Lemon and blackberry is such a wonderful flavor combo. This recipe uses a moist lemony cake batter that gets swirled with blackberry jam for a quick and easy loaf cake. This cake is extra moist thanks to the sour cream. Substitute the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt for similar results.
Instead of using whole blackberries, which tend to sink to the bottom of the loaf and can sometimes taste sour rather than sweet, we use store-bought blackberry jam, which concentrates the blackberry flavor and adds moisture to this quick loaf cake. Look for seedless blackberry jam which is readily available at the grocery store.
Swirl spoonfuls of the jam into the lemon loaf batter for a beautiful moist loaf cake. And top with a simple 2-ingredient lemony glaze to finish it off!
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The secret ingredient to perfect lemon blackberry loaf cake
I tested this recipe a few times to get it right so you don’t have to. Because blackberries are not always in season and even when they are, they can be sour rather than sweet, I opted for store-bought jam instead of using whole blackberries. The jam is also seedless, making the experience of eating this loaf cake much more enjoyable than having to pick small seeds out of your teeth. (The Bonne Maman Blackberry Preserves I used did not specifically say it is seedless jam, but it worked great in this recipe!)
You can make your own blackberry jam for this recipe. However, be warned - homemade blackberry jam uses up a lot of blackberries to yield enough jam for this recipe. It will also contain the seeds. See above for why that’s not ideal.
PS I already tried making my own seedless blackberry jam so you didn’t have to. It did not work well. By the time I strained out the seeds, what was left was runny, not thick like jam, and there was not much of it. Would not recommend. It is way easier, less time intensive, and frankly, less expensive, to buy seedless jam at the grocery store.
The magic of fresh lemon in lemon loaf cake
The lemon loaf that makes up the base of this cake is easy to put together. It’s similar to the lemon cake batter used in my Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf. We use fresh lemon three ways in this recipe to maximize the lemon flavor - lemon zest and lemon juice in the cake batter and lemon juice in the glaze.
To extract the most flavor from the lemon zest, add a small amount of it to the granulated sugar and squeeze the zest and sugar together between your fingertips to release the lemon oils. This sugar gets creamed together with the butter and enhances the lemon punch in this cake.
I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than store-bought bottled lemon juice. It just doesn’t have the same flavor as freshly squeezed lemon. Be sure to strain out any seeds and pith before adding to the cake batter.
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How to get thick lemon glaze
The glaze on this cake is super simple. It’s two ingredients - powdered sugar and lemon juice. I recommend sifting the powdered sugar to remove any clumps. You can instead use a whisk to break up any clumps.
Add a little bit of the lemon juice and whisk. If the glaze is too thick, add a touch more lemon juice. Continue until you achieve your desired thickness. The glaze should run off the whisk easily, but still look thick.
Tip: Be sure the cake is cool before adding the glaze to the top of the cake. Otherwise the glaze will melt into the cake and/or run right off the sides.
How to make Lemon Blackberry Loaf
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
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How to store blackberry lemon loaf cake
Store without the glaze. Add the glaze just before serving. To retain moisture, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil while still slightly warm, if possible. Store cake at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before adding the glaze and serving.
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Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon loaf cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest divided, (from about 2 medium lemons)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice from about ½ one medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream or plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup seedless blackberry jam
Lemon glaze
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar sifted to remove clumps, if needed
- 2 - 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1 medium lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 8x4 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray then line with parchment paper, allowing some parchment overhang. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar and with your fingers, rub in 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to release the oils. Set aside.1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the butter and lemon sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Add eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate fully before adding the next. Once all are incorporated, beat on medium speed for 1 minute until light in color.3 large eggs
- Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Mixture may look curdled.1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- With the mixer off, add in all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed just until incorporated. Do not overmix.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cake flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- With the mixer off, add the sour cream (or Greek yogurt). Turn mixer to low speed and mix just until incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl as needed to ensure the ingredients are evenly incorporated.1 cup full-fat sour cream
- Add in the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon zest and stir on low just until incorporated. Do not overmix.1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Spread about half the batter (2 cups) into prepared pan. Top with half of the jam, scooping large dollops on top of the batter. Use a butter knife to gently swirl together the jam and batter. Don’t go overboard with the swirling. Repeat this process - top with remaining batter then the remaining jam. Swirl again.½ cup seedless blackberry jam
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then cover loosely with foil to prevent the top from over browning and bake for another 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently lift out of the pan using the parchment overhang and allow to cool on a wire rack set over a baking sheet until completely cool. The baking sheet will catch any excess glaze when poured on top of the cake.
- Make the lemon glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and lemon juice a little at a time, until desired thickness is achieved. You may not use all the lemon juice.1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, 2 - 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Just before serving, pour the glaze over the cooled cake, slice, and serve.
Notes
- To store: Store without the glaze. Add the glaze just before serving. To retain moisture, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil while still slightly warm, if possible. Store cake at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing instructions: Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.