Blackberry and Cardamom Sour Cream Cake

It’s officially Autumn but I’m still not ready to let go of summer. I’ve spent the most part of summer overseas so I feel that I haven’t made enough treats with berries. Raspberries, being red somehow make way into a lot of my Christmas recipes and I use strawberries and blueberries round the year. Blackberries tend to be ignored! It’s sort of unfair as they impart the most beautiful and varying shades of pink/purple when cooked and used in different intensities. Ranging from light pink in a frosting to a deeper purple in cocktails, I am forever mesmerized by their addition. And how good do they look just as they are!

This cake is again a simple one layer cake but one that is very flavorful. A subtle flavour from the cardamom and a creamy sourness from the sour cream. Texture wise it is slightly denser than a regular cake but it melts in your mouth while the blackberries within the batter add a tangy burst to every bite. You could skip the buttercream and serve it like a tea-cake. It’s quite good on it’s own. Or if you’d like to experience some blackberry magic, go ahead with the frosting.

Blackberry and Cardamom Sour Cream Cake
Makes a 6 inch round cake

125 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
300 g sour cream
1/4 cup milk (optional, if batter is too thick)
1/2 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of a 6 inch cake pan and line the base with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer or by hand, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flours and cardamom together. Fold in the dry ingredients, sour cream and milk (if using) to the butter mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Push the blackberries into the batter with your fingers. Bake in the oven for 60 – 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, leave aside for 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once cool, pipe or spread blackberry buttercream (recipe below). Decorate with fresh blackberries.

Blackberry Buttercream

125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp fresh blackberry puree, strained
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar, little at a time beating continuously until incorporated.
Add the blackberry puree and vanilla extract and beat until buttercream is smooth and well blended.