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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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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 post was originally published on August 20, 2021
Hey Tieghan!
Could I make this gluten free with the 1 to 1 flour?
Hi Emily,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So delicious! I made this for my daughters birthday as she is a BIG berry lover and it was magnificent! Another knock out of the park, Tieghan.
Hey Rachel,
Happy Monday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was incredible! If anyone is using frozen blackberries and unsure of how many bags to buy, I used ~1.5 16 oz bags of frozen blackberries. This will be in our dessert rotation for sure!
Hey Stephanie,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
My family amd friends enjoyed the cake. I liked how the blackberries flavor came through and how nicely everything balanced together. Great cake! Will definitely make it again.
Hi Judi! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Will the cake still taste as good if I bake it the night before?
Hey there,
Yes, it sure will! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Use raspberries (couldn’t find blackberries) and buttermilk and it turned out great!
Hey Claude,
I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hello, I have lavender extract on hand. Would I be able to substitute it for the dried lavender in the jam? If so, what ratio do you recommend?
Hey Kaleigh,
Sorry, I have never used lavender extract, I’m sure it would work well, I would probably only use a teaspoon or 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
If I wanted to do something other than coconut oil, would you suggest melted butter? Or oil? Or soft butter?
Hey Sarah,
You can use any other neutral oil. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I would really like to make it but really having a hard time finding lavendar flowers? how would this taste without the lavendar?
Hey there,
You can skip the lavender, but here is the link for what I use:
https://shopstyle.it/l/biUcx
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this the other day and it was a hit! The only problem was I didn’t have white chocolate at hand so made the frosting without it and when I added the Jam, the frosting broke a little bit. Still tasty so though! Was the white chocolate meant to stabilize?
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Since you omitted the white chocolate I would imagine you would have been to add a little something extra in its place. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
You can get it on Amazon !
Looks lovely! Would the jam work on its own as a “normal jam” do you think? Or would it need more sugar?
Hey Jenni,
The jam would totally work on its own. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I used avocado oil instead of coconut because I didn’t have any and it worked really well!! Made this with my niece today and it was so fun and so yummy!!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe Tieghan!
Hey Victoria,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Blackberries are my favorite and this cake is divine.
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Can you use canola oil in place of the coconut oil?
Hey Lisa,
Yes, that will be just fine to use. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This cake was moist and delicious, but all of my blackberry jam sank to the bottom!
How do I prevent this from happening?
Hey Beth,
Sorry to hear this. Was there anything you adjusted? Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of the cake! xTieghan
Hello! Can flax eggs be substituted? Thinkin if doing this for my babies first birthday and he is allergic to eggs.
Hey Anna,
I’ve never tested this recipe with flax eggs, but please let me know if you give it a try, I hope it works well for you! xTieghan
I did the flax eggs and it turned out great! Sometimes I feel like flax eggs can make it too gummy, but this was not the case at all. Only bummer was I didn’t give it enough time to cool before frosting and I had a gooey mess on top. All was eaten in 8 hours and people asked for cake to take home ?. Thanks!
This was a delish recipe! My cake turned out a little heavy. More pound cake like. Is it meant to be like that? Or did I do something wrong?
Hey there,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe?xTieghan
I think my baking powder and soda were a little old and I may have over mixed the batter a tad.
Ahhh gotcha, those would definitely be the issue then:)
Beautiful and truly delicious! You never disappoint. Would not change a thing. This is so good!
Hey Katherine,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Would it be a mistake to do this in a Bundt?
Hey Emily,
I haven’t tried this one in a bundt pan, I think I would recommend just sticking to the sheet pan for this cake. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan