Blackberry Lemon Cake (Gluten-Free)
This easy cake is soft, moist, and full of blackberry flavor. It’s topped with a smooth blackberry cream cheese frosting that adds richness. Whether you bake it for a birthday, spring celebration, or weekend dessert, this easy gluten-free cake is delicious.
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GF Berry Cake for Summer
This gluten-free, easy cake is perfect for spring or summer. It’s super moist, soft, and full of blackberries. It has a hint of lemon flavor and is topped with a smooth blackberry cream cheese frosting that adds richness.
The cake is easy to make, and you can use fresh or frozen blackberries. It’s perfect for summer gatherings, tea time, celebrations, or just because. For more gluten-free berry cakes for summer, here is the link to this blueberry coffee cake.
Some notes about the ingredients of this recipe
- Blackberries: Fresh or frozen blackberries are suitable options.
- Eggs: room temperature eggs are better.
- Oil: natural oil like sunflower.
- Cream cheese: full-fat cream cheese for the frosting, not a spreadable one.
How to make gluten-free blackberry cake
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, lemon zest, oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until well incorporated.
Place half of the batter in the prepared pan and arrange half of the blackberries, halved, on top. Cover with the remaining batter and place the remaining blackberries on top.
Bake for 45/50 minutes or until cooked. Keep in mind that all ovens are different. To know if it’s ready, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.
Let cool before removing.
Store the cake covered in the refrigerator, and it can also be frozen.
For the blackberry frosting:
Smash the blackberries with a fork or in a small food processor and push through a fine mesh strainer to rid the seeds. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and blackberry puree. Beat on low speed briefly, then switch to high speed and mix for about 2 minutes until light and well combined. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency.
Baking tips and variations
- Blackberries: Fresh or frozen blackberries work well. Don’t thaw the blackberries; add them directly to the butter.
- Orange: replace lemon zest with orange zest.
- Topping: replace the blackberry frosting with lemon icing or blackberry icing. You can also leave it as it is.
- Berries: add raspberries or blueberries for more color.
For more gluten-free berry recipes
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Simply Blueberry Loaf Cake
- Raspberry Loaf Cake
Blackberry Cake for Summer (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 and ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups blackberries
For the blackberry cream cheese frosting:
- 1/4 cup blackberries
- 4 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Whisk together gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar, lemon zest, oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until well incorporated.
- Place half of the batter in the prepared pan and arrange half of the blackberries, halved. Cover with the remaining batter and place the remaining blackberries on top.
- Bake for 45/50 minutes or until cooked. Keep in mind that all ovens are different. To know if it's ready, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.
- Let cool before removing.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator, and it can also be frozen.
For the blackberry cream cheese frosting:
- Smash the blackberries with a fork or in a small food processor and push through a fine mesh strainer to rid the seeds. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and blackberry puree. Beat on low speed briefly, then switch to high speed and mix for about 2 minutes until light and well combined. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency.