This Lemon and Blackberry Cake is the perfect springtime dessert! My secret to baking cake is that I use store-bought mix, make homemade frosting, and then add fresh berries to make it look pretty. No one knows that you didn’t make the cake from scratch. They don’t really care. They are just excited to be eating delicious cake!
Making a cake completely from scratch takes a lot more time, and somehow I make a huge mess and get flour all over my kitchen, and all over myself. Using a mix is a shortcut that I am happy to use.
I was having a friend over for an Easter lunch, and I thought that cake would look pretty on the table. I am trying to start a trend of beautiful cakes being centerpieces. I think they add a touch of importance and formality to a dinner. They turn dinner into a celebration.
The plan was to make an angel food cake with raspberries. But, the grocery store was sold out of angel food cake mix (crazy, right?), and the raspberries were not looking so great. Charles suggested buy lemon cake and adding blackberries, and it was a delicious idea. For a man that can’t cook, he does have great ideas sometimes!
I am usually more of a chocolate cake person, but I loved how light this cake was. The combination of the lemon cake and the whipped vanilla frosting was a bit refreshing. The blackberries added a fresh juicy flavor, and the lemon and blackberry flavors complimented each other wonderfully.
I made this for Easter Sunday, but wouldn’t it be fitting for Mother’s Day?
We loved the lemon and blackberry flavor combination, but you could use strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries instead.
Yields 8-10
15 minPrep Time
35 minCook Time
50 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 1 box of Lemon Cake Mix
- Plus all the ingredients called for on the box of mix (usually egg, water, vegetable oil)
- 16 ounces of Whipping Cream
- 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 cups of Blackberries
Instructions
- Follow the directions on the box of cake mix to prepare two 8 inch cake rounds. Remove from the oven, and let cool.
- While the cake is cooling, mix up the frosting. Place the whipping cream and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip together on a medium speed until the whipping cream starts to thicken.
- Once the whipping cream has almost become whipped cream, add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until the frosting is slightly stiff and the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Once the cakes have completely cooled, it is time to frost the cake! I start by using a big serrated knife to trim off the rounded top of the cakes so they are flat and easier to frost.
- Place the first layer of cake in the center of a cake stand. Then I cut some strips of parchment and placed them around the edge of the cake. This way when you are done you can remove the parchment and your cake stand will be all clean and won't have frosting smeared on it.
- Frost the first layer of cake, and then add some whole blackberries on top. I added about a handful of blackberries. Then I added the second layer of cake on top, frosted that layer, and added more blackberries on top!
- Since the frosting is made with whipped cream, don't let it sit out too long. Keep it in the fridge until dinner time. Then place it on the table for dinner and it will come to room temperature while you eat.
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