It’s been a little while since our last recipe, but boy do we have a good one for you. This chocolate & blackberry cake is tender, moist, filled with jam, and swirled with a blackberry buttercream. Perfect for any celebration, weekend snacking, or just a fun cake project. If you’ve ever had chocolate covered fruit, you’re going to love this cake! So soft, chocolatey, and 3 layers of deliciousness. It’s worth breaking your diet for!

This combination of chocolate and fruit is the ultimate combination. But, no hate to blackberry, but if you’re not a fan, you could easily substitute the buttercream for peanut butter, chocolate, or another frosting flavor.

What I love most about this cake is how easy it is! Sometimes you get caught up in trying to get a perfectly smooth buttercream, but this is a semi-naked cake which means parts of the cake are still bare-ish. The rustic look is easy, fun, and better than having a mouthful of icing in my opinion.

I know what you’re thinking, “Everytime I make cakes, they are a lumpy slope!” I feel you! For the longest time I couldn’t figure out the best way to make a perfect cake. Now, I have the best tips to share with you for a success every time! I’m just jumping right to the tips.

How to Make a Perfect Layer Cake

It may seem tricky to get those perfect layers, smooth buttercream, and showstopper look, but here are the best tips to keep you on your feet.

• Always let your cake layers cool before adding frosting.
• It’s best to freeze your cake layers before assembling. This will help the layers to firm up and be sturdy while assembling.
• Make sure your buttercream is thick enough to hold shape when assembling. If you have a thin buttercream or it’s not sturdy, let it chill before assembling, otherwise, it could ooze out the edges.
• Adding baking strips to your cake pans will help them to bake up flat without the big hump you have to trim off. Get some here.
• Don’t open your oven too early, otherwise the center of the cake could sink.
• Chill your cake after adding your crumb coat. For this cake the crumb coat is the “naked cake” look.

Ingredients You Need

• Flour
• Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cocoa Powder
• Salt
• Oil
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla Extract
• Water
• Powdered Sugar
• Blackberries
• Butter
• Chocolate Chips

How to Make the Best Chocolate & Blackberry Cake

1. Start by making the blackberry jam. This will give the jam plenty of time to cool in the fridge while we’re making the cake.
2. In a medium pot, add your blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat. Begin to mash the blackberries and stir until it starts to thicken. About 20-25 minutes.
3. Once thickened, remove from heat and strain to get rid of seeds and skin. Add the jam to a small bowl and place in the fridge to cool.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 325 F. Line 3 8″ circle cake pan with non-stick spray or butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper. This will ensure it doesn’t stick.
5. Start by whisking together all the dry ingredients including your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, beat together your eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
7. Next, slowly add your wet mixture to the dry and slowly beat until the batter begins to form. Once it’s all added, slowly pour in your hot water and mix until fully combined. Only mix until added, then stop! You don’t want to over mix the batter.
8. Evenly pour the batter into 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Once baked, let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Next, gently remove from the pan and let cool while sitting out. Once the cakes are cooled, wrap them in plastic and freeze for 20 minutes until firm.
10. While the cakes cool, let’s make the buttercream! Add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and jam to a large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.
11. Add one layer of your cake on a serving board/cake spinner. Spread buttercream over your first layer. Next, add the blackberry jam over the buttercream and spread until there is a thin layer. Add another cake layer on top of the next and continue the same process.
12. Spread a little bit of buttercream around the sides and top. Use a cake scraper to smooth out. For this cake I did a naked look so some parts are still bare looking. Chill once frosted.
13. Melt your chocolate chips in a measuring glass with milk until smooth. It should be the consistency of maple syrup.
14. Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and let it run just over the edges. Top with blackberries and enjoy!

making the Best Blackberry Jam

Jam may be one of the easiest things to make ever! Add you ingredients to a pot, boil, stir, and boom, you’re done!

Add the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium pot. This recipe makes about 2 cups of jam, so if you have some extra, it would be great on ice cream, toast, sandwiches, pancakes…

Begin to boil the jam over medium high heat while stirring. Once the blackberries begin to soften, you can mash them a bit and continue cooking.

After about 20 minutes, your jam should have thickened and it’s all done! Don’t worry if it’s thinner than you thought, it will be similar to the consistency of honey. Once chilled, it thickens more.

Once the jam is cooked, strain it to get rid of all the seeds and skin. Add it to a bowl and you’re done!

Assembling the Cake

Once your cake layers are all cooled and slightly hardened as well as your buttercream is finished, it’s time to assemble!

Add one cake layer on top of a cake spinner or serving board. I like to place a piece of parchment underneath the first layer with a dab of frosting to keep it in place and have easy removal. Scoop an even layer on top of the cake and smooth it out until even.

Next, add 2 tbsp or so of your blackberry jam on top of the buttercream and spread to the edges.

Continue stacking and placing for the rest of your layers.

Then, spread a little bit more buttercream around the outside and top of the cake. I went for a “naked cake” look for mine, which means it has less buttercream around the edges so some parts are bare-ish. Chill the cake once frosted.

Once the cake is chilled, add your chocolate and milk to a measuring glass to melt. If you’re using a microwave, only heat in 20-30 increments and stir in between because it doesn’t take that long. The chocolate should be the consistency of syrup.

Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake and let it just run down the edges.

Lastly, top with blackberries.

Wow, look at that! Isn’t she pretty?

Troubleshooting Your Cake

If you’re having a bit of trouble with your cakes, here are some of our best tips to get you back on track.

• My cake sunk in the center! – You most likely opened the oven too early and the air affected how the cake was baking. It’s not a super big deal other than it doesn’t look great.
• My cake is sloping! – Make sure your cakes are cooled and hardened before assembling. If the cake is too tender, it will be a challenging trying to keep it upright. Also, make sure your buttercream is stable enough to stay in between the layers.
• My cakes are gooey inside! – You most likely underbred the cakes. Make sure to poke a toothpick in the center all the way to the bottom before taking it out. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If it has batter and chunks, give it a little more time.
• My jam is really tart! – Blackberries have natural tartness and you never know how sweet or tart they are going to be. If your jam is too tart, add a little more sugar to balance out the flavors.
• My cakes are stuck to the pan! – This has happened to me too many times before! 🤦‍♀️ Make sure to heavily grease your cake pans with non-stick spray or butter. You can also line the bottom with parchment and this will ensure it doesn’t stick.
• My cakes are lopsided! – If you’re cakes have a hump on top after they come out of the oven, you’ll want to trim that off before assembling. This will ensure the layers are even and stacked perfectly. To prevent the hump, you can wrap the outside of the cake pan with cake strips. Get some here.

For more of my favorite cake recipes, look at my:

• Triple Cookie Dough Cake
• Fresh Buttermilk Chiffon Cake
• Blood Orange Bundt Cake
• Creamy Coconut Cake
• Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting

Did you make this recipe? Let me know below or on Instagram @tuesday.treats or use #tuesdaytreats2016. I love seeing your creations!