A quick bread with simple ingredients, similar to a light pound cake that bakes to a golden brown and is covered with the most eye-catching pink icing. The flavors are amazing together, you can use fresh or frozen fruit, the crumb is soft, and the cake keeps well. It's one of our favorite recipes to make for Easter and Mother's Day brunch.

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Blackberry season doesn't last long, and this blog has several blackberry recipes to take advantage of these unique berries.
We even have beautiful blackberry tea cakes that involve almond flour, so they don't fall under the quick bread category.
This moist blackberry loaf can be made with fresh or frozen berries. So there you go, an easy, quick bread to make whenever you crave.
About this recipe
- Great texture and flavor: you'll love how soft and perfectly dense this quick bread is. And the flavors pair very, very well together.
- Keeps well: the crumb stays wonderful for a few days in the refrigerator, and also when frozen, always well wrapped.
- Versatile flavorwise: you can use fresh blackberries or frozen ones and use different types of liquid for the powdered sugar glaze, like orange juice (instead of or in addition to the lemon), and creme de cassis liquor.
Ingredient list
- Blackberries: you can use fresh, juicy blackberries or frozen ones directly from the freezer, no need to thaw them. Wild blackberries can also be used.
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest deliver the best results.
- Unsalted butter.
- Yogurt: you need to use a plain, natural, unsweetened one, such as Greek yogurt.
- Sugar: both regular, white granulated sugar and brown sugar (light or dark) are used for the best flavor and sweetness.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
- All-purpose flour or cake flour.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.
Variations & substitutions
- Replace the yogurt with sour cream.
- Replace the butter with vegetable oil, same volume (cups).
- Citrus: orange goes very well with blackberries.
- Berries: blackberries can be swapped for or use together with raspberries.
How to make the lemon batter
This is a butter-based recipe.
Using a hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment makes mixing much easier.
Blackberries: add them whole and last. Don't use the electric or stand mixer to mix them, as they will crush the fruit. Use a large silicon spatula to lightly incorporate them into the lemon batter.
The batter might look curdled when adding the flavorings, but it will smooth out after adding the dry ingredients.
Sifting the flour mixture is a way to create a fluffier texture and helps integrate the dry ingredients better. You can sift them before in a separate bowl or have them measured and sift them as you add them, as I do.
The loaf pan should not be filled more than â…” of its capacity. This way, the batter has space to grow during baking without overflowing.
As it bakes, this blackberry bread will rise and crack in the middle which is fine.
Vintage Kitchen tip: to remove the loaf from the pan more easily, line it with a strip of parchment paper. When ready to unmold, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to loosen up any bit that might be stuck, and carefully lift the loaf with the help of the paper.
How to make blackberry glaze
This pink icing adds a somewhat dramatic color to this blackberry lemon bread that is very eye-catching! It's a simple powdered sugar glaze, so you know it's terribly easy to prepare.
Blackberry juice: crush some berries through a colander set over a small bowl and collect the juice. Or use bottled blackberry juice.
Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix with the juices until you have a smooth, pourable, but not runny mixture; it should be similar to thick honey.
Pour the glaze over the cool loaf down the middle and let it drip down the sides. Let dry before cutting and serving.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Creaming: this step is essential to achieve a light and soft crumb. Having the butter at room temperature is crucial. Otherwise, it won't integrate well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Berries: add the blackberries last and don't use the electric or stand mixer to incorporate them, as the fruit will be crushed. Use a spatula and lightly incorporate them into the lemon batter.
- Pan sizes: make it in a loaf pan or double the recipe and use a tube pan or bundt pan. Make it in muffin pans, which will yield about 12, maybe more, depending on how large your blackberries are.
- Glaze: you can also use lemon glaze by substituting the blackberry juice for lemon. It will be white and not pink. Also, if you like a boozy touch, use creme de cassis liquor instead of berry juice which will also render a pinkish icing.
- Flavor variation: orange juice and orange zest can be substituted for the lemon. As we already know from the Orange Blackberry Muffin loaf, it's a wonderful pairing. I'm still partial to lemon, but it is a great option. Also, a mix of both works well too.
Troubleshooting common issues:
- Texture: overmixing the batter can result in a tough, dense bread, while undermixing can result in a crumbly or dry texture. To avoid this, it's essential to mix the batter just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and then gently fold in the berries.
