Purple is passionate. It’s mystical. It’s regal. Don’t we all know someone whose favorite color is purple? It’s painfully obvious. They can’t hide it. They don’t want to hide it. They can’t just be friends with purple. They’re in a relationship with purple. The first time I made this Purple Berry Cake, a purple lover I know said that when she saw it, it spoke to her soul. This cake is, what I like to call, a double-take cake. People stare. They can’t resist it’s charismatic charm. Once they stop staring and taste it, they fall hopelessly in love.
Fresh berry purée is added to the batter, creating a soft, moist cake. The layers are brushed with berry syrup, which helps keeps the cake moist and gives it a nice punch of berry flavor. I used blackberries and blueberries, but you can use any combination of purple berries that you like. After baking, the color of the cake layers will be a brownish gray with a hint of purple, depending on your berries. I think I need to come up with name for this color. How about Silverberry? You can see tiny flecks of the berries in the cake and I think the color is lovely, especially with the lavender frosting. If you want a more purple cake, feel free to add some gel food color to the batter. I used Wilton Violet gel food color to achieve the pretty lavender cream cheese frosting. The extra butter and the addition of heavy cream makes this frosting silky and spreadable.
I’m obsessed with edible flowers lately, so I garnish my baked goods with them whenever I can get my hands on some. I found these pansies in the produce department of my local food market. If you can’t find pansies, pesticide free violets or rose petals would also be pretty. Make sure to apply them to your cake right before serving, since they are delicate and will wilt over time. Brush some of your berries with a little dab of edible gold luster dust for an extra regal touch.
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6-inch cake (serves 6)
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- 12 ounces fresh berries (plus more to garnish cake) I used blackberries and blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups (6.75 ounces) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces) sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
- purple gel food color I used Wilton Violet
- fresh berries
- edible gold luster dust I used Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold
- edible flowers I used pesticide free pansies
Ingredients
Purple Berry Cake
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting
Finishing Touches
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- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two 6-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper circles.
- Purée the berries in a blender or small food processor.
- Strain puréed berries through a sieve. Reserve 2/3 cup berry puree. Set aside remaining puree for syrup.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups (8.75 ounces) sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add flour in two additions, alternating with buttermilk, beating at medium speed just until combined.
- Stir in the reserved 2/3 cup berry purée.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
- Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and continue cooling on wire racks.
- Meanwhile, make berry syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining berry purée, remaining 1/4 cup sugar (1.75 ounces) and 1/4 cup water over medium-low heat. Stir together and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Split each cake layer into two and brush with berry syrup. Fill and frost cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat at medium speed until combined.
- Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add gel food color with a toothpick, a little at a time, until desired shade is reached. Beat at low speed until well blended.
- Garnish top of cake with fresh berries. Brush a few of the berries with edible gold luster dust. Garnish with fresh flowers immediately before serving.