I love a good berry dessert. Those of you who’ve been following this blog for a while know this. I make a mean strawberry cheesecake, and I’m all about that fancy multi-tiered fresh berries cake life.
Plus, Monday is Memorial Day, and we (in Jersey/NYC) have already had a couple of 90 degree days, which means A. It’s basically summer. (Yay!) And B. A berry dessert is practically obligatory at this point.
This berry cake recipe is my favorite ode to berries yet. Because (you read it right), there’s basil in it. For those of you who haven’t yet discovered how good basil goes with fruit like lemons and fresh berries, let this basil berry cake recipe be your introduction.
(Side note: If you’re the type of person who isn’t all that fond of fresh berries, I won’t hold it against you––weirdo. Just check out this Lemon Basil Cake recipe, which might be more up your alley).
The combination of the fresh basil leaves––which are pulverized into the sugar and basically dissolve into the cake––and the raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries just screams summer, conjuring images of outdoor barbecues, drinks by the pool, and vibrant summer herb gardens.
This berry cake isn’t overly sweet or rich, making it the perfect end to a light (or not so light…) summer meal. There’s a zing of citrus from the lemon zest, as well as the freshness of the basil and fruit. And the apricot jam glaze at the end gives the cake that lovely shine that dreams are made of.
Here’s how to make it.
You’ll need:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
12 large, fresh basil leaves
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries (if using strawberries, cut into smaller chunks)
¼ cup apricot jam
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper that matches the bottom of the pan, and place in the pan.
In a food processor, add the sugar, basil leaves, and lemon zest.
Turn on the food processor and continue to run until the basil and lemon zest is fully incorporated with the sugar, and there are no visible leaf pieces.
Set aside 1 tablespoon of the sugar…
And add the rest to the bowl of a mixer, along with the softened butter, baking powder, and salt.
Beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each time until thoroughly combined. Beat in the vanilla.
Stir in the flour on low speed, being careful not to overmix. You will end up with a smooth, thick batter.
Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan––it will be a fairly thin layer.
Sprinkle the berries over the cake, and lightly press into the batter.
Sprinkle the cake with the remaining sugar.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly.
While the cake is cooling, warm up the apricot jam in the microwave or in a small saucepan until warm. Brush the top of the cake gently with the warm jam, giving the cake a nice shine.
Serve warm or at room temperature––either on its own, or with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 12 large, fresh basil leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup (1 stick) softened butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries (if using strawberries, cut into smaller chunks)
- ¼ cup apricot jam
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper that matches the bottom of the pan, and place in the pan.
- In a food processor, add the sugar, basil leaves, and lemon zest. Turn on the food processor and continue to run until the basil and lemon zest is fully incorporated with the sugar, and there are no visible leaf pieces.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and add the rest to the bowl of a mixer, along with the softened butter, baking powder, and salt. Beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each time until thoroughly combined. Beat in the vanilla.
- Stir in the flour on low speed, being careful not to overmix. You will end up with a smooth, thick batter. Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan––it will be a fairly thin layer. Sprinkle the berries over the cake, and lightly press into the batter. Sprinkle the cake with the remaining sugar.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly.
- While the cake is cooling, warm up the apricot jam in the microwave or in a small saucepan until warm. Brush the top of the cake with the warm jam. Serve warm or at room temperature––either on its own, or with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Ruth says
Hi Sarah
LOVE your recipes!
This is the third time I have made this cake and it is an awesome dessert – thank you so much ! I was wondering if you could use this recipe for cupcakes? I’m not a skilled baker so I’m not sure if the batter would work, or how much to use to fill?
Sarah says
Hey Ruth, this batter is pretty dense, so I don’t think it would necessarily work for cupcakes. You could adapt a version though, by taking your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, and using the basil/lemon sugar in place of the regular sugar, folding in berries (make sure to toss them in flour before folding them in, so they don’t just sink to the bottom). For the top, I’d choose a lemon frosting, vanilla frosting, or maybe just piped whipped cream!
Mazzab - downunder Australia. says
Wow, another what appears to be a taste tingling recipe on this website. . It just so happens that whilst it is still winter here Queensland Australia, and I live on the Sunshine Coast, (sunny day to-day max temp 25C (77F) – yes correct & winter) and this is a big region when strawberries are grown and currently there is a glut of strawberries. Good for the consumers, not so for the strawberry farmers. Also blueberries have just come into season, and I just happen to have both in my refrigerator. So that is this afternoon’s kitchen activity.
What impresses me is that on the two pages that I have checked out on this website, the recipe authors, Kaitlin (her peach cake recipe) and yourself Sarah, both take the time to politely reply to the comments made. Well done and thank you
Sarah says
Thank you so much for this kind comment! Sounds like you have lots of delicious produce to work with, and this cake recipe is really a great way to show it all off :)
P says
Cake came out beautifully and stayed well for a few days! Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Sarah says
You’re welcome! This cake is so perfect for summer-–glad you enjoyed it!
Kellie says
Made this yummy cake for dessert tonight. Used frozen rhubarb and fresh strawberries because my husband LOVES rhubarb. Served cake with whipped cream and additional berries on the side. It was a hit. The six of us ate the whole cake. Thank you for a great recipe.
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Kellie! So glad you guys enjoyed it.
Eloise says
hey love the recipes. Where I live fresh berries are hard to come by this season. Could I also use berries from my freezer? First let them defrost and then use them?
Sarah says
Hey Eloise, yes I think you could use frozen berries. You can stir them into the batter frozen–-I wouldn’t worry about defrosting them first. Let us know how it goes!
Maria says
Hey question, really wanna try out this recipe. But I am allergic to all stonefruits (so also the apricot jam) what Jam would you recommend replacing it with? or should I look at what berries I’m adding and base it off of that?
Sarah says
Hey Maria, if you don’t want to use apricot jam, you could use warm honey instead!
Maria says
ohh that sounds even better than using another jam. I will try that!
Verna says
I made this today and the family loves it! I had a lot of fresh basil to use up and came across this recipe. It was so easy to put together. Used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Verna. This is a pretty unique cake, so glad the family enjoyed. :)
Wendy says
This is really quite an easy recipe to follow. My friends loved it.
I have some more basil left and plan to make a 4″ one. What do you think about using lime zest vs lemon zest?
Sarah says
Hey Wendy, I think lime zest would be great too!