Name: Blackberry Lavender Cake
Prep time: 240 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 300 min
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk; 2 ½ tsp dried lavender; Lavender Syrup; ½ cup water; ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 ½ tsp dried lavender; ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature; 2 ½ cups spooned and leveled cake flour; 1 ½ cups granulated sugar; 1 tbsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; 1 cup diced, softened, unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 ⅔ tsp pure vanilla extract; 4 eggs (room temperature); 1 cup softened, unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 8 ounces softened, full-fat brick cream cheese; 5 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar; 2 tbsp whole milk; 1 ⅔ tsp pure vanilla extract; ⅛ tsp salt; 1 cup blackberry jam; 2-3 drops mauve/purple food coloring (optional); ½ cup fresh blackberries (optional)

Jump to Recipe

You all know I’ve always been a sucker for lavender dessert recipes, right? I like holding cozy tea parties with my girls, and our room is always filled with sweet, floral lavender scents!

Some girls know I love to bake, so they suggested I try the lavender-blackberry combo. And oh my goodness, it’s one of the best things I’ve whipped up in ages. Super easy to bake, too, let me tell you.

Why Blackberry Lavender Flavored Cake Recipe Is The Best Of The Best

Take a bite of your juicy blackberry; it’s sweet, tart (or maybe a little of both, depending on how ripe it is). Now, add a hint of flowery lavender to even out that fruity punch. Crazy combo, right? You would feel drunk but in all the best ways.
And it’s seriously stunning, too. Those deep purple berries popping against the golden cake are pure eye candy! You can always throw fresh lavender sprigs to up the classy vibe.
When it comes to drinks, this guy is a chameleon! Thanks to its bubbly and refreshing taste, it plays well with herbal teas, coffee, or even a light white wine.

12 Basic Steps To Make Blackberry Lavender Cake

Lavender Milk

Step 1.

Pour some milk into a saucepan and gently warm it over low heat until it’s just about to simmer. Take it off the heat and toss in some lavender.

Now, let it chill and steep for about 20 minutes. Once that’s done, strain out the lavender bits and let the milk cool down completely. Our cake batter will need it later!

Pro tip: You can whip this up a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge. Just remember to bring it back to room temp before baking!

Lavender Syrup

Step 2.

Grab another saucepan and mix sugar with ½ cup of water.

Bring it to a nice boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat a little and add more lavender. Let the syrup simmer for 10 minutes, then take it off the heat and let it cool down. Strain out the lavender with a sieve, and voila! You’ve got yourself a sweet lavender syrup.

We’ll use this to give your cake an extra burst of lavender flavor later on. Like the lavender milk, you can make this ahead of time and keep it at room temp until you’re ready to bake.

Cake

Step 3.

Move on to the cake itself!

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease three cake pans (8-inch) nicely (or line them with parchment paper; your choice) so we can remove the cake more easily later on. Mix together some sour cream and the chilled lavender milk until they’re well combined. Set that aside.

Step 4.

Blackberry Lavender Cake decorate wet and dry ingredient

Sift the baking powder, cake flour, salt, and sugar into a big mixing bowl. If you have a stand mixer, put everything in there. If not, any large bowl will do. Attach the paddle attachment and give it a whirl at low speed for 4-5 seconds (just to mix things gently).

Next, add the unsalted butter, half of our lavender milk + sour cream combo, and vanilla. Crank up the speed to medium and let it mix until all your dry ingredients moisten – about a minute should do it. Pause the mixer, scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides, and give it another whirl.

Step 5.

Now, for the eggs! Whisk them up well with the rest of our lavender milk and sour cream mix.

With your mixer running at medium speed, pour this egg mixture into our batter in three batches, giving it a quick mix for about 13-16 seconds after every addition. Stop again, scrape the bowl, and give it one final mix for another 15 seconds. Remember, don’t overdo it — some little lumps are fine.

Step 6.

Once your batter looks all smooth and delicious, pour it evenly into your cake pans. Feel free to weigh them with a food scale or something to make sure they’re all the same!

Pop them in the oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until cooked through. Stick a small toothpick in the middle – if it looks clean when you pull it out, you’re good to go. Let the cakes cool entirely in the cake pans on a wire rack before slicing and frosting.

Step 7.

It’s time to level up! Grab a big serrated knife and carefully slice off a very thin layer from the tops so the cakes look flattened out. You can toss those bits away or save them for a sweet, crumbly ice cream topping!

And here’s where the magic happens: brush each cake generously with our lavender syrup. Don’t hold back. Trust me, I always use every single drop!

Frosting

Step 8.

Grab a big bowl and your favorite stand or handheld mixer. Toss in the cream cheese and butter and let them mingle at medium speed ’til smooth and creamy (it usually takes me 2 minutes).

Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, milk, and a pinch of salt with your mixer on low. Crank up the speed to high and let it beat for about 3 minutes until everything’s fluffy.

If your frosting feels too thin, add extra confectioners’ sugar. Too thick? Splash in a bit more milk. And if it’s a touch too sweet, a pinch more salt should do the trick. Your frosting must be creamy and spreadable, not too runny.

Step 9 (Optional)

Let’s get artsy! You can split your frosting into two halves and tint one of them a lovely purple. I used about 2-3 drops of food coloring for mine.

Assembly

Step 10.

Pop one of your cake layers onto your serving plate or cake stand and slather on a thin white frosting.

Grab your piping bag with a big round tip and pipe a nice ring of frosting around the cake’s outer edge to make a “dam.” Pipe another ring of frosting a bit further in to form a “bull’s eye.”

After that, spoon some blackberry jam into the gaps, then repeat everything with the second cake layer. Once you’ve stacked all your layers, give the whole thing a thin coat of frosting (if you still have any frosting left) to catch pesky crumbs.

Step 11.

Pop it in the fridge for 13-15 minutes, then spread on that lovely purple frosting on the sides and top. I like using my icing spatula for this part.

Have you got some extra frosting? Great; get creative and pipe on some decorations! I went for a swirly border with a piping tip, but the sky’s the limit.

Finally, top it off with fresh blackberries.

Blackberry Lavender Cake decorate complrete

Step 12.

Before you dig in and serve your delicious cake, stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This quick chill helps the cake stay nice and firm when you’re cutting into it. Enjoy!

If you want to have a taste of other berries, I have a whole list for you: lemon blueberry cakes, strawberry cakes, strawberry shortcakes, blueberry muffins, and dark chocolate raspberry cakes. Take your pick!

Note

Make sure you use culinary lavender. It’s MEANT to be eaten and has a milder flavor! I tried regular lavender once, but its taste turned out strong and quite soapy.