A Piece Of Cake

I had almost forgotten I had the ability to create a cake from scratch. Between box mixes and finished offerings in grocery stores and bakeries, it seemed ridiculous to make a cake at home. Then I remembered the sheet cake. I grew up making sheet cakes, and they are easy to mix up, require normal pantry ingredients, and freeze well for future gatherings or cravings. They also don’t require advanced cake stacking or icing abilities.

I hunted for a spring-inspired recipe and made this Blackberry Lavender Jam cake from a wonderful food website called Half-Baked Harvest. The recipe did require a few things that I don’t normally have on hand, Iike dried lavender, but I think it’s worth it. The cake tastes like fresh berries and lavender. If you want to start simpler, try a yellow cake recipe and serve with ice cream. 

Blackberry Lavender Jam from HalfBakedHarvest.com

6 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons dried lavender

Blackberry Cake

1 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup sour cream

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Vanilla White Chocolate Frosting

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

6 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1. To make the jam: Add the blackberries, honey, lemon juice, and lavender to a medium-size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, once boiling use a potato masher or fork to break down and mash the berries. Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3. Remove from the heat and let cool. This should thicken as it cools. 
• 2. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
• 3. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined, then slowly beat in the milk until fully combined
•  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Take about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the jam and dollop it by the tablespoon over the cake. Use a knife to lightly swirl the jam around, don’t over mix it.
• 5. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.
• 6. To make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla, beat until combined.
• 7. Spread a thin layer of jam over the cake, then frost the cake all over. Add small spoonfuls of the jam to the frosting and gently swirl the jam into the frosting. Ready to eat!

Note About Alterations: We used frozen berries, which were perfect. You can reduce the chocolate in the frosting or even make this cake without frosting for a less sweet breakfast version. We made two cakes – one as the recipe and one that is gluten free, using Bob’s Red Mill One-For-One Gluten-Free Flour that turned out perfectly.

Extra Jam

We had jam left over from our cake making. It’s more of a compote than jam, runny but delicious, and would be lovely over pancakes, ice cream, or mixed into oatmeal. 

By Anita Oldham | Photos by Melissa Donald

P.S. The weather is getting warmer! Time to uncover the grill! Here are some grilling ideas we put together for you.