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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!
Stupid question but can this be made in a 9×13 Pyrex as I do not have a pan?
Hey Sarah,
Not stupid at all, but yes that will definitely work, you may have to increase your bake time slightly! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can I substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Hi Sarah,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was the best cake I have ever had, hands down! Made it for Easter and it was a huge hit! Highly recommend!!!
Hey Megan,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
I made this recipe with strawberries and raspberries and it was delicious! I couldn’t find lavender so I left that out as well. The vanilla cake itself is great. I’d definitely make it again!
Hey Luisa,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
My family loved this cake! I made this for Easter and used Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1 GF flour and it was perfect. My family could not tell it was gf and continued to rave about the flavor. We also used the leftover jam on our dinner rolls and people couldn’t stop eating it. Thanks so much!
Hey Kelsey,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
Amazing recipe. The cake was a perfect consistency and the frosting was sweet but not overly sweet. I halved the amount of jam as well and it was sufficient. Would make this again!
Hey Renata,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I made this for Easter. It was fantastic. I went with 1 Tbs of lavender and will definitely step it up to 2 next time. The lavender flavor wasn’t pulling through. The blackberry jam/sauce was everything. I will make it again for sure.
Hey Kimberly,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
So light and delicious. Perfect for Easter. I followed what some of the other reviews said and made 1/2 the jam and it was plenty.
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I made this over the weekend and it turned out great! I did have to alter 2 things.
I did not have dried lavender so I used 1 T of lavender syrup (I make lavender lattes all the time & always have that on hand). Unfortunately, I did not taste the flavor so next time I will use more or try harder to find dried lavender but the jam still turned out yummy.
I only had 3 oz of white chocolate so I used that instead of the 6oz the recipe calls for. I was hesitate to any because I am not a WC fan but I must say that the addition of the WC was really amazing. It really elevated the texture and taste of the frosting; it was so creamy and silky. I will definitely use the entire 6oz next time because I want see what the results are.
Overall, it was easy to make but it looks like an impressive, complicated dessert and everyone loved it. This cake is a winner!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks for sharing your feedback and what worked well for you. xTieghan
This was an Easter hit! Followed the recipe exactly except wasn’t able to find Lavender, and halved the jam measurements per other comments’ suggestion. Didn’t miss the lavender but I’m sure it would be great with it as well! There was plenty of jam, so I’m glad I only made half. Checked the cake at 30 min and it was still slightly wiggly, so put it back for another 2-3 min. Major blackberry flavor, creamy delicious frosting, excellent cake texture. *chef’s kiss*
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made this for my mom’s 70th birthday / easter celebration and it was a big hit. The flavor is beautiful, that’s the best way I can put it. This one will be going in the recipe box for future use. Also made this 9 months pregnant and it was so easy but tasted like I slaved in the kitchen. Thank you for this one
Hey Ashley,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This cake was so yummy but I’ll definitely make some adjustments the next time I make it. Much like a lot of other have said, I’d make about half the jam. Second, I didn’t realize how difficult coconut oil was to work with. Mine started solidifying in the batter before I could combine with all the ingredients and I ended up over mixing the cake. I’ll be using canola oil next time for sure. Lastly, I put a dash of salt in the frosting. I’m not a huge buttercream fan and wanted to temper some of that sweetness, and it worked great. This scale was so pretty and yummy so I’m excited to potentially make it again!
Hey Marissa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks for sharing your feedback. xTieghan
This cake is absolutely delicious! I’m not much of a baker and this cake turned out perfectly! Love all the flavors together! It’s not overly sweet and looks so beautiful! Thank you for another wonderful recipe! I will definitely be making this cake again.
Hey Candace,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! Have the best week!? xT
Would it be to make the jam the night before making the cake?
Hi Shannon,
Yes, that is totally okay for you to do! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Can you subsititue King Arthur Gluten Free 1:1 ratio flour?
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you give it a try! xx