Blackberry Buttercream Birthday Cake

For years now I have told my friends that instead of buying birthday presents, I will bake them anything their celebrating heart desires. Word gets around pretty fast and some months it seems like everyone is having a birthday ("do half birthdays count?").  For this recent occasion a friend of mine just knew he wanted cake. Lots of cake. Throwing out a list of classic options, I added this recipe for a blackberry buttercream at the last minute because it has been on my recipe bucket list for almost a year. I was surprised but not so secretly pleased when i became the chosen one.

The uniqueness of flavors was what originally draw me to this cake. I have had many types of buttercream, from strawberry jam to peanut butter (and yes, those two do taste amazing together). Blackberries, however have yet to appear in either my own or a bakeries final frosting product. Although I rarely bake them, cakes are actually one of my favorite projects because they you a real sense of accomplishment afterwards. Unlike cookies or even cupcakes, finishing a cake is building a little house. They also serve as impressive presents because not nearly as people are willing to take on the hassle of baking a whole cake as they are to whip up a batch of brownies.

This recipe uses a basic white cake base which goes well with the thick buttercream, allowing it take center stage. I did have a bit of an interesting first date with the frosting recipe. For some reason I overlooked that the ingredient list calls for blackberry "puree." My mind simply stopped after the word blackberry, thinking there be a recipe for said "puree" later on. Fast forward to cake in the oven and me standing at the counter armed with a fresh carton of blackberries. I read, read, and look closer but no where is this puree recipe to be found. Since I am an admittedly lazy baker, the following confession should not come as a surprise to anyone: placing the blackberries in a bowl, I grabbed a clean glass and proceeded to smash the berries until the resembled a "puree." 

This may or may not have led my frosting to take on the bright pink color seen in the photos versus the much more sophisticated and subdued purple on the original recipe. Good news is my friend was not afraid of a little pink. Also the frosting tasted absolutely amazing which never hurts. Since figuring out what puree actually is, I have to say that I almost prefer my MacGyvered way. As long as the color isn't an issue, this version has a incredibly fresh berry taste, especially without the added sugar in most puree recipes. Last but not least I added freshly dark chocolate chunks because it's dark chocolate and that is always a good enough reason. It also added a nice contrast to the cake, balancing out out the soft texture and sweet flavors. In conclusion, the next time you are looking a baking project with that "house building" sense of accomplishment,  I recommend this unique cake.