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Cross section of a lemon blackberry cake on a sheet of brown parchment paper.
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5 from 9 votes

Lemon Blackberry Cake

This lemon blackberry cake is made with layers of lemon cake, studded with blackberries, filled with lemon curd mascarpone whipped cream, and macerated blackberries.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
cooling1 hour
Total Time3 hours
Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blackberry, lemon, lemon curd, mascarpone
Servings: 12
Calories: 392kcal

Equipment

  • 7" metal springform or cake pan for use of 8" and 9" pans, see the notes
  • Electric Mixer

Ingredients

Lemon Blackberry Cake

  • 150 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 150 grams all purpose flour plus 15 grams for coating blackberries
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs standard large, room temperature
  • 125 grams unsalted butter soft
  • 100 grams full fat greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 150 grams blackberries fresh or frozen

Blackberries

  • 250 grams blackberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Lemon Curd Mascarpone Whipped Cream

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 90 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 60 grams lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 225 grams mascarpone 8 ounces
  • 200 grams heavy cream cold

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Lemon Blackberry Cake Batter

  • In a medium bowl add in the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant and the sugar begins to clump.
  • Pour in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine.
  • Add in the butter, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Use the paddle attachment to mix the ingredients first on medium low until just combined, then turn it to high speed for 30 seconds.
  • Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the blackberries and 15 grams of flour. Pour the flour coated berries into the cake batter and use a spatula to fold them in.
  • Spray the cake pan with your baking spray and then pour in the cake batter.
  • Smooth out the cake with a rubber spatula.

Bake

  • Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
  • When the cake is finished baking, check it by sticking a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is fully baked.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes before removing the spring form.
  • After 10 minutes, remove the springform.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before assembling.

Blackberries

  • Add the blackberries (fresh or frozen) into a medium bowl, along with the sugar and lemon juice.
  • Stir to combine and leave at room temperature to macerate until ready to use. If you are making them the day before, place them in the fridge overnight.

Lemon Curd Mascarpone

  • In a large metal bowl or the top portion of a double boiler, add in the egg yolks, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
  • Add about 2" of water into a sauce pan or the bottom of the double boiler. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low so that it maintains a simmer.
  • Place the bowl with the egg and lemon mixture over the pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly, cooking the mixture until it thickens. It's done when the mixture is thick like mayo, essentially when you stop whisking the mixture should stop moving, it will sort of just firm up.
  • Once thick, immediately remove the bowl from the pot of water and turn off the heat.
  • Add the cold mascarpone into the hot curd, one spoonful at a time. Whisk one spoonful of mascarpone into the lemon curd until completely dissolved before adding in the next spoonful.
  • Continue adding the mascarpone in until it is all used up. Pour the mixture into a large shallow bowl and place a piece of plastic onto the surface. Place the bowl in the fridge until cold and thick.

Lemon Whipped Cream

  • Once the lemon curd mixture is cold and set, spoon about 75 grams into a small bowl and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whip the cold heavy cream on medium high speed until almost stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over whip the mixture.
  • Add half of the whipped cream into the lemon curd and fold to combine. Then, add in the other half of the whipped cream and fold until combined.

Assemble

  • * Optionally, level off the domed top of the cake first with a serrated knife.
  • Slice the cake into 2 layers with a serrated knife.
  • Place the bottom layer of the cake onto a dish or cake stand, ideally lined with parchment for easy transportation.
  • Scoop half of the lemon curd whip onto the bottom layer of cake and use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to spread it out.
  • If frozen blackberries were used they will be soft enough as is but if you used fresh blackberries, mash half of them in a separate bowl with a fork - these will be used for the middle filling.
  • Scoop half of the macerated blackberries out of the bowl, leaving as much of the liquid in the bowl as possible. Sprinkle the blackberries over the whipped cream so they are evenly dispersed.
  • Layer the top layer of cake over the frosting and press down gently.
  • Scoop the remaining whipped cream onto the top of the cake. Using the back of a spoon to make loose swoops on top. Spoon the extra lemon curd mixture around the top of the cake and use the spoon to swirl them in.
  • Spoon the remaining macerated blackberries, again trying not to scoop up too much of the liquid, onto the whipped cream and lemon curd.
  • If time leave the cake to firm up slightly for an hour or two in the fridge before slicing but it can be sliced and served immediately.

Notes

Tips for making a lemon layer cake
  • To make this cake over multiple days, you can either make the whole thing one day and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Or make the actually sponge cake, lemon curd, and macerated blackberries on one day, and then assemble it the next day. 
  • If you want to make a full 9" cake, multiply all the cake ingredients by 1.5 aka instead of 2 eggs, use 3. This cake can be easily scaled so you could also double it and make two thinner 9" cakes.
  • Alternatively, if you have an 8" pan I would bake the cake batter as is and just do a single layer cake that you can add all the fillings to, on top.
  • Triple check that your pan is the correct size and that your baking soda and baking powder haven't expired to ensure a proper rise!
  • This cake is a great base for so many flavors so don't be afraid to play around with fillings, and frostings but I do love this flavor combo.
  • Use a baking spray with flour in it to spray the bottom of your cake pan, try not to spray the sides as it can make the cake rise oddly. Alternatively, grease the pan with soft butter and line the bottom with a round sheet of parchment paper.
  • For the blackberries in between the layers, I recommend using frozen because when they thaw and macerate, they soften, making them a better filling to cut through. If you only have fresh, simply mash them down with a fork after macerating and use that for the filling.
  • This cake will slice best if you allow it to sit, assembled, for at least an hour or two if not overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 944IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg