Blackberry Pound Cake

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

This simple buttery pound cake is swirled with fresh blackberry purée and topped with a fresh blackberry icing.

This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bushel and Berry®.

FRESH BLACKBERRIES ARE AN UNDERRATED BERRY

Blackberries are definitely one of our favorite fruits in this house. Even among my readers, I notice that people love strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries! And don’t get me wrong, I love those fruits, too. But fresh blackberries are seriously underrated and don’t get near the love they should in dessert recipes.

Fresh blackberries have a unique, tart flavor. They are succulent, so they give off a decent amount of juice which is perfect for adding moisture to this cake, but not too much (we’ll talk about that in a bit).

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS BLACKBERRY POUND CAKE RECIPE

This blackberry pound cake is simple to make and so delicious. I like topping it off with a fresh blackberry icing that adds a hint of sweetness and extra fruity flavor, but it would also be delicious on its own or with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

The key to a tender and moist blackberry pound cake is using a cake flour and sour cream. The sour cream adds a hint of tartness and tons of amazing moisture to create a tender crumb. The blackberries also add moisture and a fruity flavor that will have your mouth watering!

If you don’t have cake flour on hand, don’t fret. Follow along for tips on exactly how to make the best pound cake ever, even if you need to make a couple substitutions.

---

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST BLACKBERRY POUND CAKE

The base of this cake is an easy vanilla pound cake along with a fresh blackberry compote that is swirled into the cake batter to get a beautiful, blackberry-packed cake! Then, for even more blackberry goodness, I topped it off with a homemade blackberry icing.

I always prefer to make all of my components from scratch, and thanks to Bushel and Berry®, I had fresh blackberries available to me because they were in season when I made this recipe.

I particularly like this blackberry plant, Baby Cakes®, because it stays small enough to grow in a patio container and doesn’t have any pesky thorns!

FRESH BLACKBERRY SWIRL

When I tested this recipe for the first time, I just mashed up the blackberries and stirred them into the batter. This was a giant mistake and made for a far too dense and very wet pound cake. We’ll be cooking the blackberries to remove some moisture, but we need some helper ingredients to get that done.

For the fresh blackberry purée, you will need:
• fresh ripe blackberries
• granulated sugar
• lemon juice

VANILLA POUND CAKE

This blackberry cake base is modeled after my beloved marble pound cake. It’s a great starting point for any pound cake recipe!

For the vanilla pound cake, you will need:
• cake flour
• salt
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• sour cream

FRESH BLACKBERRY ICING

This icing is optional, but I encourage you to make it! No cooking involved.

For the fresh blackberry icing, you will need:
• fresh blackberries
• powdered sugar
• milk
• vanilla extract
• salt

HOW TO MAKE BLACKBERRY POUND CAKE

We’ll start by preparing the blackberry mixture, then move on to the pound cake recipe while that cools down. Lastly, when the cake is completely cool, we’ll add the icing.

MAKE THE FRESH BLACKBERRY PUREE

STEP #1

Start by placing the blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat and simmer until you have about ⅓ cup of mixture about 10 minutes.

STEP #2

Remove mixture from heat, then press through a fine-mesh sieve to remove most of the seeds. Set aside.

MAKE THE BUTTERY POUND CAKE

STEP #3

To make the pound cake, start by sifting the cake flour, add the salt, whisk it together, and set this mixture aside.

STEP #4

Next, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl several times during mixing. The mixture should be very pale yellow after mixing.

STEP #5

With the mixer running, add the vanilla. Next, add in one egg at a time, mixing on medium speed and allowing each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently and do not rush this process.

STEP #6

Again with the mixer running, add the dry ingredients to the bowl in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions, starting and stopping with the dry ingredients. Continue to mix on medium speed in between each addition until fulling incorporated.

STEP #7

Remove about ½ cup of batter from the bowl and add to the blackberry mixture, stir until completely combined, and then set this mixture aside.

LAYER POUND CAKE BATTER WITH BLACKBERRY PUREE

STEP #8

Pour half of the pound cake batter into the prepared pan, then pour the blackberry + batter mixture on top. Spread the blackberry batter around evenly, then top with the remaining pound cake batter. It’s ok if the blackberry filling peeks out. Use a butter knife or skewer to swirl the batter.

STEP #9

Bake the pound cake then allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before turning out the pan to cool completely before adding the icing.

ADD FRESH BLACKBERRY ICING WHEN POUND CAKE IS COOL

The blackberry icing is so simple, and all you need is a sieve and a bowl.

STEP #10

Press the fresh blackberries through a sieve so that all you have is juice. Pour the juice into a small bowl.

STEP #11

Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt, and stir until icing is cohesive and light purple in color. Add more milk if you want a thinner icing or more powdered sugar if you want a thicker icing.

STEP #12

Pour the icing over the cooled blackberry pound cake and allow it to set before serving, about 1 hour.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT BERRY IN THIS POUND CAKE RECIPE?​

If you aren’t a huge fan of blackberries, you can certainly use a different kind of berry if you prefer! You can use raspberries, blueberries, or even strawberries. Just be aware of those seeds.

You could go another fruit direction and make a citrus pound cake instead, using the zest and juice of the citrus.

SUCCESS TIPS FOR THE PERFECT POUND CAKE

TIP #1

DON’T SKIP THE SWIRL: after recipe testing blackberry pound cake a few times, I originally mashed up the blackberries and just put them straight into the batter, but it turned out to be a goopy mess! I found that the best way to incorporate the blackberries was by mixing it with some of the cake batter and then swirling it with a knife or skewer.

TIP #2

CAKE FLOUR IS YOUR FRIEND: if you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can use a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. To do this, measure 2 cups (240g) of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Remove ¼ cup (30g) of the flour and put it back into your flour container. To the bowl, add in ¼ cup (32g) of cornstarch and whisk everything together. You now have 2 cups of cake flour, so lastly, you’ll want to remove some as per the recipe instructions. To do this: remove 2 Tablespoons of your makeshift cake flour, and you’re ready to use it in your recipe!

TIP #3

TAKE YOUR TIME: pound cake can be very particular. I mention in the recipe not to rush the process, and I truly mean that! While pound cake isn’t inherently difficult, it requires a specific incorporation of ingredients. Be sure you’re following along exactly.

TIP #4

ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS ARE A MUST: it is imperative that you use room temperature ingredients in order for this pound cake batter to come together perfectly. You can read all about why room temperature ingredients are important right here on my site.