I know I called this recipe Autumn Berry Cake but it works just aswell really with berries at any time of the year. The slightly tangy blackberries and elderberries of Autumn really give this cake its zing!!
I’m also giving you two recipes in one. You can make it plain or turn it chocolaty with the addition of one ingredient – cocoa powder. I would recommend getting a good quality cocoa powder, it means using less and getting a far superior flavour.
This Autumn Berry Cake is a bit like lasagne too, it gets better with time! Store it in a airtight container and you’ll be enjoying every mouthful on the fourth day like the first day out of the oven.
A massive thanks to the incredible Bibliocook for the cake base inspiration. For more blackberry baking, try my Blackberry & Apple Crumble Bars.
Serves 8.
- 200g butter, softened
- 200g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g ground almonds
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200g blackberries and elderberries
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F. Grease and flour all sides of two 12cm loose-bottomed or round cake tin, line the bases with parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric whisk or stand mixer. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla essence until well combined.
- Sieve in the ground almonds, flour and baking powder and fold through the mix with a spatula until no dry ingredients remain. Stir through the berries.
- Pour half (350g) of the cake mixture into a prepared tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds on top. Stir the cocoa powder through the remaining cake mixture before pouring into the other prepared tin. Otherwise leave the cocoa powder out or add it into the entire cake mix.
- Bake both cakes in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. If not dividing into two tins, then bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before removing and cooling fully on a wire rack.
