A fragrant, elegant cake that plays with both sweet and savory.

I love this cake. It’s a beautiful olive oil based recipe that’s not too sweet, embraces the relationship between berries and herbs, and has whipped cream piled on top. What more do you need?
This is a cake for all occasions- bridal shower, brunch, or an at-home date night. The blackberry basil pairing might be unusual , but the earthen sweetness created is one of a kind.
Tips
- You will taste the olive oil. Use a lighter, fruitier oil for a more subtle approach. I’m into bold flavors so I went with a full strength EVOO.
- Important– make sure to beat the eggs and sugar really well; at least 4 minutes. It gives the cake a fabulous lightness.
BLACKBERRY BASIL CAKE WITH HONEY WHIPPED CREAM
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 oz blackberries
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 6-8 large basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 large brown eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup milk
Whipped Cream
- 1/3 cup whipped cream
- 1 Tbsp local honey
- Preheat oven to 400. Combine blackberries, lime juice, and basil in a small saucepan. Heat until berry juice is released and mixture is fragrant. Stir in cornstarch and set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy( about 5 minutes) then add olive oil and honey.
- Alternating between wet and dry, add milk and flour mixture. Mix well.
- Add half of batter to a 8 or 9 inch cake pan followed by half of blackberry basil mixture. Repeat- swirling berries on top with a fork if desired.
- Bake at 400 for the first 15 minutes, then lower to 350 for the remaining 15-20. Cake is done when a knife inserted in center emerges crumb free. Invert and cool.
- When ready to serve, combine whipping cream and honey in a mixer and whisk until fluffy (2-3 mins). Use a spatula to dab a generous amount of whipped cream and garnish with berries and whole basil leaves.
Another YUMMY Snack
This was delicious! I tried it with a orange infused olive oil.
I can’t wait to try this! Sounds divine. 🙂