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Blackberries and Cream Cake

07.07.12

Even though it’s still sweltering, I’m happy to be baking again. I’m even happier to that this cake literally took minutes to put together. Up until recently, I was a cake purist. Cake should always be made from scratch, right? Anything else would be sacrilegious.

Well, sometimes life gets in the way, and there just isn’t time for a scratch cake. There’s a reason that cake mixes have been around for so long. They are fast, easy, and really hard to mess up. And just because you are using a cake mix does not mean you have to follow the directions on the package. There are all sorts of doctored up cake mix recipes that taste really good. This recipe is a variation on a doctored recipe for a strawberry cake. I happened to find some blackberry gelatin at the store, but you could really use any kind of berry. The pureed blackberries give it a beautiful purple color, and who doesn’t love purple cake?

And don’t even get me started on this frosting. It’s so good, I could eat it by the spoonful. It’s a cross between a cream cheese and a whipped cream frosting. It’s light, but still sturdy enough to hold it’s shape, and not too sweet.

Blackberries and Cream Cake:

adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor

makes a two layer, 8 inch round cake

For the Cake:

1 package white cake mix
1 3 oz package blackberry gelatin
1 cup of pureed blackberries, strained if you don’t want seeds in your cake
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease, flour, and line the pans with parchment.

2. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer or a stand mixer on low until the ingredients are just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for an additional 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes on wire racks before removing from the pans. Gently run a palette knife around the edges and invert the cakes onto racks. Turn the cakes over so that the tops are up to finish cooling completely.

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

adapted from allrecipes

1 8 oz package of reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract in a bowl. Beat the ingredients on medium speed until smooth.

2.While the mixer is still running, slowly our in the heavy cream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Note: You can add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract for a lemon whipped cream frosting 

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Place one layer of the cake on an 8 inch cake board. Place 1 cup of the frosting on top, and spread evenly with a palette knife. I like this one.

2. Place the other cake layer on top (face down), and crumb coat the cake. Place a generous scoop of frosting on the top of the cake, and spread evenly across the top of the cake. Work your way around the sides until the entire cake is covered with a thin layer of frosting. I find that a turntable is helpful when frosting a layer cake. Let the crumb coat set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3. Once the crumb coat has set, spread a thicker layer of frosting on the top and sides of the crumb coat to create a smooth finish. Use the leftover frosting to pipe onto the cake and top with blackberries.

 

48 Comments · Cake

Comments

  1. Sonia says

    July 8, 2012 at 3:48 am

    Oh my! Blackberries cake? Looks so enticing and mouth-watering! Never tried blackberries in cake yet. Should gotta try some day 🙂

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      July 9, 2012 at 7:04 pm

      Thank you, Sonia. You are always so kind.

      Reply
  2. Dina says

    July 9, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    beautiful cake!

    Reply
  3. Natasha says

    July 9, 2012 at 7:04 pm

    Thanks, Dina!

    Reply
  4. Molly says

    July 10, 2012 at 12:40 am

    I just tried making this cake and absolutely loved it! Ran into some difficulties with the frosting, but it was all delicious. I posted about it and you can check it out here: http://wp.me/p2tM1C-20
    Thanks for the great summer recipe

    Reply
  5. Natasha says

    July 10, 2012 at 12:55 am

    I’m glad you liked the cake! Do you have a stand mixer? I found that it really helps when making this frosting. I used a KitchenAid on the number 6 setting for a few minutes. It also helps if the cream and the bowl are cold.

    Reply
    • Amber says

      July 6, 2015 at 7:38 pm

      I was having lots of trouble with the frosting as well but as soon as i read this and turned my mixer to 6 it thickined right up! Thanks so much for this great tip!

      Reply
  6. Leah says

    July 17, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    Im going to try this cake out for my husbands birthday tonight!!! also contemplating bringing in a slice to work to add to the dessert menu!!

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      July 18, 2012 at 1:58 am

      I hope you like it! Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply
  7. Patty says

    August 4, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Explain the crumb coat part…have not run across that before. This looks so good! Is there a reason the cream cheese is low fat?

