When I really want to impress, I make this lemon blackberry cake. The moist, fluffy cake is filled with fresh lemon flavor, and the tangy cream cheese frosting gets its color from real blackberries. This cake is ready to eat in just 35 minutes, so it’s one of my favorites to whip up last minute for a BBQ or family party!
This lemon blackberry cake is ridiculously easy to make, and it tastes so good! I infused yellow cake mix with lemon juice and zest to give it that from-scratch flavor, and I mixed up a quick and tangy cream cheese frosting with real blackberries blended in to get that beautiful color! No one will guess this cake came from a mix.
What’s in This Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe?
- Yellow Cake Mix: Gives the cake its bright yellow color!
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest add bright lemon flavor to the cake.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake moist and tender.
- Eggs: Binds the cake to give it structure.
- Cream Cheese: Adds rich and tangy flavor to the frosting.
- Butter: Unsalted butter forms the creamy base of the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting and gives it structure.
- Blackberries: Add a beautiful purple color and rich blackberry flavor to the frosting.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the frosting.
- Salt: Kosher salt enhances the overall flavor of the frosting.
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How to Store
Store leftover lemon blackberry cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Tips for Success
- Use a toothpick to check the center of the cake to make sure it’s cooked all the way through before removing the cake from the oven.
- Let your cakes cool before removing them from the pan. If you try to remove them too soon, the cake might start falling apart.
- I decorated my cake with lemon slices and blackberries.
Lemon Blackberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cake
- 26.5 ounces yellow cake mix (2 (13.25-ounce) boxes)
- 1¾ cups water
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 6 large eggs
For the Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature (2 bricks)
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 3 9-inch Round Cake Pan
- Stand Mixer
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep 3 (9-inch) round cake pans by spraying them with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, water, lemon, oil, and eggs.26.5 ounces yellow cake mix, 1¾ cups water, ¼ cup lemon juice, ⅔ cup vegetable oil, 6 large eggs, 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Evenly divide the batter between the 3 prepped cake pans (about 545 grams per pan).
- Place into the preheated oven to bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Set aside to cool.
- Make the blackberry frosting by adding all of the frosting ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment. Beat on high for 4 minutes.16 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups powdered sugar, 1 cup fresh blackberries, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Once the cakes are cooled, remove from the pans. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand.
- Spread about ¼ cup of the frosting over the cake. Top with a second layer of cake and spread more frosting on it. Top with the last cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and around the sides of the cake.
- Top with lemon slices and blackberries if you so desire. Slice and serve!
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