berries and citrus- a combo made in heaven

This is a light and easy recipe. Like most of my baking, I use the reverse creaming method with this cake because I find it is quick and simple.

It’s also a very adaptable recipe too- if you can’t find blackberries, use strawberries or raspberries. No limes, switch them out for lemons. You get the picture. A testament to this is a friend who made this recipe but was out of vanilla, so she used Grand Marnier instead! Talk about improving on a recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

| Cake |

• 250 g ( 2 C ) all-purpose flour (sifted)

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 tsp. baking soda

• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt ( I like Diamond Crystal, use 1/2 tsp. if using Morton)

• 150 g ( 3/4 C ) caster or granulated sugar (organic)- I blend mine in a blender to make a fine caster-like sugar that I can sift into the dry ingredients. You don’t have to do this, but it makes for a lighter crumb.

• 113 g (1/2 C) vegan butter (room temp, soft, but not too melted)

• 2/3 C dairy-free heavy whipping cream (like Silk) or plant milk (room temp)

• 1 T vinegar (white, to mix with heavy cream or milk)

• 2 T dairy-free yogurt

• 1/3 C lime juice (freshly squeezed)- it depends on the juiciness of the limes, but you need about 4-5 for this complete recipe

• 1 T vanilla extract (pure)

• 1 T lime zest

• 1 C blackberries + extra to top cake (can sub with raspberries, strawberries, or use any combination you like).

| Blackberry Buttercream |

• 173 g (1 1/3 C ) icing/powder sugar (organic, sifted)

• 113 g (1/2 C) vegan butter (room temp, unsalted preferred)

• 2 T cream cheese (dairy-free, vegan)

• 1/4 C blackberries (mashed and strained)

• 1 tsp. lime juice (freshly squeezed)

• 1 tsp. lime zest

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• pinch of salt (can leave out if using salted butter)

You will need:

• 9 inch round cake pan

• 1 Large bowl + 1 small bowl

• Hand or stand mixer

• Cooling rack

• Whisk/ spatula/ spoon

• Sieve/sifter

• Cooking spray or butter to coat cake pan sides (and bottom if not using parchment paper)

• Parchment paper to line cake pan (optional, but advised)

| Before You Bake |

• Clean berries

• Bring butter and heavy cream/milk to room temp

• Zest and juice limes

• Make vegan buttermilk- Add vinegar, lime juice, and zest to cream (or milk) and let sit for at least 10 minutes (can let sit up to an hour)

• Sift icing/powdered sugar

• Spray the cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°

Before you start, make sure that you have added the vinegar and lime juice to your cream (or milk if using) and have let it sit for at least 10 minutes to make your vegan “buttermilk”. I know I told you up top in the Before You Bake section, but just want to give you another friendly reminder : )

CAKE

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt- mix with a whisk or on the low setting of your mixer until well combined.

2. Add in the room temp butter (I like to add it in chunks) and continue to mix at a low speed until the mixture becomes a bit crumbly- about 1 minute.

3. Add in the vegan buttermilk mixture, yogurt, and vanilla and mix on low speed until just combined- about 30 seconds. I use a stand mixer, so I like to keep it running and slowly add in the cream mixture, then add the rest.

4. Use a spoon or a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no pockets of dry spots.

5. Mix again for another 20 seconds, then pour or scoop half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.

6. Add berries on top of the batter in an even layer ( I like to dust them with a bit of flour so they don’t sink to the bottom), then pour/spoon (batter is thicker if you use cream) the remaining batter on top. Smooth over top to cover berries.

7. Place the cake on the middle rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the sides of the cake just start to pull away from the pan and a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes to cool completely.

It’s the perfect time to make your buttercream while the cake is cooling.

BUTTERCREAM

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix room temp butter and cream cheese on medium-low speed for 2 to 3 minutes so that butter and cream cheese can become well combined and a bit f soft and fluffy. I usually bring the cream cheese out a couple of minutes before I start because vegan cream cheese is a bit different (softer) from dairy cream cheese.

2. Add sifted powder sugar into butter mixture. Continue to mix on low until the sugar has incorporated and not flying around. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again at medium/ medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the berries reserved for the buttercream into a sieve placed over a small bowl. With the back of a spoon or a spatula, mash the berries until they release their juice into the small bowl. I don’t like to use the remaining berries in the sieve in my buttercream, I will typically use the leftovers in a smoothie. If you don’t want to do this, you can use the whole berries, but the texture of your buttercream will be a bit different.

4. Add a couple of teaspoons of the berry juice to buttercream along with the lime juice and vanilla. Mix again for 1 minute until well combined.

5. Scrape down your bowl again to make sure that all the buttercream ingredients are well combined and mix for another 30 seconds if needed.

6. If you find that your buttercream is too loose for your liking (in all honesty, it is supposed to be a looser frosting) you can add more sugar. If you want more berry flavor, add more berries.

7. Add the zest and fold into the buttercream with a spoon or spatula.

8. If you like to add gel color, go ahead and add it now with a spatula. Otherwise, spoon buttercream on top of the cooled cake (the more rustic, the better), then top off with a few blackberries.

9. That’s it. Enjoy!

I hope you give this recipe a try and share them with someone you love. If you do, let me know how it turned out!

Thanks for spending some time,

xxx Debbie xxx