By The bakery hums at its steady rhythm — conchas in both cities, the daily bread of the promise. Sofia manages the business. I manage the dough. Lupita manages Anapra. The triangle of women who hold the bakery together, the way three legs hold a table, and the table is Rosa's, and the table stands.
After a day of shaping concha dough — the same dough, the same hands, the same steady rhythm — I want to bake something that feels like the season coming through the door. Blackberries remind me that even in routine there is something new ripening, and orange keeps it bright the way Sofia’s voice keeps the front of house alive. This Blackberry-Orange Cake is the kind of thing I make when the table is still standing and I want everyone who sat around it to know it.
Blackberry-Orange Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp freshly grated orange zest (about 2 oranges)
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
- 2–3 tbsp fresh orange juice (for glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x13-inch baking pan, or two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and aromatics. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest until fully incorporated.
- Alternate wet and dry. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the orange juice and sour cream (begin and end with flour). Mix until just combined — do not overmix.
- Fold in blackberries. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold blackberries into the batter. A few berries may break — that is fine and creates beautiful color streaks in the finished cake.
- Bake. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is lightly golden. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Allow glaze to set for 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 185mg