Happiest Friday everyone. We’re celebrating sweet cake and I am so excited. I’ve been holding onto this for a couple of weeks. I’ve wanted to share this since the day I first made it, but peach recipes took top priority last week. Which is totally fine, because of course, they too are so delicious. This week, however, we’re switching to berries, cake, and frosting and it’s going to be pretty darn great.
The Inspiration
I would love to say that the inspiration for this cake was Asher’s upcoming 13th birthday. BUT, that girl wants nothing to do with a non-chocolate cake. So, as much as I would love to be remaking this for her birthday on the 30th, I’m sure I’ll be making the standard chocolate cake. The real inspiration was super simple, I wanted to bake a cake. I wanted it to be light and happy and pretty. I want to have fun photographing it, and I wanted it to be my most delicious vanilla cake yet. Excitedly reporting that this cake checks all of the above boxes. Sometimes you just have to make what you really, really want to make.
The details – starting with the jam
If you guys have followed along for a while you may remember my blackberry layer cake. This cake is very, very similar flavor-wise, but it’s simplified down into a yummy sheet cake. The jam is quick, but delicious…fresh blackberries, sweet honey, dried lavender, and a squeeze of lemon. Boil everything together until the jam thickens up and turns jammy. This isn’t your traditional jam however, it will not be jelly-like. It’s more of a sweet, thick blackberry sauce. Make the jam first so that it has plenty of time to cool off. Pairing lavender with blackberries is a favorite combo of mine. The flora hints from the lavender compliment the sweetness of the blackberries, and when mixed together in a jam… It is so good!
Onto the vanilla cake
When it comes to vanilla cake I like to keep my cake recipes pretty straightforward. And I always go heavy on the vanilla. I love to use real vanilla beans for added flavor, but of course, good olè vanilla extract works great too. Mix the coconut oil with sour cream, eggs, sugar, and that vanilla. Then just add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a nice pinch of salt. Stream in a little milk and that’s it. Simple. Simple. Now pour the batter into a rectangle baker.
Now the fun part – swirl in the jam
Take the blackberry jam from earlier and dollop spoonfuls over the cake batter, then use a knife to gently swirl the jam around. Don’t over mix, the idea is to have pretty swirls of jam throughout the cake. If you over-swirl, the cake will still be great, but more of a purple color.
While the cake bakes, make the frosting
Butter, sugar, lots of vanilla, and melted white chocolate, that’s what you’ll need. Beat that all together and you’ll have one of my favorite cake frostings. No one ever knows there’s white chocolate in the frosting. But it’s what makes this buttercream extra special and leaves everyone wanting more.
Finish this up
Once the cake has cooled, spread over a thin layer of the blackberry jam, then dollop over that frosting. The frosting is sweet and creamy, and everything together is DELICIOUS. Once again, take the jam and add small spoonfuls to the top of the baked cake. Then use a knife to gently swirl the jam into the frosting. It turns the prettiest shade of purple and I love it. Yes, what I love most about this sheet cake is how just pretty it turns out with minimal effort. The beauty of a sheet cake is that you don’t have to cut or layer anything. Just bake, frost, and enjoy! This is the perfect cake to make on a rainy summer afternoon. Especially if you have one too many boxes of sweet berries! Looking for other sweet cake recipes? Here are some favorites: Swirled Berry Ice Cream Butter Cake Swirled Blueberry Lemon Thyme Cake Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cak Lastly, if you make this Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
