Blackberry Crisp Cake
I love a berry pie moment, and the only thing better than a berry pie is a berry pie turned cake. This Blackberry Crisp Cake hit all the right notes at our house. Fresh blackberries, a sweet cream cheese buttercream, and a spiced + crunchy oat crisp in between the layers. It’s all just perfect. The oat crisp adds this cinnamon note, and adds that little bit of spice that makes it so reminiscent of a classic crisp of crumble. It’s a cake that is the perfect combination of fruit + spice in a sweet and fluffy cake, and it’s such a good Summer cake (I make circle back to this one come July).
Total tangent - one reason I loved this cake (and why I think it was such a hit at our house) is it reminds me of our favorite marionberry pie ice cream. This vanilla ice cream that has swirls of a blackberry jam and hunks of a buttery pie crust also mixed in. It’s the prime example of a non-pie dessert that’s pie influenced, and really freaking good, and this cake has that. Bite after bite after bite - it’s heaven.
A berry marble
The best part of this cake - the sweetest marble effect revealed in the cake itself. Fresh blackberry compote gets dolloped onto the batter as the final step before baking, and the gently swirled into a white cake. It’s ;ike a sweet jam that gets added in for that flavor pop, but you also get big chunks of blackberry baked into the cake layers. Delicious and looks so pretty when you cut into the cake.
Also, who knew you could venture outside the realm of vanilla and chocolate for marble cakes? I mean - it makes sense that you can but I feel like my eyes have been opened up to a whole new world of fun ideas for cakes.
The blackberry compote is the backbone of this cake
The blackberry compote is the heart of the whole thing. With that said, the oat crisp ain’t bad either, and you better believe I was snacking on little bits of it pre-assembly. But anyways, the blackberry compote. The remnants get sandwiched in between the cake layers for that jammy bite, and you’ll use every bit of the compote I promise you that.
Decorating
The best thing about making this cake was decorating it. What can I say - it was fun. Watching the Youtube videos, endlessly searching on Pinterest, and digging through all the cake tips. It was fun to just experiment and have fun with decorating piece. Especially when it comes to decorating in this “retro” style that reminds me of an old school wedding cake. It seems to be very on trend right now, but it’s very cute and very fun to play with.
My only regret - rushing it. I’m still kicking myself for not going the step of segmenting into 6 equal parts so the “swoops” around the side were even, and measuring an equal length down the side of the cake to get the continued uniformity with the swoops. But whatever - it was cute enough for me and had that “homemade charm” that’s essentially my signature.
A very delicious bake, and I am thrilled to have frozen pieces tucked away in my freezer for the days that call for cake.
For the blackberry compote
2 cups fresh blackberries
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
For the cake
3/4 c. butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg whites
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 c. almondmilk (regular milk is fine)
3/4 c. blackberry puree
For the oat crisp
5 stick of butter, softened (can add a couple more tbsp if the crumble feels dry)
1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
For the cream cheese buttercream (recipe is for a triple batch, which I used to have plenty for decorating)
3-8 ounce bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 c. butter (3 sticks), room temperature
12 c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Start by making the compote. Add all of the items to a saucepan, stir together so the cornstarch coats the berries, and add in 1 tbsp of water. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching the heat so it doesn’t burn. Lightly mash the berries with a fork, continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the reduction cool to room temp, and then refrigerate.
Now make the cake. Turn the oven to 350. Prep 3 cake trays with flour + line with parchment. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter + sugar. Add in the eggs, and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Add in the sour cream and vanilla, and continue to mix at medium speed for 1 minute. Start adding in the dry ingredients by adding in 1 cup of the flour plus all of the baking soda, powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in the half of the milk. Add in the rest of the flour, and then the rest of the milk. Once incorporated fully at a low speed, mix on medium-high for 1 minute. It should be a perfectly smooth batter.
Divide the batter among the 3 cake pans. Dollop the blackberry compote on top - dollop 1/4 cup of the compote onto each of the filled tins. Use a butter knife to swirl the mixture to create the marble effect. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
After the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and let them sit in their pans to cool for 20-30 minutes, and then remove from baking tins to let cool completely to room temp. Once cooled, trim the domes off the top of the cake so you have a flat surface, tightly wrap the cakes in plastic wrap, and freeze until you’re ready to assemble.
As the cakes cool, make the oat crisp. Mix all of the ingredients for the oat crisp until the dry ingredients are well incorporated with the butter. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Remove the pan and mix the crisp topping. Mix together, and continue to bake for another 7-8 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely and store in an air tight container until ready to assemble the cake.
Now make the frosting. Place the cream cheese + butter in a stand mixer, and mix with the paddle attachment for a minute at medium speed. Add in the powdered sugar 2-3 cups at a time, beating on medium until fully mixed in, and repeating this process until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated. Increase the speed to high and whop on high for 60-90 seconds. The frosting should be light, smooth, and spreadable. Reserve some of the frosting (just a small portion) and keep white for decorating. Reserve an additional 1/2 cup of frosting and mix with 1-2 tbsp of the blackberry compote. For the remaining frosting, add in the desired food dye (for me it was purple) and mix.
Follow these steps to assemble:
On the base layer, spread half of your buttercream + compote mix onto the top of the cake, and then top with half of the remaining compote and a couple fresh blackberries (if you’ve got any on hand). Leave a small unfrosted border around the edge. Pipe a cream-cheese buttercream boarder around the perimeter. Pile on some of the oat crisp (as much as can fit), and then top with the second cake layer.
Repeat the process in step one. Place the final layer on top.
Proceed to dirty ice the cake and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
To decorate the cake, I did a double layer ribbon detailing around the side with the 104 tip - keeping the fat side closest to the cake. I did a thin line right above the ribbon detailing. Finish with a shell border around the bottom + top of the cake.
The most important thing to remember is to segment the cake - separating the top into 6 equal segments, and then measuring down alongside the wall of the cake an equal distant where the bottom of the ribbon will touch. Use a round biscuit cutter to accomplish!