This cake looks awesome! I was thinking it would be fun to make it into a bundt. Do you have any suggestions on how to incorporate the fillings and frosting on a bundt? Thank you!

Darrah

Monday 17th of May 2021

This cake was sooo good! I live in Oregon so when I saw this I knew I wanted to make it! I didn’t cut the cakes in half because they didn’t rise well (my fault for having the oven open too long when I was checking to see if they were done) and I was short on time so there were only 3 layers but it was still so good! I will make it again when I can get some really fresh berries and peaches from the farmers market and do the 6 layers because I wanna be able to have more of the filling in each bite. I swapped out the blackberry preserves for some marionberry preserves and it turned out great!

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