This chocolate layer cake has a gorgeous kick of bourbon and is layered with a light and refreshing blackberry swiss meringue buttercream.
This is my favorite celebration cake! The layers of rich bourbon chocolate cake are such a treat, and the blackberry frosting is so light, airy, and refreshing. The combination turns this cake into a beautiful purple showstopper.
Key ingredients for this recipe:
- All-purpose flour: this is what gives the cake its structure.
- Cocoa powder: this recipe uses cocoa powder to provide the chocolate flavor; you can use Dutch process or regular. However, Dutch process cocoa will always provide a deeper flavor.
- Hot coffee: if you have never made a chocolate dessert with instant espresso powder or coffee, you need to do this ASAP! The espresso really brings out the flavor in the chocolate and is the secret ingredient in the best chocolate cookies and cakes!
- Sugar: Sugar is what makes this cake and buttercream sweet. However, there's not too much; I'm not a fan of overly sweet things.
- Baking soda and baking powder: These are the leaveners in this recipe, and along with the eggs, they help the cake to rise.
- Salt: Salt is the ultimate flavor enhancer, and fun fact, if you ever want a dessert to be sweeter, a lot of times, it means you need to up the salt and not the sugar.
- Buttermilk: buttermilk provides moisture and a bit of tang to the cake.
- Canola oil: oil is the fat used in this recipe. Using oil instead of butter helps to ensure a really moist cake.
- Bourbon: this ingredient provides a lot of depth of flavor to the cake; don't skip it!
- Eggs and egg whites - The eggs in this recipe work double-time to act as a binding agent for all the ingredients, but they also help the cake to rise. The egg whites also help to create a light and merengue like buttercream.
- Vanilla extract and almond extract: in addition to the sugar, the extracts provide sweetness and flavor.
- Butter: Butter is the key binding ingredient in the buttercream it; with the egg whites, make a fluffy supper frosting.
- Fresh blackberries: fresh blackberries are what make the blackberry buttercream so fresh, tasing.
Tips and tricks for making this recipe:
- This cake is so easy to make! Just whisk the dry ingredients together, and then combine with the wet, and then pour the batter into greased and parchment-lined 9-inch cake pans and bake!
- The buttercream is a bit more difficult just because it can be a bit temperamental.
- For successful swiss meringue buttercream with fresh fruit, make sure your heat-proof bowl is completely dry to start.
- If you don't have a candy thermometer, keep testing the egg and sugar mixture until all the sugar granules have dissolved.
- Whisk until you have very stiff peaks; this is the step when you build up a lot of the structure. Once the berries get added, the buttercream will turn to soup if it's not thoroughly whipped.
- Add the butter and thoroughly whisk until it reaches stiff peaks again.
- Add the blackberry puree. If it starts to et soupy, chill it in the refrigerator for 30 min, and it should stiffen up.
How to store this recipe:
This cake will keep in the refrigerator for two days.
How to make a moist chocolate cake?
Using oil instead of butter and buttermilk helps to make this a super moist cake.
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Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Buttercream
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 9 inch cake 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This chocolate layer cake has a gorgeous kick of bourbon and is layered with a light and refreshing blackberry swiss meringue buttercream.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake:
- 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of sugar
- ¾ cups cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 cup hot coffee
For the buttercream:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks) softened and cut into pieces
- 1 ¼ cup pureed blackberries
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and cover the bottom of 3 9 inch cake pans with wax paper and prepare ingredients.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, almond, and bourbon. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
- Next, add in the coffee and mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 20-30 minutes.
For the buttercream:
- Put eggs whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove bowl from heat and attach the bowl to a mixer, whisk on medium-high speed for 5 minutes or until very stiff peaks form. Lower speed to medium and start adding butter one piece at a time until are all combined. Whisk until stiff peaks form again if you lost definition when adding the butter.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and on low speed slowly add a little bit of the blackberries, keep mixing and adding blackberries until all are combined. Whisk on medium speed to firm up the mixture.
Notes
- For successful swiss meringue buttercream with fresh fruit, make sure your heat-proof bowl is completely dry to start.
- If you don't have a candy thermometer, keep testing the egg and sugar mixture until all the sugar granules have dissolved.
- Whisk until you have very stiff peaks; this is the step when you build up a lot of the structure. Once the berries get added, the buttercream will turn to soup if it's not thoroughly whipped.
- Add the butter and thoroughly whisk until it reaches stiff peaks again.
- Add the blackberry puree. If it starts to et soupy, chill it in the refrigerator for 30 min, and it should stiffen up.
Linda Omura says
This recipe looks so scrumptious and especially with the addition of bourbon! Looks like a keeper for a future occasion!
pate giltner says
Thanks so much! It's my go to occasion cake!
