Blackberry and Vanilla Cake (Vegan)
A moist and summery Blackberry and Vanilla Cake made with plant-based and easily gluten-free ingredients, it has swirls of homemade blackberry chia jam topped with clouds of whipped coconut cream.
If you love all things blackberries, then this is the cake for you. It has fresh blackberries inside the cake just bursting through, swirls of homemade blackberry chia jam within the batter and then it’s topped with coconut cream, some more jam and fresh berries, too. I love the addition of pistachios and fresh mint on top; they work so well with the juicy summer berries. Make the most of the end of summer produce by baking this cake for friends and family, or make it for yourself and enjoy it over the next week or so (slices freeze so well!).
Why will I love this cake?
This cake is amazing:
- Moist, fluffy, tender and spongey
- Packed with fresh juicy blackberries
- Topped with luscious whipped coconut cream
- With homemade low-sugar blackberry chia seed jam
- Naturally plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- With added protein powder for a health boost
- Easy to make in one bowl
- Great for summer or all year long
- You can use frozen berries in the winter
- Perfect for parties, Sundays or gatherings
- Delicious for dessert of with a cup or tea/coffee
- A real showstopper for cake sales
- Ready in less than one hour
- Can be frozen
- Keeps well in the fridge
- Made with healthier ingredients like dairy-free yoghurt and coconut sugar
- Perfect for making the most of summer produce
If you already love the sound of this cake, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the jam:
- Blackberries: fresh or frozen will be great here.
- Lemon juice: for tang and to balance out the sweetness.
- Chia seeds: to thicken the berries into jammy consistency.
To make the cake:
- Plant-based milk and lemon juice: any dairy-free milk will be great like oat, soya, almond or coconut from the carton. Mixing it with lemon juice will cause the milk to curdle, making a buttermilk.
- White Sugar and coconut sugar: to make the cake lovely and rich. I prefer to use half coconut sugar and half white sugar as using all coconut sugar does make the cake denser so the mix of the two is the perfect texture.
- Thick dairy-free yoghurt: to add moisture and fat without eggs.
- Light olive oil: this adds the “buttery” softness to the cake.
- Vanilla extract: for flavour.
- Self raising flour: to make the cake really light and fluffy.
- Vanilla protein powder: I use Form vanilla protein powder and it adds a lovely soft texture to the sponge. Note that if you don’t want to bake with protein powder, swap it for 50g of extra self-raising flour. Have a look here at the protein I use.
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda: for the rise.
- Salt: for flavour.
- Blackberries: again you can use fresh or frozen.
To top the cake:
- Coconut whipping cream: to make the best dairy-free and wholesome whipped cream topping. You can use other dairy-free whipping cream or try my protein yoghurt frosting or vanilla buttercream.
- Fresh blackberries: fresh is best here.
- Pistachios and mint: for flavour, crunch and pops of colour.
Is this cake gluten-free and nut-free?
This cake is easily gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free flour with xanthan gum (or add ½ tsp of your own to the mix). To keep it nut-free, omit the pistachios on top and check that your milk and yoghurt do not contain nuts.
How do I make this?
This comes together in a few steps:
- Add the blackberries and lemon to a non-stick pan: and allow to bubble away until thickening.
- Stir in the chia seeds and remove from the heat: allow to cool and keep in the fridge for 1 week in a sealed container.
- For the cake, combine the milk and lemon: and allow to curdle.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients: until combined.
- Sift in the flour and protein powder: and whisk again.
- Fold in the blackberries: and pour into a greased tin.
- Swirl on the jam: and then bake in the oven for 42 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
- Allow to cool in the tin: and then fully on a wire rack.
- Whip up the cream and spread over the cake: and decorate with more jam, berries, pistachios and mint.
How long will it last?
This cake will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge in a sealed container or keep the cake without the whipped cream in the freezer for 1 month. Allow to defrost and then decorate.
What other cakes can I try?
For more cakes and summer ideas:
- Pistachio and Raisin Crumble Cake
- Nectarine and Almond Crumble Cake
- Lemon Pistachio Mousse Cake
- Orange and Almond Loaf Cake
- Carrot Orange and Walnut Cake
Blackberry and Vanilla Cake (Vegan)
A moist and summery Blackberry and Vanilla Cake made with plant-based and easily gluten-free ingredients, it has swirls of homemade blackberry chia jam topped with clouds of whipped coconut cream.
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Chia Jam:
- 160g fresh or frozen blackberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
For the Cake:
- 240ml plant-based milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 50g unrefined white sugar
- 50g light brown or coconut sugar
- 80g thick dairy-free yoghurt
- 80ml light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250g + 1 tbsp self-raising flour (can be GF, with xanthan gum)
- 50g Form Performance Vanilla Protein powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of salt
- 150g fresh blackberries
To Decorate:
- 240ml coconut or dairy-free whipping cream
- Fresh blackberries
- Crushed pistachios
- Fresh mint
Instructions
- Start by making the blackberry chia jam so it can cool down. Add the berries to a saucepan with the lemon juice and allow to bubble for 5-8 minutes, until juicy and jammy. Smash lightly with a fork and then remove from the heat and stir in the chia seeds. Store in a heatproof bowl and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line an 8-inch/20-cm round cake tin with parchment paper. Add the 1 tbsp of flour to a bowl of blackberries and toss well.
- Combine the milk and lemon juice and leave for 5 minutes to curdle.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, yoghurt, olive oil, vanilla and the milk mix. Whisk to combine.
- Sift the flour and protein powder into the bowl with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add a pinch of salt and whisk to a thick, smooth batter.
- Fold in the blackberries and then pour into the tin. Smooth over the top. Spoon over 3 tbsp of the blackberry chia jam and swirl it through.
- Bake in the oven for 42 minutes, or until well-risen, golden brown on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then cool fully on a wire rack.
- Whip up the cream and spread over the cake. Swirl on more blackberry chia jam and decorate with fresh blackberries, pistachios and mint.
- Slice to serve. Keep leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days (best enjoyed at room temperature) and you can freeze the unfrosted cake for 1 month, wrapped well, and allow to defrost before decorating.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Blackberry and Vanilla Cake so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these rolls, I’d love to see, so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With blackberry love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Form Nutrition and their protein powder. All opinions are my own and this blog post is not sponsored.
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