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Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake

Enjoy this cake on its own or with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Everyday Food, July/August 2010
  • Prep Time 15 minutes
  • Total Time 2 hours, 15 minutes
  • Yield Serves 9
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 6 ounces blackberries (1 1/3 cups)
  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; butter parchment. In a food processor, puree blackberries with 2 tablespoons sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  3. Transfer half the batter to pan and dot with 1/2 cup blackberry puree. Repeat with remaining batter and puree. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl batter and puree together. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30 minutes. Lift cake out of pan and place on a serving plate; let cool completely before slicing.

Cook's Note

Change it up: Swap 6 ounces raspberries or blueberries for the blackberries.

Recipe Reviews

  • margarones
    11 Aug, 2012

    Back at it again. I have tried other recipes for pound cake and have not found one that is this moist, this delicious or this weighty. This is now our go to recipe when guests come over. So expect it when you show up.

  • NinaGuerra
    18 Apr, 2012

    I took this recipe from my Everyday Food Magazine, issue 74 and it's really delicious, althoug i recommend to strain the puree to remove seeds and also use only half puree in the center of the pound cake because tends to burn on the top. Also i really would like to try using blueberries, yumm!!

  • margarones
    27 Aug, 2011

    This is my fifth time making this recipe. We have the ability to pick black berries by the gallons in our back yard and this has become the staple cooked gift we bring to friends houses, party's, co workers, or anywhere it is acceptable to gift cooked food. It is moist, well flavored, and the berry swirl is tasty and sweat. It is real good with vanilla gelato.

  • freedapowers
    26 Aug, 2011

    I went Blackberry picking with my brother on a beautiful August day and then realized I had no good recipes to use them in. I made this, my first ever pound cake, and it was AMAZING! the house smelled SO good while it was in the oven & one taster even suggested it be entered in the local fair's baking category! Delicious and unique~