Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Keeping this sweet, simple, and delicious with this Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake. Light and fluffy vanilla cake swirled with homemade blackberry lavender jam. Then generously frosted a sweet vanilla bean white chocolate buttercream. This cake is nothing short of delicious. Every bite is layered with fresh berries, hints of lavender, and sweet vanilla cake. The perfect berry-filled cake for any and all occasions.
Happiest Friday everyone. We’re celebrating sweet cake and I am so excited. I’ve been holding onto this for a couple of weeks. I’ve wanted to share this since the day I first made it, but peach recipes took top priority last week. Which is totally fine, because of course, they too are so delicious.
This week, however, we’re switching to berries, cake, and frosting and it’s going to be pretty darn great.
The Inspiration
I would love to say that the inspiration for this cake was Asher’s upcoming 13th birthday. BUT, that girl wants nothing to do with a non-chocolate cake. So, as much as I would love to be remaking this for her birthday on the 30th, I’m sure I’ll be making the standard chocolate cake.
The real inspiration was super simple, I wanted to bake a cake. I wanted it to be light and happy and pretty. I want to have fun photographing it, and I wanted it to be my most delicious vanilla cake yet.
Excitedly reporting that this cake checks all of the above boxes. Sometimes you just have to make what you really, really want to make.
The details – starting with the jam
If you guys have followed along for a while you may remember my blackberry layer cake. This cake is very, very similar flavor-wise, but it’s simplified down into a yummy sheet cake.
The jam is quick, but delicious…fresh blackberries, sweet honey, dried lavender, and a squeeze of lemon. Boil everything together until the jam thickens up and turns jammy.
This isn’t your traditional jam however, it will not be jelly-like. It’s more of a sweet, thick blackberry sauce. Make the jam first so that it has plenty of time to cool off.
Pairing lavender with blackberries is a favorite combo of mine. The flora hints from the lavender compliment the sweetness of the blackberries, and when mixed together in a jam…
It is so good!
Onto the vanilla cake
When it comes to vanilla cake I like to keep my cake recipes pretty straightforward. And I always go heavy on the vanilla. I love to use real vanilla beans for added flavor, but of course, good olè vanilla extract works great too.
Mix the coconut oil with sour cream, eggs, sugar, and that vanilla. Then just add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a nice pinch of salt. Stream in a little milk and that’s it. Simple. Simple.
Now pour the batter into a rectangle baker.
Now the fun part – swirl in the jam
Take the blackberry jam from earlier and dollop spoonfuls over the cake batter, then use a knife to gently swirl the jam around. Don’t over mix, the idea is to have pretty swirls of jam throughout the cake.
If you over-swirl, the cake will still be great, but more of a purple color.
While the cake bakes, make the frosting
Butter, sugar, lots of vanilla, and melted white chocolate, that’s what you’ll need. Beat that all together and you’ll have one of my favorite cake frostings.
No one ever knows there’s white chocolate in the frosting. But it’s what makes this buttercream extra special and leaves everyone wanting more.
Finish this up
Once the cake has cooled, spread over a thin layer of the blackberry jam, then dollop over that frosting. The frosting is sweet and creamy, and everything together is DELICIOUS.
Once again, take the jam and add small spoonfuls to the top of the baked cake. Then use a knife to gently swirl the jam into the frosting. It turns the prettiest shade of purple and I love it.
Yes, what I love most about this sheet cake is how just pretty it turns out with minimal effort. The beauty of a sheet cake is that you don’t have to cut or layer anything. Just bake, frost, and enjoy!
This is the perfect cake to make on a rainy summer afternoon. Especially if you have one too many boxes of sweet berries!
Looking for other sweet cake recipes? Here are some favorites:
Swirled Berry Ice Cream Butter Cake
Swirled Blueberry Lemon Thyme Cake
Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cak
Lastly, if you make this Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 781 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Blackberry Lavender Jam
- 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. Slice, eat and enjoy!
Hi Tieghan, I’m planning to make this for Easter, but I’m not a fan of white chocolate. Do you think I could just leave it out?
Hi Susanne,
Yes, that is just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing! xx
Can I make the jam a day ahead?
Hey Pamela,
Yes, that will work well for you:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Question, do you strain the jam to remove the seeds?
Hey Melanie,
I don’t but you certainly could! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This looks great! I am thinking this will be the Easter cake this year. Although just curious if you strain the jam to remove the seeds and lavender buds?
Hi Tammy,
I don’t, but you certainly can:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I’ve made this recipe before and loved it! Now I’m thinking of doing cupcakes using the same cake recipe. Do you think I would need to alter any ingredients or just the baking time?
Hey Kristen,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! I would just reduce the bake time to 25 minutes. Have the best day:) xT
A friend made this for my birthday. So delicious!!!
Hi Louise,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Hi Tieghan,
Thank you for sharing such wonderful, creative ideas! Instead of making this a sheet cake, I was going to do a sort of layer cake using 2 20 cm circular pans. What temperature for the oven do you recommend and for how long should I bake?
Thank you!
Kindly,
Gabby
Hey Gabby,
I would follow the baking times and temp as a guide and just start checking for doneness towards the end. Please let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi!
I will have to make this ahead of time. Do you suggest making the cake and frosting the night before, refrigerating separately, and frosting right before serving?
Thanks!
Hey Aryn,
I would just make the cake ahead of time, keep in an airtight container, and then freshly make the frosting. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
This cakes looks amazing and I’m excited to try it! I’ll probably make it for a work function to celebrate spring and am super nervous!! In case not everyone is a fan of coconut, could I use canola oil instead for a neutral flavor? Or will that mess with the chemistry of the cake too much. Thanks for your help and hope you’re doing well! (Haven’t commented in a while, sorry!, but thought I’d ask!! ❤️)
Hey Kristin,
Canola oil will be just fine for you to use. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
I’m excited to make this recipe for my book club! Should the coconut oil be measured in solid form or once melted?
Hi Suzanne,
You will want to measure the coconut oil once it is melted. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
We made this today for an early birthday celebration for my mom. I tend to taste test along the way. As soon as I tasted the cake batter, I knew this was going to be amazing. My mom tasted the blackberry jam and excitedly said “I feel like I’m in Michigan!” (one of her favorite places is Lavender Hill Farms in Michigan, so I’m assuming that’s right where her mind went). I then tasted the frosting, which instantly became my favorite part.
I’ll admit, it didn’t turn out very pretty, but all the flavors blended so well together. My mom added lemon zest on top of her piece which gave it a great touch.
It was a huge hit. We were all skeptical of this cake going into it. I’m not personally a big fan of fruity desserts, my mom and brother aren’t big fans of white chocolate. Despite all odds – this cake turned out amazing and everyone loved it. Needless to say, there isn’t much left over.
Highly recommend.
Hey Liz,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Happy birthday to your mom! xxT
I swear I have brown hair but totally had several blonde moments (no offense) with this recipe. I just pulled it out of the oven and realized I did two things wrong. First I didn’t swirl the jam. Secondly and most fascinating to me is that I used blueberries instead of blackberries. But! It still is amazing!!!!
Hey Allison,
Lol well at least it still tastes good! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Another recipe that knocked it out of the park! This cake was a HUGE hit with my family and was so fun to make. Love to bring some fresh fruit into my baking (especially when it adds so much color!). Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
The cake was a hit with family and friends. The cake is moist and light. The jam has just the right amount of sweetness and the frosting was very light and having the swirl of blackberry through it created the right balance. Great recipe!
Hey Jodi! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi! Could I substitute flax eggs? I have an allergic baby and want to do this for his 1rst birthday. Thanks!
Anna