Blackberry Sour Cream Cake with Lemon Curd Glaze
I’ve got three, life-altering words. Lemon. Curd. Glaze.
We are creeping our way into the season of berry-picking, so it’s prudent to arm ourselves with a collection of recipes we can turn to when the over-eagerness, which berry bushes inevitably inspire, catches up with us in the form of overabundance. When we have eaten our fill and our fingers are stained beyond hiding, the baking begins.
We are making a blackberry cake that suits all of your culinary needs. Baby showers, bridal showers, brunches, picnics, or my personal favorite, breakfast - this versatile berry cake does not fail to impress or delight no matter the occasion.
Not only does it boast the most delicate, buttery crumb and perfectly suspended berries (I’ll tell you my trick in a minute), this cake is glazed with the most incredible lemon curd drizzle that I now want to put on every single thing I bake. It is SO good.
First, let’s talk about the berries. Have you ever made a berry cake or muffin only to discover that all of the berries sunk to the bottom of the pan? I think we have all been there. Thankfully, the solution is painless and once you try it out you will wonder why you have not been doing this your whole life.
Simply toss all of your berries in a generous coating of flour before folding them into the batter. This will help the berries to hold their place in the cake batter rather than slipping down to the bottom.
Now, while the cake cools we prepare my favorite part of this cake - the glaze.
Lemon curd, store-bought or homemade, lemon juice, and confectioner’s sugar are whisked into a think, pourable glaze that will veil our cooled cake.
It takes only a few minutes to set up and then the cake is ready to slice!
The waiting period is so hard and in these photographs you can tell that my cake was still a tiny bit warm when I poured the glaze, thus preventing a fully solid finish, but sometimes I get overly eager and suffer the consequences, which, by the way, are still completely delicious.
That said, my results with cooled cakes have proved even prettier so, if you can possibly stand it, walk away until this cake has cooled.
Just before the glaze sets, you can decorate your cake with a few blackberries or lemon slices. I’m all about the garnish.
I would really like to invite Mary Berry over right now for a cuppa and a slice of this cake. I think she would approve.
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
Blackberry Sour Cream Cake with Lemon Curd Glaze
makes one bundt cake
FOR THE CAKE
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups fresh blackberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a bundt pan liberally with nonstick spray.
Place butter in the work bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed for one minute. Then, using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy; this should take 1-2 minutes.
With the mixer still running, beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Reduce speed to low and mix in sour cream and lemon juice.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour and baking powder. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer, forming a thick, smooth batter.
In a small bowl, toss together remaining 1/4 cup flour and berries, coating all the berries in the flour. This will help the berries to suspend in the batter, rather than sinking to the bottom.
Use a spatula to gently fold the berries into the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes; until golden brown.
Test the cake’s doneness by tapping the top of the cake. If it springs back lightly, the cake is done.
Allow the cake to cool until just warm before turning the cooled cake out onto a platter.
While the cake finishes cooling, prepare the glaze.
FOR THE GLAZE
1/2 cup lemon curd
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together lemon curd and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the confectioner’s sugar. The glaze should be thick and smooth.
Cook’s Note: If you find that your glaze is too thick, add another teaspoon of lemon juice. The consistency should be similar to that of the cake batter.
Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and allow to set for 15-20 minutes.
Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and enjoy for up to three days.
Enjoy!