This Blackberry Lime Cake recipe is sponsored by Oregon Berries. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Bakes by Brown Sugar possible.
This Blackberry Lime Cake is a tender, moist cake infused with lime zest and lime juice, frosted with a creamy blackberry buttercream, and topped with fresh blackberries. It's a decadent cake that celebrates summer in every bite.
This cake is one of the best combinations of lime and blackberry you'll ever taste. The cake is citrusy with a lovely light green color from the lime zest, and the blackberry buttercream has a delicious fruity berry flavor from the fresh blackberries.
I love blackberries, especially Oregon blackberries with all the different varieties. Oregon produces 95% of the frozen blackberries in the USA, so if you can't find them fresh, you can always find them in your grocery store freezer section. And if you love blackberries as much as I do check out my recipes for Blackberry Hand Pies and Blacberry Galette made with Oregon blackberries.
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Blackberry Lime Cake Recipe Ingredients
This incredibly delicious cake has two components: the Lime Cake and the Blackberry Buttercream. Here are the ingredients that you will need for both.
Lime Cake
- All-Purpose Flour. Provides the structure for the cake.
- Granulated Sugar. The sugar adds sweetness of course, but sugar also adds moisture.
- Lime Juice. Lime juice adds moisture and a sharp flavor to the cake.
- Lime Zest. Make sure to zest the lime directly into the sugar to capture the oil which is where a lot of the lime flavor comes from.
- Whole Eggs. Eggs add fat and structure to the cake. Use room temperature eggs. Cold eggs will create a dense flat cake.
- Buttermilk. Adds moisture to the cake and helps create a tender crumb.
- Unsalted Butter. Butter adds fat to the cake. Make sure to use a good quality butter and that the butter is at room temperature (65-68°F) to ensure it combines well with the other ingredients
- Baking Powder. Is a leavener and helps the cake to rise.
- Baking Soda. Reacts with the lime juice and buttermilk to help the cake rise.
- Kosher Salt
Blackberry Buttercream
- Blackberries. The blackberries add a beautiful purple color and berry flavor to the buttercream. You can use fresh or frozen blackberries.
- Lime Juice. The lime juice pairs really well with the blackberries.
- Egg Whites. The egg whites create the meringue which is the base of the buttercream
- Granulated Sugar. The sugar adds sweetness to the buttercream but also helps to create a stable meringue.
- Unsalted Butter. The butter adds delicious flavor, so make sure to use a great-tasting butter.
- Kosher Salt. The salt adds a nice counterbalance to the sweetness of the meringue.
How to Make This Cake
This cake is a delicious butter cake with a wonderful lime flavor from the lime juice and line zest.
Put the eggs in a medium size bowl. Add 1/4 of the buttermilk and whisk until the eggs and buttermilk are combined. Cut the butter into 12 pieces.
Place the all-purpose flour, baking, powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in the bowl of the stand mixer and whisk to combine. Place the sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Zest the limes until you have about tablespoons. Rub the lime zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar starts to clump together (from the citrus oils) and appears to turn green.
Add the lime sugar to the flour mixture. With the paddle attachment mix the dry ingredients on low for 30 seconds until they're combined.
Add the butter and 3/4 cup of buttermilk. Mix on low until the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Scrape the batter off the paddle attachment.
Add the egg mixture in three batches mixing on medium until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after the second addition.
Add the lime juice and mix until the lime juice is incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another 10 seconds on medium-low.
Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans, about 790 grams each. Use an offset spatula to smooth and even out the top of the batter.
Bake the cake layers for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 202F and it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool the cakes for 10 minutes and then invert them onto wire cooling racks. Allow the cakes to completely cool before adding the blackberry buttercream.
How to Make Blackberry Sauce
The buttercream starts with this delicious blackberry sauce. In addition to using it for this cake, you can also use it on top of ice cream.
Place the fresh blackberries (fresh or frozen), sugar, and lime juice in a 3 or 4-quart saucepan. Bring the blackberry mixture to a boil, reduce to medium heat and cook until the berries are soft enough to mash with a back of a large spoon.
Strain the blackberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds to make the sauce. Return the sauce to the saucepan and cook on medium low heat until it's reduced to about 6 tablespoons.
Pour the sauce into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature before adding it to the Swiss meringue buttercream.
How to Make the Blackberry Buttercream
This beautiful Blackberry Buttercream is creamy, and silky with plenty of delicious blackberry flavor. It's a Swiss meringue buttercream flavored with blackberry sauce.
Combine sugar and egg whites together in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the mixing bowl touch the water.
Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and the mixture has thinned out and reached a temperature of 165°F. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and appear frothy on top. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature.
Once it reaches the correct temperature place the bowl on the mixer stand and with the whisk attachment beat the meringue on high speed until it is cool to the touch, about 75-80F.
Reduce the mixer to medium speed and add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to add the butter until the buttercream looks like thick whipped cream.
Add the blackberry sauce one tablespoon at a time until the desired color and taste are achieved. Store the blackberry buttercream in large bowl until ready to frost and decorate the cake.
How to Assemble the Cake
Reserve about 1-1/2 cups of buttercream to decorate the top of the cake. More if you want more elaborate decorations.
