Blackberry Cornmeal Cake
A rustic summer cake with a golden crumb, juicy blackberries, and old-fashioned charm.
Why You’ll Love This Blackberry Cornmeal Cake
This Blackberry Cornmeal Cake is the kind of dessert that tastes like home — humble, hearty, and packed with summer flavor. It’s the cake you make when the blackberries ripen on the fence line, and your kids come running in with stained hands and scratched up arms from picking. It’s rustic, it’s simple, and it’s the kind of thing you serve with a dollop of whipped cream or eat with your fingers, standing barefoot in the kitchen.
The cornmeal gives it a golden color and soft grit that makes it feel more like something passed down than picked up from a Pinterest scroll. It’s just sweet enough, perfectly crumbed, and best served warm from the oven or cold the next day with a hot cup of coffee.
Blackberries on the Farm: A Southern Summer Signal
On our land, we know summer’s on its way out and it’s time for another cutting of hay when the blackberries ripen. They show up uninvited, growing wild somewhere unattended in the pastures (we try to keep them off the fence rows) and around the barn, and every year we pretend like we’re getting rid of them — and every year, we don’t. And I’m glad we don’t.
Oh how I adore blackberries!
When I made this cake first, I had picked a bowlful from along the runway pasture, and I couldn’t bring myself to let them all get eaten before we made a delicious creation out of them. So I pulled out the cornmeal, the buttermilk, and the eggs, and I threw together something halfway between a traditional Southern cornbread cake—which I absolutely adore—and a rustic cobbler. It’s got the sweet corn flavor and golden crumb of an old fashioned cake, with the soft fruit pockets and casual feel of something you’d spoon straight out of a baking dish. It turned out so good, I knew I had to share it here.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup medium-grind cornmeal (or self-rising cornmeal— see note below)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey (local is best!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk
Add-ins:
2 cups fresh blackberries (or frozen, tossed in 1 tbsp flour)
2 to 3 tablespoons Turbinado sugar (or a raw, course sugar) for topping
Can I Use Self-Rising Cornmeal?
Yes! If that’s what you have on hand, go right ahead. Just skip the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Self-rising cornmeal already includes those, and it’ll bake up just as beautifully—maybe even a little fluffier.
Just don’t use self-rising flour in addition, or your rise might just go a little wild!
How to Make Blackberry Cornmeal Cake
Step 1: Preheat & Prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan or 10 inch cast iron skillet with a parchment round (parchment paper).
Step 2: Whisk Dry Ingredients together
In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Note: if using self-rising cornmeal, just whisk the cornmeal and flour together. Easy Peasy!
Step 3: Cream Butter & Sugar
In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy — about 3–4 minutes.
Step 4: Add Eggs & Vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of honey.
Step 5: Combine Wet & Dry
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry mix. Don’t overmix!
Step 6: Fold in Blackberries
Gently fold in blackberries with a rubber spatula. If using frozen berries, make sure they’re tossed in flour to prevent bleeding.
Step 7: Bake
Pour the batter into your pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top of your batter with 2-3 tablespoons of raw, coarse sugar like Turbinado. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
This batter is so thick!
Step 8: Cool & Serve
Let cool for 15 minutes before flipping over and removing cake from pan. I advise running a butter knife around edges of skillet to release the cake from the pan. Once flipped over, remove the parchment paper round from the top of the cake, and you are ready to slice and serve!
Serve warm, cold, or room temp with a drizzle of honey or homemade whipped cream! This cake has an unexpected flavor that we know you’ll love.
Homemade Whipped Cream (Optional, But Too Yummy to Pass Up!)
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Chill your mixing bowl and beaters for 10–15 minutes.
Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high until soft peaks form. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Do not overmix—your whipped cream will start to look grainy and start the process of turning into butter!
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Serving Suggestions
Top with fresh whipped cream
Drizzle with local honey or maple syrup
Add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
Serve alongside coffee or sweet tea for brunch or dessert
Tips for the Best Texture & Flavor
Use medium-grind cornmeal for that rustic bite
Don’t overmix — keep the crumb tender
Toss frozen berries in flour to prevent bleeding
Sprinkle raw sugar on top for a crunchy finish
Storage & Reheating
Store covered at room temp for 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5
Reheat slices at 350°F for 10 minutes to revive that fresh-baked feel
Freezes beautifully — wrap individual slices tightly
From-Scratch Flavor, Farmhouse Simple
What I love most about this cake is that it doesn’t try to be anything fancy. There’s no glaze, no layers, no piped frosting — just cornmeal, blackberries, and honest-to-goodness Southern baking. It’s the kind of recipe that doesn’t need to impress because it feels like home. You can almost taste the summer in every bite.
Southern Blackberry Cornmeal Cake
This Blackberry Cornmeal Cake is the kind of dessert that tastes like home — humble, hearty, and packed with summer flavor. It’s the cake you make when the blackberries ripen on the fence line. It’s rustic, it’s simple, and it’s the kind of thing you serve with a dollop of whipped cream or eat with your fingers, standing barefoot in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan or 10 inch cast iron skillet with a parchment round (parchment paper).
- In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Note: if using self-rising cornmeal, just whisk the cornmeal and all-purpose flour together. Easy Peasy!
- Cream Butter & Sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy — about 3–4 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of honey.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry mix. Don’t overmix!
- Fold in Blackberries. Gently fold in blackberries with a rubber spatula. If using frozen berries, make sure they’re tossed in flour to prevent bleeding.
- Pour the batter into your pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top of your batter with 2-3 tablespoons of raw, coarse sugar like Turbinado. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before flipping over and removing cake from pan. I advise running a butter knife around edges of skillet to release the cake from the pan. Once flipped over, remove the parchment paper round from the top of the cake, and you are ready to slice and serve!
- Serve with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, a drizzle of local honey, or just eat a slice by itself.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
387Fat
15 gSat. Fat
8 gCarbs
58 gFiber
4 gNet carbs
54 gSugar
30 gProtein
7 gSodium
330 mgCholesterol
79 mg
