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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!
This cake was delicious! The lavender flavor in it is just right and adds so much. I used 2T of lavender when making the jam. I would suggest listening to the other review(s) that say to half the blackberry-lavender jam portion of the recipe. I have so much left over. I will forsure half it next time and only use 3 cups blackberries, 1T lavender, 1/4 honey, 1-1/2 t. lemon juice for that portion of the recipe. All-in-all, this recipe is a winner!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
Hi Tieghan! How would you recommend storing the cake after it’s made? Hoping to make it a day in advance. Thanks!
Hi Irene,
You can store in an airtight container on the counter. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
could this be baked in rounds to make a layered cake? how long would you bake it for and would you change anything else in the recipe? thanks, can’t wait to make this!! have enjoyed your recipes!
Hey Karil,
I probably wouldn’t make this into a layer cake, the frosting is soft and delicate. Here are some layer cakes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/blackberry-lavender-naked-cake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/coconut-carrot-cake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/bursting-blueberry-lemon-layer-cake/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Thank you so much for your super quick response! Very helpful, so I think I’ll make it just as written and try one of those you recommended another time. Happy Easter!
My two year old and I made this for our easter “feast” and it was delicious! We are not butter cream folks so I just put the jam on top and drizzled it with melted white chocolate and it was so good!
Hey Natasha,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xx
Hi! Wanting to make this for Easter this weekend. I’m having trouble finding dried lavender in my small town – do you think it would be okay to skip?
Also, planning to use mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, black berries). Ok?
Hi Hannah! I did use dried Lavender. The flavors are so subtle you hardly notice. I’m actually using frozen blueberries I picked last year. I wouldn’t loose sleep over it.
Happy Easter. Kim
Hey Hannah,
Yes, totally fine to skip the lavender and mixed berries will be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Wondering if I could adjust this to a cupcake recipe? How long would you recommend baking them? Thank you!!
Hey Nicole,
You bet, I would start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can this be made a day ahead? Would you suggest maybe frosting it the day it is to be served if it is baked the day before?
Hey Emily,
Sure, that would be totally fine for you to do! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Could you frost it the day before as well? I just baked the cake today for tomorrow. If you think I should wait that’s good too! Just trying to cross things off the list for tomorrow. Also do you pull it out of the pan and put it on a platter to frost?
You can definitely frost the day before and yes I like to take mine out of the pan:)
Ran out of coconut oil, can I substitute butter?
Hi Laurie,
Yes, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Could I substitute with another berry such as strawberries?
Hey Nicole,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Why parchment paper? I generally either grease or grease and flour my 9 X 13 baking pans.
Hi Michele,
The parchment paper works best for me to prevent sticking, but use what you like:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Unsalted vs salted butter for the frosting?
Hi Monica,
I always use salted butter, I think it adds more flavor:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made this cake for my book club. Everyone loved it and there were no leftovers. I made the cake yesterday and frosted it this evening. The blackberry jam was delicious. I also had a quite a bit left. Maybe I should have swirled more in the cake batter as I went conservative to prevent the cake from turning purple. It came out pretty white. The frosting with the white chocolate was amazing. Also, it was great putting the cake on parchment paper. Super clean cake pan.
Another awesome recipe. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey JoAnn,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I can’t figure out what I did wrong, but my cake is super dense, not light and fluffy at all. I used whole fat plain yogurt instead of sour cream and that usually works for me… would it change the texture that much? I know I added the baking soda/baking powder. All the flavors are great and I really enjoyed the cake batter before it was cooked. Any advice would be helpful, thanks!
Hi Miranda,
Thanks for trying the recipe, so sorry to hear that the cake was dense. The yogurt should have been just fine for you to use! Was there anything else you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know!! xTieghan
I think it makes a difference where you live. I live in Florida so need to adjust my baking soda bc I am under sea level. TG is in Colorado. She is in high altitude.
Delicious! Will definitely make for Easter. As Anna said you can half the jam recipe, but maybe that’s because neither of us likes extra sweet desserts. I used (very carefully) an immersion blender for the jam. Also found lavender extract paste at the grocery store—no little dried buds to deal with.
Hey Michele,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
AMAZING CAKE! Do it! I’d recommend halving the recipe for the blackberry jam, I had enough leftover to make another whole cake.
Hey Anna,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx
can’t wait to make this for our family Easter Brunch!! I am planning to use dried lavender buds. Is there any special trick with adding them ? I’ve never baked with it. Thank you.
Hi Susan,
You can follow the recipe as is, that’s what I used:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx