New! Sharing blackberry cake recipe for the moreish Blackberry Naked Cake, I’ve had the am-ah-zing chance to develop with @Driscollsberry and @thefeedfeed. This layer-dripping goliath definitely gave me a run for my money. Cooking has always been natural and therapeutic, but baking… that’s a different story. *sigh*
1½cups(3 sticks or 12 oz ) unsalted butter, softened, room temperature
2¼cups(15.75 oz) granulated sugar
6ozegg whitesroom temperature (approximately 6 egg whites)
¾ozsour cream, room temperature
3teaspoonspure vanilla extract
2 ¾cups+ 1 tablespoon all-purpose floursifted
¼cup+ 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarchsifted
3¾teaspoonsbaking powder
¾teaspoonbaking soda
¾teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonground cinnamon
Frosting
2cupsunsalted butterroom temperature
12ozfull fat cream cheese room temperature
6cupspowdered sugarsifted
2tspvanilla
1teaspoonkosher salt
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
Puree 21 oz of fresh blackberries until smooth. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the puree. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together.
In a stand mixer bowl, mix cream butter and sugar to get a smooth consistency. While mixing, add each egg white one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla.
Add flour in thirds, alternating with blackberry purée. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl when necessary.
Evenly distribute batter among prepared cake pans (approximately 3 cups each) and level the batter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let the blackberry cake layers cool down to room temperature, or wrap with plastic and refrigerate.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Use an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle) to beat together cream cheese and butter until incorporated and then add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth.
Assembly:
Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top it with approximately 3/4 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Add 5 oz of fresh blackberries across the layer. Repeat with the second layer of cake. Add the final layer, frost it, and smoothen the outside using just a thin coat around the cake’s sides. Decorate the top of the now-ready blackberry cake with the remaining fresh berries.
You’ll need approximately 21 oz of fresh blackberries to make the purée.
You can use a blender/immersion blender to achieve a smooth puree.
The final strain should come to approximately 12 ounces.
If you’d like to achieve a redder color batter, add puréed blackberries to a small sauce over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Then bring to room temperature before you proceed.
You can also use three 8-inch cake pans. Fill 1 to 2-inch cake pans ½ full with batter and 3 to 4-inch pans ⅔ full with batter.