Andy says
This cake was absolutely fantastic - probably one of the best cakes I have ever made. Thank you for your recipe!
One question I had was about the Blackberry puree. I noticed that you seem to have kept the skins (and the seeds, presumably) in your puree. When I made it, I ran the puree through a strainer and the frosting was on the lighter side - almost pink. While I desire a deeper color - which the skins would probably provide - I think this would be far more enjoyable without the seeds. Can you share your thoughts on this? Thank you!
pate giltner says
Thanks so much!!! I'm so glad you liked it! I have always been someone who likes seeds and pulp so I prefer them in my recipes. The skins would provide a deeper color but you could always use a little bit of food coloring to darken it too.
Sam says
I’m about to bake this cake, but I have two 10-inch pans instead of three 9-inch pans. Should I adjust the amounts at all, or you think it will work? How do you recommend changing the bake time?
Pate Giltner says
Hi Sam! I'm sorry for such a late reply, I would keep the same baking time but check on them 5 minutes before the time is up. I hope you enjoyed it!
payton says
I am in the process of making this right now and the batter is so liquidy it's been in for 30 min and will not cook. Any tips?
Pate Giltner says
Hi! It is a very liquidy batter, but I’ve never had it not bake all the way through. I would keep it in the oven, testing every 5-10 min depending on how done it is, until a knife comes out clean. I hope it turned out!❤️
Regina says
Hello! I am going to give this a try but was wondering if that cup of coffee is a nutritional cup of coffee (6 oz) or a measured cup of coffee (8 oz).
Pate Giltner says
Hi! It it is a measured 8oz cup 😁
Layla says
I wonder, can you just add blackberry purée and sugar to ram whip cream instead of the egg white mix??
Layla says
Oops meant REAL whip cream
Lauren says
Quick question: did you measure your blackberries prior to puréeing them or after?
1 1/4 whole blackberries, then puréed or 1 1/4 blackberry purée
Pate Giltner says
Hi! its 1 1/4 cup puree!
Jennifer says
I plan to make this for Thanksgiving, but am traveling a very long distance. Will the baked cakes, and prepared icing store well in separate containers to be assembled the following day?
Monica C says
I’m interested in knowing how best to prep the cakes and frosting for storage as well. Hoping this comment may help the author see your question 🙂
Mary Agnes Degi Obizzi says
Hi what type/kind of burbon did you use? There are so many choices out there!
Rosa says
I really want to make this, but hate coffee. Do you taste the coffee at all or have any recommendations on substitutes?
Pate Giltner says
Hi Rosa! You do not taste coffee at all - it just makes the chocolate more chocolaty
Elizabeth says
Can I make this into cupcakes. And can I use blackberry jam
Pate Giltner says
You could turn them into cupcakes but I haven't experimented with that so I don't have a bake time to recommend. I would not use jam for the icing.
Sara Quinn says
Hello, can I substitute the canola oil for a heathy oil like coconut , olive etc
Pate Giltner says
Hi! I haven't tested this recipe with those oils, so I can't be sure. But please let me know if try it and it works out!
Emily says
Hello! Would this recipe be gluten free compatible? Thanks!
Sara Quinn says
Absolutely delicious! Cake is super moist, you can taste the bourbon just enough to enhance the chocolate flavor. The frosting has the perfect sweetness to balance the chocolate cake. Thank you for such a great recipe !
Kristi says
I just made this cake and unfortunately the frosting is soup and has been in the fridge for an hour and is still the consistency of soup😢. What can I do to thicken it???
Pate Giltner says
Hi! I am so sorry that it's not coming together - meringue can be so temperamental that even the weather can mess with its integrity. I would keep chilling it and after a few hours if its still soupy, I would make another batch of the egg white and sugar mixture then slowly fold that into the blackberry frosting until its thick.
Lynn says
The flavor of the cake is amazing however the buttercream is a soupy mess! I tried numerous ways to thicken including the suggestions within these post with zero success. Definitely needs less/more of something but after many attempts and buttercream you could literally drink I threw in the towel and called it a waste of cake.
Linda says
Absolutely loved this cake. I do not drink alcohol or , normally cook with it, but this was sensational! The little bit of zing could be tasted in the batter which was excellent. I don’t like coffee either, ( I used 1/2 cup+ 1/2 cup water) and could not taste it. I used half dark cocoa and half regular cocoa.
The icing was light and not as overbearingly sweet as usual buttercream. Definitely going to be a new favorite recipe!!
Linda says
This recipe seems to have a lot of liquid for the amount of flour. Just curious.
Jodi says
Does anyone know if this turns out making it with gluten free flour?
Jayme says
What's the best way to make the blackberry puree for this frosting?