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