Mary Berry Apple and Blackberry Cake Recipe

Apple and blackberry is the most specifically autumnal flavour combination in British baking. Both are at their peak simultaneously — September and early October — and together they give something vivid and deeply flavoured.

The sweetness of the apple, the slight tartness of the blackberry, the warm spice of the sponge, and the purple-red juice that bleeds from the blackberries during baking into the surrounding crumb, giving a cake that looks as beautiful inside as it does outside.

This is the cake I make in the first weeks of October when the hedgerow blackberries are still good and the early Cox apples are in the shops. I also make it through winter with frozen blackberries — they give an equally beautiful result and the colour that bleeds from frozen blackberries into the batter is even more vivid than fresh.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Apple and Blackberry Cake

For the Cake

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g soft light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 225g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g eating apples (Cox or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and cut into 1cm dice — tossed in juice of ½ lemon
• 200g fresh or frozen blackberries — if frozen, do not defrost

For the Topping

• 2 tbsp demerara sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g blackberries — pressed into the top of the batter before baking

For the Lemon Glaze (Optional but Beautiful)

• 100g icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

How to Make Mary Berry Apple and Blackberry Cake

Step 1 — Preheat and Prepare

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease a deep 23cm round springform tin and line the base with baking parchment.

Mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2 — Make the Batter

Beat the softened butter and soft light brown sugar together for four to five minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and mixed spice into the bowl. Add the milk. Fold gently until just combined.

Step 3 — Fold in the Fruit

Gently fold the diced apple through the batter. Then fold in the 200g of blackberries with three or four gentle folds — you want the blackberries mostly intact rather than crushed. Crushed blackberries colour the entire batter purple. Intact blackberries give vivid jewels of fruit with the purple bleeding only into the immediately surrounding crumb — much more beautiful.

Step 4 — Fill and Top

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin. Spread gently and evenly — do not press the fruit down.

Press the reserved 50g of blackberries lightly into the surface of the batter in a decorative arrangement. Scatter the cinnamon demerara over the entire surface.

Step 5 — Bake

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until deep golden, the top is set and crunchy from the demerara, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The blackberries on the surface will have collapsed slightly and given their vivid purple juice into the surrounding sponge.

Cover loosely with baking parchment after 35 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.

Leave to cool in the tin for twenty minutes before releasing the springform. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 6 — Apply the Glaze (Optional)

Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The glaze should be runny enough to flow from a spoon. Drizzle over the completely cooled cake in thin, irregular lines. Leave to set for fifteen minutes.

My Top Tips For Perfect Apple and Blackberry Cake

Use frozen blackberries directly from frozen. Frozen blackberries do not need defrosting before folding into the batter. Defrosted blackberries release a huge amount of juice which colours the entire batter and can make the sponge slightly wet. Straight from frozen, they maintain their shape during mixing and bake beautifully.

Fold blackberries with restraint. Three or four gentle folds — then stop. Over-folding crushes the blackberries and turns the batter an even purple. The beauty of this cake is in the contrast between the golden sponge and the vivid pockets of blackberry.

Brown sugar gives better flavour here. The soft light brown sugar gives a warm, slightly molasses note that suits autumn fruit baking beautifully. White caster sugar gives a lighter, less interesting result with apple and blackberry.

Press blackberries into the top for maximum visual impact. The arrangement of blackberries on the surface before baking gives a dramatically beautiful top — the blackberries sink slightly and release their juice around them. Spend a moment arranging them attractively.

The lemon glaze balances the sweetness. The cake is sweet and the blackberries are slightly tart. The lemon glaze bridges the two and adds a brightness to the finished cake. It is optional but it makes a noticeable difference.

Serving Suggestions

Warm with clotted cream or crème fraîche — the sharpness of the crème fraîche against the sweet cake is wonderful. At room temperature as an afternoon tea cake. As a birthday cake for someone who loves autumn fruit. As a pudding cake served warm with vanilla ice cream.

How to Store

At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The cake stays moist from the apple and blackberry.

In the freezer: Freeze without the glaze in slices for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and add the lemon glaze fresh.

Mary Berry Apple and Blackberry Cake Recipe

Mary Berry's apple and blackberry cake is a moist, gently spiced cake studded with blackberries and apple — the most beautiful cake of autumn.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Cooling Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 10 Slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 350

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Cake:
• 225 g unsalted butter softened
• 200 g soft light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 225 g self-raising flour sifted
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g eating apples peeled, cored, and in 1cm dice — tossed in juice of ½ lemon
• 200 g fresh or frozen blackberries do not defrost if frozen
• Topping:
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 50 g blackberries — pressed into the top
• Lemon Glaze Optional:
• 100 g icing sugar sifted
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

CHECK THIS RECIPE  Mary Berry Victoria Sponge Recipe

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a deep 23cm springform tin. Mix demerara and cinnamon — set aside.
2. Beat butter and brown sugar 4–5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift in flour, baking powder, and spices. Add milk — fold gently.
3. Fold in diced apple. Fold in 200g blackberries with 3–4 gentle folds — keep blackberries mostly intact.
4. Spoon into tin — spread gently. Press 50g blackberries into the surface decoratively. Scatter cinnamon demerara over the entire surface.
5. Bake 45–55 minutes until golden and skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely after 35 minutes if browning too quickly. Cool in tin 20 minutes — release springform. Cool completely.
6. Mix icing sugar and lemon juice — drizzle over cooled cake. Set 15 minutes. Slice.

Notes

Use frozen blackberries directly from frozen — defrosted blackberries make the batter wet and uniformly purple.

Fold blackberries with restraint — 3–4 gentle folds only. Over-folding crushes them.

Soft light brown sugar gives a warm, autumn flavour — white sugar is too flat here.

Press blackberries into the top decoratively — the arrangement is worth the extra minute.

The lemon glaze bridges the sweetness and the tartness — worth using.

Freeze without glaze for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use raspberries instead of blackberries?

Yes — raspberries give a slightly sharper, more vibrant result. The colour that bleeds from raspberries into the surrounding sponge is a vivid magenta rather than deep purple — equally beautiful.

Can I use Bramley apples instead of eating apples?

Bramleys collapse completely during baking and give moisture rather than distinct apple pieces. Eating apples give soft, identifiable pieces. Both are good — the texture of the finished cake differs but both taste wonderful.

Can I add walnuts?

Yes — 75g of roughly chopped walnuts folded in with the apple give a pleasant crunch and a slight bitterness that balances the sweet fruit. A very good combination.

Can I make this in a traybake tin?

Yes — pour into a greased and lined 30x23cm tin. Bake at the same temperature for 30 to 35 minutes. Press extra blackberries into the surface and scatter the demerara topping as directed.