Tender and buttery and bursting with pockets of ripe summer berries, this blackberry butter cake is what I’d call an ideal snack cake—a snackberry cake, if you will—that’s easy to prepare and even easier to eat.
Sometimes simple is best, and this blackberry cake is proof in its perfection, no fancy frostings or fillings needed! It comes together quickly with minimal time and effort (remembering to get your ingredients out ahead of time is probably the hardest part), and the result is a casual yet impressive muffin-like cake that’s a perfect way to use up those summer berries.
The recipe is loosely based on my trusty sour cream coffee cake recipe, with slightly different proportions to accommodate the berries in an 8-inch square pan. And hey, if you want to call it a coffee cake and eat it for breakfast, I’m not going to judge you (it’s basically a muffin masquerading as a cake).
Using sour cream is really my favorite way to get a moist and flavorful butter cake; the fat adds moisture and flavor, and the acidity balances out the sugar. (Psst, sour cream also makes for an awesome chocolate cake too).
The dusting of granulated sugar on top makes for a delightfully crispy finish, without the need for a separate crumb mixture (as much as I love a crumb topping, I don’t love the extra dishes it creates). In fact, this cake can practically be prepared in a single bowl, either the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
