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Home » Recipes » Cakes, Cupcakes & Cheesecakes

Published: Sep 29, 2015 · Updated: May 26, 2021 by Paula Montenegro
Income from ads and affiliate links10 Comments

Lemon Blackberry Cakes

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Close up of half blackberry mini cake with grey background; purple text overlay

Sweet, lemony with little bursts of blackberries, these little cakes are one of the best I've ever made. They freeze well, can also be made in muffin tins and with other berries. But blackberries and lemon is a sunny combination and this is an awesome recipe. They have texture from the almond flour and some acid from the fruit.

Table of Contents show
Ingredients
Easy steps
What pans to use?
Gluten free variation
Top tips
Related recipes you might like:
Lemon Blackberry Cakes
Ingredients
Stacked mini cakes on white marble surface with metal props around

These cute, little, individual cakes are my way of bringing some summer vibes into my kitchen because fresh blackberries have such a short season!

These are simple and beautiful small cakes, the type served at tea time along with cucumber sandwiches. Or at least that's what I think when I look at them. It's a wonderful recipe, moist, with texture from the almond flour and a great flavor.

One of my favorite end-of-summer culinary things is to freeze berries individually.
All berries I can get my hands on go on a cookie tray, and later into a Ziploc bag when they are rock solid. So I can make summer recipes all winter. Or as long as the berries last. Even ice cream, something I eat all year.

We can buy frozen berries everywhere now, I know, but when I find those perfectly ripe juicy ones, I like to keep some for dull Winter days, knowing their flavor is perfect.

Cut mini blackberry cake on top of whole one, greyish background

Ingredients

  • Blackberries: use fresh or frozen, both work well.
  • Lemon: it pairs wonderfully with the berries.
  • Flour: all-purpose or cake flour, both work well.
  • Almonds: I use almond flour when I happen to have some, or finely grind whole ones.
  • Powdered sugar: it makes the crumb smoother.
  • Egg whites: the are beaten before adding them to the batter to mix some air and lightness into a batter that is otherwise dense.
  • Flour: all purpose or cake flour both work very well.
  • Baking powder: it's the leavening agent in this recipe, the ingredient that helps the cakes rise.
  • Salt: baking recipe benefit from adding a some salt (I use kosher) because it brings out the flavors in the best way.
  • Vanilla: a flavoring that brings out the lemon flavor and makes them mellower in the best way.
Frozen blackberries on white surface

Easy steps

Making these little cakes is very easy and you only need a bowl and a whisk.

The dry ingredients are mixed together and then the egg and flavorings are added. This will result in a stiff batter that will be soften when you add the melted butter. You add the berries, mix lightly so not to crush them and that's it! Ready to be baked.

What pans to use?

I used mini brioche molds as in the original recipe. Simply because I have them and, quite frankly, haven't made individual brioche (called brioche a tete) in ages lol! They look amazingly cute and are a perfect size; regular muffin molds and mini bundt cakes pans work just as well.

Overview of unbaked mini cake with blackberries in fluted mold on marble surface

Gluten free variation

They're easily adapted to a gluten-free version; in fact, that's the original recipe. But I'm sharing here the regular adaptation because it's the way I made them the first time, and they were so so so darn amazing I didn't want to change a single ingredient.

For GF the best is to use rice flour (white or brown) instead of the all purpose flour in the recipe. But I'm guessing a pre-made GF cake mix will work well also.

Top view of three mini cakes with blackberries on grey surface

The lemon-berry duet is a common and very foreseeable combination of flavors.
Yet, these cakes, with almond flour, egg whites only and melted butter turned out to be in another league, so tender, balanced, with the right amount of sweet, acid, citrus and texture to make them a regular visitor in my kitchen. I guess they're some second or third cousin to the sensational financier, a masterpiece of French baking.

A dust of powdered sugar, and you're set. My kind of cake, rustic and incredibly tasty!

Several mini cakes on white marble surface, fluted molds and sugar shaker

Top tips

  • Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
  • Mini pans: I like to use these fluted brioche molds because they look cute, but regular muffin ones work just as well. You might get more cakes depending on the size. Just make sure you fill them no more than ¾ of their capacity.
  • Flavorings: you can use citrus zest like the lemon in the recipe and also orange. Or pure lemon or orange extracts, about ½ a teaspoon.
  • Gluten free variation: the original recipe was GF, so it's easily adaptable. Substitute rice flour (white or brown) for the regular flour, same amount.
  • Berries: use frozen blackberries directly from the freezer, no need to thaw them. Raspberries and blueberries also go very well with this recipe.
Two stacked mini fluted cakes with metal molds around, grey background

Related recipes you might like:

  • Easy Apple Blackberry Crumble
  • Orange blackberry (muffin) loaf
  • Cheesecake Ice Cream (no-churn)
  • Apple Berry Crumble

Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also 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.

