Description
This soft and fluffy lavender blackberry cake is so easy to make in just one bowl, and bakes into the most perfectly moist and tender sheet cake. With a homemade lavender infused dairy free milk and easy blackberry jam swirled throughout, this secretly vegan and eggless blackberry cake is topped with the creamiest blackberry cream cheese frosting for the ultimate spring cake! Perfect for any special occasion, and so deliciously easy for all levels of bakers!
Ingredients
Blackberry jam:
- 1 8-ounce container fresh blackberries, rinsed
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or granulated sugar
- juice from 1 lemon
Blackberry lavender cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (300 mL) dairy free milk
- 1 tsp dried culinary lavender
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (225 g) salted vegan butter (I recommend Miyoko’s or Flora Plant butter), melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 (450 g) cups all-purpose flour (or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
- Optional: additional 1 cup powdered sugar
- Blackberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the lavender milk: Bring the dairy free milk to a boil and remove from heat. Add in the lavender and steep for 2-3 minutes. Then strain the milk over a heat-safe jar to remove the lavender. Place the jar into the fridge to cool while you move onto the jam.
- Make the jam: First start by making the blackberry jam. In a medium pot, add the washed blackberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice together, and turn the heat onto medium. Stir the blackberries in with the syrup and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Cook the blackberries until soft, then mashed them with the back of a silicone spatula or fork. Continue to cook the jam until thickened and reduced by about 1/3, about 5 minutes. You can lower the heat if you feel your jam is cooking too fast.
- Cool the jam: Once the jam is cooled, it will thicken more in the fridge. Allow the jam to cool completely for the frosting. While you’re making the cake batter, you can cool the jam in the fridge. It will still be warm going into the cake, but for the frosting it should be completely cold.
- Prep: While the jam is cooling, preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9×13 cake pan with parchment paper. Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the lavender milk, and store in the fridge still while you make the batter.
- Make the cake batter: Check on the lavender milk to see if it’s cooled. If it’s not cool yet, wait to make the batter. If it’s nearly room temperature, you can begin to make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, and slowly pour in the lavender milk as you whisk the batter. Whisk JUST until the dry ingredients are integrated into the wet ingredients.
- Add in the blackberry jam: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Add in a few dollops of blackberry jam on top, and use a butter knife to gently swirl the jam into the cake batter. Less is more here!
- Bake: Place the cake pan into the oven to bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The top of the cake will be lightly golden brown.
- Cool: Cool the cake in the cake pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. There should be no more heat in the cake before you make the frosting.
- Make the blackberry cream cheese frosting: Prep the cream cheese frosting according to instructions. Then add in the blackberry jam, and the additional cup of powdered sugar if needed to help the frosting from splitting. Cream together until fluffy and integrated.
- Frost the cake: Frost the blackberry sheet cake with the frosting, and decorate with additional blackberries.
- Slice and serve! Serve and enjoy- store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Blackberry cream cheese frosting: You can make this a blackberry buttercream instead if you’d prefer! Simply swap out the blueberry jam for the blackberry jam in my blueberry frosting. Enjoy!
Gluten free: I like to use King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour. It’s amazing!