Tag Archives: blackberries

Blackberry Jam and Raspberry Lemon Ganache Cake (Gateau Citron avec Ganache)

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A few summers ago, we made a very special someone’s a sophisticated birthday cake. The Black Raspberry Jam Filled Lemon Cake with Ganache was worthy of a birthday and some Beatles Birthday Song chanting. It was really the pinnacle of our cake making. The rich ganache frosting covered a light, lemon cake with a layer of fruit and jam.

With such success,  we had to make this cake, with several new variations. We served our two single layer cakes with a three chocolate ice cream, dark, milk and white chocolate ice cream and a few green and pink balloons nearby. Of the two cakes, we will definitely make the blackberry jam one again. The sun ripened blackberries went so well with the lemony cake, chocolate sauce and blackberry jam.

This time around, we made two single tiered cakes and used both ruby red raspberries and fresh blackberries. Instead of black raspberry jam, we used blackberry jam. Because of the heat, a fluffy ganache frosting was just out of the question. The frosting just would not hold and would melt, so we had more of a ganache sauce. Using an all butter cake mix, we added fresh lemon zest and lemon juice to make the cake semi-homemade and cut down some preparation time.

Isn’t it lovely that some fresh picked berries can be the most simple and elegant decorations to garnish and enhance a cake? Nature’s bounty. Of the two cakes, we will definitely make the blackberry jam one again. It was a true celebration of summer and life. The sun ripened blackberries went so well with the lemony cake, chocolate sauce and blackberry jam.

Adapted from Ina Garten

  • 3/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (2 to 3 large lemons)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 all butter cake mix
  • 1 cups black raspberry jam (any will do)
  • 5 cups Ganache Frosting (recipe below)
  • 1/2 pint of fresh red raspberries
  • 1/2 pint of fresh blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper (optional). Prepare cake mix as directed (with eggs, butter and water).

Combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, lemon zest with remainder of cake mix batter. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to 35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool 20 minutes before unmolding cakes onto a rack. Let cool completely before filling and icing.  Cover first layer with the blackberry jam and add a layer of ganache to the jam. Pile high blackberries onto the jam and ganache top and then drizzle a bit more ganache sauce.

On the next cake, spread the ganache sauce and refrigerate for 15 minutes until ganache layer is firm. With the berries decorate the top. Refridgerate  both cakes until time to enjoy.




Ganache Frosting

adapted from Alton Brown
Makes about 5 cups
  • 16 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream
  • 1/2 stick of unsalted butter

Place the semisweet chocolate into a bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, over stove top begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add butter to mixture and stir until smooth. After fully incorporate, chill ganache for an hour before use.


Guest Post: Hungry Games: Summertime Fruit Picking: Homestead Farms

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Love the photos Hungry Games! Will have to try the scones recipe sometime.

One of the best parts of summer is that this is the time of year when the sweetest fruits are in season—strawberries, blackberries, peaches! Since I moved to DC, one of my favorite summertime activities is fruit picking at Homestead Farms, located in Poolesville, Maryland.  It’s a beautiful drive from the city and a great weekend activity.

The farm has seasonal fruit and flower picking, as well as a farm stand, which sells their fresh produce (vegetables and fruit), a food stand, and some adorable farm animals.

I went with some friends this July for some peach and blackberry picking.  The peaches needed a few days to ripen once picked, but the blackberries were sweet and delicious immediately (Many did not make it into my carton because they accidently found their way into my belly.  Don’t tell!)

Homestead Farms also had beautiful zinnias and sunflowers to pick for $4 a bag (as many as you could fit in the bag).

I ate the peaches once they ripened, but with all the lovely blackberries I had, I decided I needed to bake something tasty.  I found a recipe for raspberry scones on Smitten Kitchen (recipe below), and substituted in my sweet, delicious blackberries instead.  Yummy!

I’ll revisit Homestead Farms again when the apples are ripe so I can bake my famous apple cranberry pie.  I guess I’ll have to post that recipe in the fall!

Whole Wheat Raspberry (Blackberry) Ricotta Scones (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

  • 1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (136 grams or 4 3/4 ounces) fresh raspberries (blackberries)
  • 3/4 cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta
  • 1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries (blackberries) and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.

Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries (blackberries) on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.

Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.  Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries (blackberries) get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.

With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s best to cool them about halfway before eating them, so they can set a bit more. I know, way to be a big meanie, right?

Do ahead: Scones are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the frozen, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.