Blackberry and lavender flavors come together in this superbly moist and tender blackberry lavender cake. The reverse creaming method guarantees a soft crumb and the lavender milk and soaking syrup promise an aromatic, but not overpowering flavor.
Recipe by Sally on April 24, 2019
Prep time: PT4H
Cook time: PT22M
Total time: PT4H22M
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
lavender cake, cake
Ingredients
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
2 and 1/2 cups (295g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, diced & softened to room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and immediately add the lavender. Set aside to steep for 20 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, then discard the lavender. Cool milk completely before using in cake batter. Can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the lavender. Simmer the syrup for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and steep until completely cool. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, then discard the lavender. You will use this “soaking syrup” in step 8. Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
Stir the sour cream and cooled lavender milk together until combined. Set aside.
Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or if using a handheld mixer, any large mixing bowl.) With the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients together on low speed for a few seconds to gently combine. Add the butter, vanilla, and about 1/2 of the lavender milk/sour cream mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl.
Whisk the eggs into the remaining lavender milk/sour cream mixture. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing for about 15 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl, then mix for about 15 more seconds until batter is completely combined. Avoid over-mixing. Some small lumps are OK.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. If desired, weigh them to ensure accuracy. Bake for around 20-22 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before leveling and frosting.
Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Generously brush lavender syrup on the top of each cake. I use every last drop!
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be spreadable and creamy, not runny. If desired, divide frosting in half and tint half light purple. I used 2 drops of this mauve food coloring.
Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread a thin layer of white frosting on top. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I used Wilton 1A piping tip) with 1/2 cup of white frosting. (Or use a zipped-top bag with the corner snipped off.) Pipe a ring around the outer top edge of the cake to create a “dam.” Pipe a second ring of white frosting a couple inches in from the outer ring to create a “bull’s eye.” Spoon and spread blackberry jam in the gaps. Top with 2nd cake layer and repeat, then place 3rd cake layer on top. If there’s any remaining, spread a thin layer of white frosting all over the top and sides of cake to create a crumb coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Finally, spread the purple frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting. If there’s any extra frosting, pipe decor on top. I piped a swirled border with Wilton 1M piping tip. Garnish with blackberries.
Refrigerate cake for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reviews
Albert Rose on 2026-01-31 (5 stars): Thank you so much, the recipe was perfect. The taste and texture is just incredible
Natalie on 2026-02-13 (5 stars): I told my brother to pick a Sally recipe for his birthday cake and I am so happy he picked this one. The cake was amazing! The recipe is so easy to follow.
Eve on 2026-05-18 (5 stars): I have made this cake five times in the past month. Three times as a practice for my sister’s wedding cake, once for my friend’s sister’s birthday, and the last time for my sister’s official two tier wedding cake. It always comes out moist, with perfectly balanced flavors. I want to share a couple of things I’ve learned while making this particular cake. First, the cake layers might be thinner than you expect if you use the prescribed 8-inch pans. Expect to fill each 8-inch pan with 13 oz of batter. I can’t imagine using three 9-inch pans, the layers would be flat as pancakes. Second, I have found success in making this in three 6-inch pans. If I fill each pan with 13 oz of batter, they take 35 minutes to bake (my oven might be off so this might be a me-problem). I would like to experiment with using four 6-inch pans, filling them each with 10 oz of batter, but I don’t have enough pans. Anyway, the 6-inch pans produce a lovely cake, with thicker tiers. Third, to add a little more lavender flavor I like to blend 1 tsp of lavender with a bit of the flour before combing all the ingredients. That’s really the only change I feel the need to make- I follow the rest of the ingredient list to the letter! Fourth, the first time I made this recipe, I used a grocery store blackberry jam and it totally detracted from the entire cake. So I ventured to the local farmer’s market and picked up some local jam and it worked perfectly! If it’s possible, I highly recommend checking out what kinds of local jam is available in your area, it will likely have fewer additives than the grocery store jam which impacts the taste. Fifth, every time I make this cake, I make it ahead and freeze/refrigerate the layers for at least a couple days before assembling and they always turn out well. I will assemble and frost the cake the day before I need it, then refrigerate it, covered, over night. I know the instructions say to cool it before serving, but I’ve found that if it was assembled, froster, and refrigerated over night, that it needs at least 30 minutes at room temperature to get its texture right. Otherwise it’s kind of hard and sticky. Finally, I was worried about finding culinary grade lavender but I happened to stumble upon it at a local tea and coffee shop. Hopefully others with the same concerns may experience the same luck!
Thank you, Sally, for this recipe! I made six test cakes using many other recipes, many of them colossal failures, before finding this perfect recipe. I may never make another cake again.
KJ Hudak on 2026-06-11 (5 stars): I like a little more lavender flavor...going to try your added 1t to the flour...thanks for that idea
