April's color is lavender, and nothing turns a prettier shade of lavender than blackberries when baking. Pearl has created this recipe (yes, trial and error and the result is here) to celebrate not only the delicious and signature taste of blackberries but also the gorgeous light lavender color that they can provide. If you've never had the pleasure of a blackberry almond cake, now is your chance. This is the PERFECT cake for spring and for Easter!
Miss Pearl's 5 Tier Blackberry Almond Cake
Calories: Who knows?
Time: About an hour.
Heat: Preheat oven to 325 degrees
INGREDIENTS:
White Cake (either use your favorite, basic white cake recipe or use 1 box of white cake mix or one box of pound cake mix, depending on the consistency you prefer and the ingredients called for on the box such as eggs, vegetable oil, water, milk, butter).
If using a boxed mix you'll also need:
1 box instant vanilla pudding (if using white cake mix)
1 lb blackberries
1 jar seedless blackberry jam; and
Almond Extract
Vanilla Extract
Strawberry Extract
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk or almond milk
Pam with Flour Baking Spray (the greatest kitchen invention since the refrigerator)
5 - six inch cake pans like this set from Wilton for only $11.99
lavender sprigs and mint leaves for decorating
electronic kitchen scale, like this one from Amazon for only $10.99
Blue and red (or lavender if you have it) food coloring (I prefer gel.)
DIRECTIONS:
Weigh your large mixing bowl and write down its weight in grams (before you add the ingredients).
Make the white cake according to the recipe or box you choose. If you choose a boxed white cake add the small box of vanilla instant pudding and an extra two tablespoons of oil. If using a pound cake mix, add two additional tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of oil.
Add two tablespoons of almond extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Now weigh your bowl with the ingredients. Time to do some math. Subtract the weight of the bowl with ingredients from the weight of the empty bowl. Now divide that number by 5.
[Example: Bowl alone weighs 2000g. Bowl with ingredients weighs 3000g. Weight of ingredients is 1000, divided by five (the # of pans) is 200g each.)
Remove 2/5 of your ingredients by weight (from example above, 400 grams) and set aside in a separate bowl. These will be your white/almond layers.
To the 3/5 mixture add either 1 cup of pureed blackberries with the seeds strained out, or 4 tbsp of seedless blackberry jam and 1 tsp of strawberry extract. Mix and add food coloring if you desire.
Spray all 5 pans with Pam.
More math: Weigh each pan. i.e, each pan weighs 120g. Now put one pan at a time on the scale to ensure you have the equal grams of purple cake mix and white cake mix for the 5 pans - 3 purple and 2 white. (i.e., from the example above each weighted pan should weigh about 320g. - 200g batter + 120g pan).
Put in the oven on a single rack together in the middle of the oven for 14 minutes and check with a toothpick to ensure it comes out clean. If not, put back in for 2 minute intervals. These cakes are small so they bake quickly!
Remove pans when done and cool the little cakes on a wire rack
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting.
In two separate bowls place:
1 stick of butter, 2 c. confectioner's sugar, 2 tbsp milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
In 1 of the two bowls add 1 tbsp almond extract
In the other of the two bowls, add 2 tbsp blackberry jam
Mix each bowl separately so that you have a lavender buttercream and a white almond buttercream.
When the cakes are cooled, stack by starting with a purple layer and add a layer of frosting (whatever color). Next stack a white cake and frost. Then add two tbsp of mixed up (no lumps) blackberry jam on top of the frosting, careful not to go all the way to the edge or it will seep out.)
Add a small wooden dowel so that you can stack your cakes and hold them with the dowel.
Continue stacking and frosting so that you have all 5 layers stacked and only two layers have jam.
Put a thin layer on top and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
MARBLE FROSTING:
I choose to marble my frosting between the lavender color and the white. Here is a video tutorial on how to do so. Frost the remainder of the cake however you like, ombre, marbled, or just one light color of lavender by combining the remaining frosting and mixing into one. For easier and more professional frosting, use a spinning cake stand and utensils kit - like this one from Kootek that I use and it's only $12.99.
Garnish with lavender, berries, and mint leaves.
Enjoy!
Love,
Pearl