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      August 5, 2012 at 8:44 pm

      A crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that is put on the cake before the final layer of frosting is applied. It traps in the crumbs so that you get a smooth and clean finish. It’s not essential if you are not picky about how your cake looks. Here is a video that I found to be helpful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKzxUEVDMZA&list=UUnLXSFdNBPDozhsyJfgyIkg&index=10&feature=plcp

      I’ve made this frosting with both low fat and regular cream cheese and both taste equally good, but I like to cut back on the fat where I can.

      Reply
  8. Kacey @ Kacey's Kitchen says

    August 13, 2012 at 3:29 am

    This is the most appetizing thing I have seen in years. I’m not even kidding. I need to plop my face in it right now!!!!

    Reply
  9. alejandra says

    September 25, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    how do you make the puree? do you cook the fruit?

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      September 25, 2013 at 4:25 pm

      I just pureed them in a blender. No need to cook.

      Reply
      • Josephine says

        January 20, 2017 at 9:57 pm

        What can I use if I can not find blackberry gelatin?

        Reply
        • Molly says

          January 18, 2018 at 7:56 pm

          I couldn’t find it so I used raspberry. I also used a gluten-free yellow cake mix instead of a regular white cake mix, and substituted 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce for half of the vegetable oil. I’m not making the frosting or doing it as a layer cake, but I’ll let you know how it turns out anyway.

          Reply
          • Molly says

            January 19, 2018 at 5:09 pm

            Checking back in. The cake turned out okay. Good texture, nice taste. But I think it will be better if I can stick closer to the recipe next time. And I recommend taking the time to strain out the seeds.

  10. Baby June says

    November 9, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    Gorgeous. I just love that color!

    Reply
  11. Kelly says

    February 23, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    I have to confess. I’ve made this recipe like 10 times now–including for a fundraiser, a wedding, and my grandmother’s 90th birthday–and gotten scads of compliments. I always share your website, but I’ve never thanked you for the recipe! So… my, and my friends’/family’s/acquaintances’ eternal gratitude for a moist, fun, and EASY cake recipe!

    And to be TOTALLY honest, I usually pair it with Smitten Kitchen’s swiss buttercream frosting–with a half-cup of lemon curd beat in. But your whipped cream/cream cheese frosting recipe is excellent, as well. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      February 25, 2015 at 10:09 am

      Thanks for your comment, Kelly! I love the idea of pairing this with a lemon frosting. I’ll try it next time!

      Reply
  12. Disha Budhraja says

    February 28, 2015 at 7:46 am

    The cake looks great and I am planning to make it for my friends birthday tomrrow..
    However, I am a bit apprehensive about adding gelatin in the cake batter. What is the purpose of the gelatin? Also would you recommend adding agar agar powder to stabilise the icing?

    Thank you,
    Disha

    Reply
  13. Stephanie says

    May 1, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    My son is requesting a blueberry cake for his bday. Could blueberry puree be substituted?

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 18, 2018 at 7:59 pm

      I know it’s been a while since this question was asked, but I wanted to say give it a try. I made a lovely (okay it was not lovely to look at–it was gray, but it was delicious!) cake by adding blueberry pie filling to a yellow cake mix.

      Reply
  14. Jean says

    December 23, 2016 at 5:04 pm

    One of the best cakes I have ever made so delicious. I did have trouble finding the blackberry jello had to order it on line. Again fabulous cake, I am making it again today.

    Reply
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    Do you measure 1 cup of blackberries and then puree them or do you puree blackberries first (and if so how many ounces?) and use 1 cup of the puree?

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    Will this recipe work with the newer, smaller boxes of cake mix? Thanks!

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Trackbacks

  1. Berries and Cream Cake | mess of a life says:
    July 10, 2012 at 12:42 am

    […] traveling I spent a lot of time on Food Gawker and came across this recipe for Blackberries and Cream Cake. I was sold, I knew I had to try making this cake. I altered it a little bit, using raspberries as […]

    Reply
  2. Mini Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting says:
    August 6, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    […] love blackberry in desserts, and one of my favorite dessert recipes is this layer cake that I made a few months ago. This time,  I decided to switch things up and add the blackberries […]

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Welcome to the Cake Merchant! I’m Natasha, the cake maker behind this blog. Here, I share my favorite cakes, baking tips, dessert experiments, and the occasional picture of my dog... READ MORE

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