Place the bottom cake layer on a plate or cake board. Add 1-1/2 cups of the blackberry buttercream to the center and spread it evenly across the cake to the edges. Place the top cake layer on top and crumb coat the cake.
Use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh blackberries and fresh edible flowers.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use a scale to weigh the flour for the most accurate results. Too much flour will result in a dry cake and too little flour will result in a sunken cake.
- The eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be at room temperature before combining them with other ingredients. Room temperature for these ingredients is typically between 65 - 70 degrees F.
- Line the cake pans with parchment paper to ensure a clean release from the pan.
- The butter for the buttercream should be at 68-70 degrees F before adding it to the meringue. If it is too cold, it won't incorporate and if it is too warm, the buttercream won't set up and it might be soupy.
Blackberry Lime Cake Recipe - Frequently Asked Questions
Cold eggs will produce a cake that is compact and has a somewhat rubbery texture.
The cake may have sunk because too much baking powder or baking soda was used, there was not enough flour in the batter, or the oven temperature was incorrect.
Yes, you can make this cake with lemon. Replace the lime juice and lime zest with equal amounts of lemon juice and lemon zest.
You'll love this combination of lime-infused cake and blackberry buttercream made with Oregon blackberries.
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Blackberry Lime Cake
Ingredients
Lime Cake
- 2 3/4 cups (342 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 16 tablespoons (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 5 large (250 grams) eggs room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lime zest from 3-4 limes
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Blackberry Sauce
- 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen blackberries
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 large (180 grams) egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (564 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-6 tablespoons Blackberry Sauce
Decorations
- 4 ounces fresh blackberries
- Edible flowers
Instructions
Lime Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour two round 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Cut the butter into 12 pieces.
- Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the limes directly onto the sugar until you have about 2 tablespoons. With your fingers rub the zest into the sugar, until the sugar starts to clump together a little and the sugar turns a light green.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the butter and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk and mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the ingredients for 90 seconds. The batter should appear creamy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the egg mixture in three batches, beating the batter on medium speed each time until the egg mixture is incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after the second addition. After all the egg mixture is added, add the lime juice and mix on medium speed just until incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter.
- Bake the layers for 30-35 minutes until the center of the cake layers register 202F with an instant read thermometer or if a toothpick is inserted in the center and it comes out clean with no batter on it. The cake will also begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and place them each on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Cover each wire rack with a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the cake pan. Invert each cake layer onto the wire rack and allow the cakes to completely cool to room temperature before adding the blackberry buttercream.
Blackberry Sauce
- Place a medium sized bowl with a fine-mesh strainer next to the stove.
- Place the fresh blackberries, sugar, and lime juice in a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a boil. Quickly reduce the heat to medium and cook the blackberry mixture until the blackberries are soft enough to smash with the back of large spoon or a potato smash.
- Transfer the berries to the fine-mesh strainer and use the back of a large spoon to press the berry mixture through the strainer to remove the seeds. Get as much juice and pulp out of the blackberries as possible. You should have about 3/4 cup of blackberry sauce.
- Return the sauce to the saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is reduced by half. You should have 6-7 tablespoons of sauce, when it’s finished.
Blackberry Buttercream
- Half fill a 3-quart or 4-quart saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer over high heat. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
- Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set it over the pan of simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the pan to touch the water.
- Whisk until the mixture by hand until reaches 165 degrees F then immediately put the bowl on the mixer stand, attach the whisk attachment and whip at medium-high speed until the meringue mixture is cool (about 75-80F).
- With the mixer on medium speed add the butter to the meringue one tablespoon at a time. About half through the buttercream will begin to look curdled. Don’t worry it’s supposed to look like this. Continue to add the butter and eventually the buttercream will begin to look creamy and smooth.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add one tablespoon of the blackberry sauce to the buttercream and mix it in on medium speed. The buttercream will have a light lavender hue. If you want the buttercream a darker color with a more intense blackberry flavor continue to add the sauce until the desired color and flavor is achieved.
Assemble the Blackberry Lime Cake
- Reserve 1 cup of the blackberry buttercream in a smaller bowl for decorations.
- Place one cake layer on a cake board or plate. Use 1-1/2 cups of buttercream for the center and evenly spread across the layer to the edges. Place the second cake layer on top. Crumb coat the cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream over the entire layer of the cake to lock in the crumbs. This technique will prevent cake crumbs from getting mixed into the final buttercream.
- Use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh blackberries and fresh edible flowers.
Storing the Cake
- The cake can remain at room temperature for the remainder of the day. If serving the next day, store the cake in the refrigerator and then remove it from the refrigerator 90 minutes before serving so that it can come to room temperature.
Notes
- Use a scale to weigh the flour for the most accurate results. Too much flour will result in a dry cake and too little flour will result in a sunken cake.
- The eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be at room temperature before combining them with other ingredients. Room temperature for these ingredients is typically between 65 - 70 degrees F.
- Line the cake pans with parchment paper to ensure a clean release from the pan.
- The butter for the buttercream should be at 68-70 degrees F before adding it to the meringue. If it is too cold, it won't incorporate and if it is too warm, the buttercream won't set up and it might be soupy.
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