- When is the bread done? If the bread is underbaked, it may be too moist and dense, while overbaking can result in a loaf of dry and crumbly bread. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the center - if it comes out clean, the bread is ready.
- Flavor: Achieving the right balance of lemon and blackberry flavor can also be challenging. Using too much lemon juice or zest can overpower the delicate flavor of the berries, while using too few can result in a bland bake. Start with the amounts given in the recipe and adjust in future bakes. Or if you're used to baking lemon cakes, use those amounts to guide you.
- Storage: homemade loaves can dry out if not stored properly. To keep it fresh, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or frozen for up to two months.
Related recipes you might like:
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Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Lemon Blackberry Bread
A quick bread similar to a light pound cake that bakes to a golden brown and is covered with the most eye-catching pink icing. The flavors are amazing together, you can use fresh or frozen fruit, the crumb is soft and keeps well. It's one of our favorite recipes to make for Easter and Mother's Day brunch.
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature (see Notes for substitutions)
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon blackberry juice (from 3-4 berries)
- ½ tablespoon of lemon juice
- Extra fresh blackberries and lemon zest to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350°F/180°C.
- Butter or spray a 9x4 inch (10x24 cm) loaf pan and, if you want, add a strip of parchment paper to cover the bottom and two shorter sides. The long sides will remain unlined. This will make it easier to remove the cake.
- Wash and dry the blueberries if fresh, or use directly from the freezer but make sure they are not clumped.
For the cake:
- Beat soft butter for 20 seconds in a large bowl with electric beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add both sugars gradually while you continue beating at medium speed, and then for 2 more minutes after adding all of it. The mixture should be light in color, fluffy and the sugar will have partially dissolved.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly.
- Add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and mix. It might look curdled, but don't worry.
- Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder) together in a bowl, or have them measured and sift them directly over the cake batter (how I do it).
- Add them in 2 parts, alternating with the yogurt in 1 part. That means you start and end with the dry ingredients.
- Mix and integrate everything well, but don't beat much at this point. After adding the last part of the flour mixture, don't incorporate it fully so you have dry spots when you add the berries. After adding the flour, cake batters should be beaten on low speed *just* until integrated, but not overmixed as that will develop gluten and toughen the baked cake.
- Add the blackberries and lightly fold them into the batter with a spatula. Make sure everything is incorporated and try not to crush the fruit. But make sure there are no flour spots. You should have a thick, smooth batter with berries. If some of them break and color the batter, that's fine.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake in the middle rack for about 45 minutes, until it rises, the top cracks, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly but the middle is not done, cover the top of the bread loosely with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Cool on a wire rack and remove carefully from the pan, removing the strip of paper.
- Drizzle the glaze (instructions below) over the completely cooled loaf and let it drip down the sides.
- Add some blackberries and lemon zest before it dries out if you want to.
- Let it dry before cutting and eating.
- Keep leftovers at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for several days, with plastic wrap in both cases or in an airtight container. Or frozen for a month, also well wrapped.
For the glaze:
- Put a small bowl with a colander on top, add the blackberries and crush them with a fork. The juice will be collected in the bowl. Measure it in a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon and add enough lemon juice to make a full tablespoon.
- Put the powdered sugar in a bowl and add the liquid.
- Check the consistency. It should be like thick honey. Add more juice if needed to adjust the consistency.
- Pour over the cooled cake and let drip down the sides. Let dry before cutting.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Creaming technique: this step is essential to achieve a soft crumb, and having the butter at room temperature is crucial. Otherwise, it won't integrate well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Substituting the yogurt: you can use the same amount of buttermilk or 5 tablespoons of sour cream + 3 tablespoons of milk instead of the yogurt.
- Pan sizes: make it in a loaf pan or double the recipe and use a tube pan or bundt pan. Make it in muffin pans, yielding about 12 (maybe more), depending on how large your blackberries are.
- Glaze: you can also use lemon glaze by substituting the blackberry juice for lemon. It will be white and not pink. Also, if you like a boozy touch, use creme de cassis liquor instead of berry juice.
- Blackberries: you can use fresh, juicy blackberries or frozen ones directly from the freezer, no need to thaw them.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Quick bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 414
- Sugar: 33.7 g
- Sodium: 98.4 mg
- Fat: 16.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.1 g
- Protein: 6.9 g
- Cholesterol: 112.9 mg
Keywords: blackberry bread
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