Oh summer — I love you so.
We’ve paddled in the English Channel, climbed trees, survived potty training (a story for another day), enjoyed new bikes and countless picnics. We’ve played outdoors every day, sniffed flowers and splashed about. There were grown-up evenings too, with paella and pizzas cooked in the garden and plenty of laughter.
I feel like the season began with two tiny tots and now I have two chatty, brilliant, slightly bonkers little people.
Summer, please don’t go just yet. I’m not ready for autumn — one or two last sunny weekend flings? One more bottle of suncream and a glass (or two) of Pimms?
This cake tastes like the end of summer — a gentle transition to hedgerow foraging and not worrying about buttercream melting away.
It was Mr TT’s birthday, and what better way to celebrate than a giant pink cake?
Even if Pimms isn’t usually your thing (it’s not mine), try the Special Edition Blackberry & Elderflower Pimms — it’s wonderfully floral and fruity. Naturally, it found its way into a cake here.
This is a reliable sponge recipe with chopped blackberries and an elegant ombré buttercream. The ombré effect looks impressive but is straightforward once you know the trick.
Tools I used for the ombré finish:
- A good side scraper — it makes smoothing the cake so much easier.
- A palette knife — invaluable for spreading and finishing the buttercream.
Start with plenty of icing on the cake and then scrape back the top layer to achieve a smooth, blended rainbow finish without crumbs. The buttercream with syrup can split if you’re too hasty — add the syrup gradually and, if needed, rescue the mix with extra icing sugar. If the white buttercream is very stiff, a little boiling water will soften it.
Admire your pretty creation and enjoy a slice with a glass of Pimms, of course.
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you make it, I’d love to know how it went — please rate the recipe by the stars and, if you share a photo on Instagram, tag @tamingtwins so I can see your results.
How to make a Blackberry and Elderflower Pimms Layer Cake:
Blackberry & Elderflower Pimms Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 350g unsalted butter
- 350g caster sugar
- 6 free-range eggs
- 350g self-raising flour
- 150g blackberries (for the sponge)
For the syrup:
- 200g blackberries
- 75ml Blackberry & Elderflower Pimms
- 50g caster sugar
For the icing:
- 350g unsalted butter
- 700g icing sugar
Instructions
- Grease three 7″ round sandwich tins (or two 8″ tins).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Cream room-temperature butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. If the mixture looks curdled, don’t worry — it will come together.
- Fold in the flour by hand if you used a mixer, to keep the sponge light.
- Stir in 150g blackberries, gently squashing some so you get little swirls of juice. Stop before fully combined for a marbled effect.
- Spoon the batter into the tins, smoothing the tops and creating a slight dip in the centre to allow for rising.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean; ovens vary so check around 25–35 minutes.
Make the syrup:
- Reserve 16 blackberries for decoration. Put the remaining blackberries, the Pimms and sugar in a small pan and heat until the sugar dissolves and the fruit breaks down. Press gently with a spoon if needed.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing to extract as much juice as possible to create a syrup.
Make and colour the icing:
- Beat the butter until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in the icing sugar, continuing for 5–10 minutes until very light and airy.
- Divide the icing into three bowls. Colour one bowl deep pink and another light pink using the blackberry-Pimms syrup a teaspoon at a time. Add liquid slowly to avoid splitting; if it splits, add a little extra icing sugar. If the white icing is too stiff, loosen with a splash of boiling water.
Assemble the cake:
- When the cakes are completely cool, level them with a carving knife to remove the top crust so the layers sit evenly.
- Drizzle any remaining syrup over the cakes sparingly.
- Sandwich the layers with buttercream, alternating colours if you like, and finish with a white buttercream layer on top.
- Using a palette knife, apply the deepest pink icing to the bottom third of the outside of the cake (reserve a little for decoration).
- Cover the middle third with the lighter pink and finish the top third with the white icing.
- Run a clean scraper or palette knife around the cake to smooth and slightly blend the three colours into an ombré finish.
- Pipe 16 spots of the reserved coloured icing around the top edge and place a blackberry in each spot.
Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a star rating. Your feedback helps create more recipes you’ll love.
Nutrition
Calories: 937 kcal
Carbohydrates: 115 g • Protein: 7 g • Fat: 50 g • Saturated Fat: 30 g
Cholesterol: 207 mg • Sodium: 40 mg • Potassium: 120 mg • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 91 g
Vitamin A: 1640 IU • Vitamin C: 6.1 mg • Calcium: 39 mg • Iron: 0.9 mg
Nutrition information is an approximation and should be used as a guide only. Values are per portion unless stated otherwise.
Additional Info
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Family Food
Share your version on Instagram and tag @tamingtwins — I love seeing your creations.