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Stacked mini cakes on white marble surface with metal props around

Lemon Blackberry Cakes

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cooling time: 60 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 mini cakes 1x
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: International
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Description

Sweet, lemony with little bursts of blackberries, these little cakes are one of the best I've ever made. They freeze well and you can use other berries.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup all-purpose or cake flour (use rice flour for a GF version)
  • ½ cup almond flour or same amount of finely ground almonds
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 egg whites (lightly beaten until foamy)
  • ⅔ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºC.
  2. Butter or spray 6 mini brioche or muffin molds.
  3. Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the sifted flour and confectioners’ sugar together with the almond meal, salt and baking powder.
  5. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla extract or paste, zest and egg whites.
  6. Mix until well combined. Add the melted butter and mix carefully until fully incorporated. The mixture will be silky and shiny.
  7. Cut the blackberries in thirds.
  8. Put the individual molds on a cookie tray, and divide the batter evenly among them.
  9. Add the blackberry pieces on top.
  10. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
  11. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack and then carefully remove from pans. Cool completely.
  12. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Notes

Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

Mini pans: I like to use these fluted brioche molds because they look cute, but regular muffin ones work just as well. You might get more cakes depending on the size. Just make sure you fill them no more than ¾ of their capacity.

Flavorings: you can use citrus zest like the lemon in the recipe and also orange. Or pure lemon or orange extracts, about ½ a teaspoon.

Gluten free variation: the original recipe was GF, so it's easily adaptable. Substitute rice flour (white or brown) for the regular flour, same amount.

Berries: use frozen blackberries directly from the freezer, no need to thaw them. Raspberries and blueberries also go very well with this recipe.

Keywords: lemon blackberry cakes

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Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

Slightly adapted from La Tartine Gourmande, by Beatrice Peltre

« Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (two recipes!)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

    November 03, 2016 at 10:31 am

    Berries and lemon, perfect anytime of the year. Love your little teacakes.

    Reply
  2. Felicia Lim says

    October 29, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Me encantaron Paula!! 🙂 Vos siempre tomas algo fácil y lo transformas en algo muy especial!! La combinacion de limón y blackberries es algo que todavia no probe pero ya me imagino que va a ser espectacular!

    Reply
  3. Kathy says

    October 10, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    These are beautiful, Paula! I grow blackberries and raspberries, and always freeze them to enjoy during the winter. I think I will have to try these lovely teacakes!

    Reply
  4. HipFoodie Mom says

    October 03, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Paula! These teacakes are beautiful!!!!! I need to be better about freezing berries!!! These are just gorgeous!

    Reply
  5. Cocoa and Lavender says

    September 30, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    I used to have 30 of those mini brioche tins, and I must have given them up when we moved west. So sad... I will have to make these using regular tins. But the good news is, they will still taste wonderful! I love the use of almond flour for a great cakey texture, too! Thanks,Paula!

    Reply
  6. Stacy Rushton says

    September 30, 2015 at 3:27 am

    How lovely these are baked in brioche molds, Paula! I can imagine them more rustic baked in a normal muffin pan but those molds really fancy them up.

    Reply
  7. laurasmess.me says

    September 30, 2015 at 3:11 am

    What gorgeous teacakes. Love the mini brioche pans as well, they make the cakes look so pretty with the fluted sides! Lemons and berries are definitely a winning combination. I am looking forward to more berry deliciousness as we head into the Australian summer! xx

    Reply
  8. Deb|EastofEdenCooking says

    September 29, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    Freezing berries is a fantastic way to savor summer all year long. I also have the same book hiding somewhere on my bookshelf. It's time to start baking more often!

    Reply
  9. Medeja says

    September 29, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    Lemon and blackberry.. Yummy! I am already dreaming about these teacakes.

    Reply
  10. Angie Schneider says

    September 29, 2015 at 10:31 am

    They look absolutely delicious! I still have some frozen berries, so I can bake some this weekend.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Paula!

A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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