Blackberry Ginger Bundt
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Cake made with butter creamed to fluff, eggs added slow. Flour sifted with baking powder, salt mixed in. Blackberry ginger ale replaces usual liquid, adding fizz and zing. Blackberries pressed lightly into batter topping pan buttered in oven first. Bake lowered temp after starting hot, toothpick test decides done. Cool, then blackberry-ginger ale syrup thickened with powdered sugar drizzled. Freeze berries for later if fresh scarce. Serve with berries center stage, tumble out when sliced. Substituted buttermilk for ginger ale once, lost some sparkle; ginger ale better. Butter pan well or cake sticks. Tap pan for even berry spread. Oven temps vary; watch colors, doneness over minutes alone. Twelve servings, the mix of sweet, tart, bubbly, berry texture—more than sum.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
Total:
Servings:
12 servings
#American
#Bundt cake
#Blackberry
#Ginger ale
#Baking tips
#Berry desserts
Butter whipped fluffy, eggs slow, batter thick with blackberry fizz—cake layers lift and bloom. Early tries stuck in pan; lesson learned—pan must be buttered from melted butter, no skimping. Baking powder sifts create lift, texture soft but stable. Blackberry ginger ale swaps liquid, fizz gives crumb airey, and subtle spice punch. Blackberries pressed atop before baking, don’t drown them; they should nestle in, not vanish. Bake starts hot, then drops 30 degrees to avoid hard crust but thorough bake. Toothpick test, crust pull from pan edges tell readiness better than clock alone. Drizzle made fresh brightens tops, sugar balances tartness. Last slices best hot or room temp, fridge dries cake fast. Regular soda can hide flavor, ginger ale ideal. Substitute lemon soda cautiously—alter final zing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup Canada Dry Blackberry Ginger Ale or substitute buttermilk fizzy drink
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for pan
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- 8-10 blackberries mashed for drizzle
- 1/3 cup Canada Dry Blackberry Ginger Ale for drizzle
- Powdered sugar sifted for drizzle
About the ingredients
Butter must be softened but not melted—soft enough to trap air but still hold form. If too hard, creaming clumps, butter unevenly distributed; if too soft, batter too loose, no structure. Sugar acts as tenderizer and moisture grip. Eggs added one at a time ensure batter doesn’t break—adding too fast causes separation; whisk gently but thoroughly after each egg. Flour sifting removes lumps, distributes leavening evenly; skipping this risks uneven rising or dense spots. Blackberry ginger ale has natural sugars and fizz; substitutes with a buttermilk soda or soda water plus grated fresh ginger and lemon zest if unavailable. Pour batter immediately once mixed—resting causes soda fizz to escape, batter flattens. Butter pan well using last butter melted; avoid membranes or stick spots with cornmeal dust if problem persists. Fresh berries preferred; frozen berries add moisture, risk sogginess. Blackberry availability matters—wild adds tartness, commercial sweeter but less intense. Powdered sugar thickens drizzle gradually; too much makes paste, too little runs off.
Method
- Start heating oven to 355 F . Butter softness key. Not melted but soft enough that creamed butter traps air.
- Cream 1 1/2 cups butter and sugar until pale, fluffy. Sound changes to faint ripple or gentle tapping of paddle attachment. Scrape sides often, no butter chunks hiding.
- Whisk in eggs one by one. Slow addition crucial. Rush it and mix breaks. Batter thickens, shiny when mixed right.
- Pour in fizzy blackberry ginger ale; pour slowly mixing at low speed. Batter thins but still holds heaviness. Avoid foam pops or it deflates air pockets.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together twice. Flour light and airy for tender crumb.
- Add flour mixture in parts. One cup at a time mixes until just combined, never overwork or cake toughens. Scrape down bowl edges mid-mix.
- Melt last 2 tablespoons butter in bundt pan inside oven, about 3 minutes. Brush entire interior. Butter pools pick berries and batter hold.
- Pour batter in. Even surface with spatula. Scatter berries over batter surface, press gently so they don't sink instantly but embed in.
- Tap pan sharply on counter. Look for even berry coverage, batter settling to corners. Fewer dense clumps. Berries float but anchored.
- Turn oven down to 320 F and slide pan in. Avoid sudden temp drops which kill rise. Bake about 1 hour 25 minutes. Look for edges pulling from pan, crust golden rust red in places.
- Toothpick test key. Insert near center, must come out with few moist crumbs. No sticky batter. If sticky, add 5-7 minutes more checking every few.
- Cool 7-12 minutes in pan. Slight steam lets cake loosen. Run thin knife around edges if sticky or bubbly areas.
- Invert cake onto cooling rack—let gravity do the work. Avoid tapping pan to jar cake out; patience pays here.
- For drizzle, mash blackberries with 1/3 cup ginger ale and powdered sugar until thick but dribbly, not runny syrup. Adjust sugar for tartness of berries. If too thin, add more sugar. Too thick? More ale or splash lemon juice.
- Drizzle over cooled cake. Top with leftover berries center pile. When sliced, they spill out for drama and juicy bursts.
- Best served same day but stale-resistant if wrapped. If ginger ale missing, soda water with lemon zest and grated ginger makes a stand-in.
- Avoid iceberg cold eggs from fridge—batter won’t whip right. Plan ahead to soften or use warm tap water bath.
- If cake sticks, sprinkle pan with coarse cornmeal before buttering. Adds texture and ease to release.
- Berries burst aroma filling kitchen mid-bake. Listen for subtle crackling of crust as sign of nearing done.
- Use fresh berries, thawed frozen add moisture, cake soggy. Wild blackberries add tartness; garden sweet but less bite.
Cooking tips
Oven temperature and timing are guides; visual checks paramount. Initial high temp sets crust, ensuring structure. Dropping temp prevents burning edges with raw center. Tap batter-filled pan on counter firmly after placing berries—this bubbles air pockets out, settles batter filling corners and wraps berries in batter, avoiding sinking. Toothpick test crucial; type of toothpick matters—cheap ones splinter or absorb moisture, causing false negatives. Waiting 7-12 minutes before unmolding lets steam loosen cake edges; attempts to unmold hot often damages cake—use thin knife if stuck but gently. Mixing speeds matter: low speed after flour addition avoids gluten overdevelopment, keeping crumb tender. Slow egg addition preserves emulsification, prevents batter curdling. For drizzle, adjust powdered sugar slowly—too heavy creates non-drippy topping, defeating garnish purpose. If drip too runny, refrigerate for few minutes before serving to set. Crackling sounds during baking hint moisture escape and crust forming; smell changes from raw flour to sweet berry and toasted sugar indicate near readiness. If oven isn’t reliable, position cake lower or upper rack mid-bake to correct uneven heat.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter soft but not melted; key for air trapped in creaming. Too cold? Butter clumps, uneven mix. Too warm? Batter too loose, no hold. I watch texture, listen for faint tapping sound when creamed right.
- 💡 Eggs one at a time slow slow. Rush it, batter breaks down, separates weird. Use room temp eggs or warm bath if fridge cold. Watch shine on batter — thick but glossy means good mix.
- 💡 Sift flour with baking powder and salt twice. Skipping gives dense bits or uneven rise. Fold flour gently too; overmix toughens crumb. Scrape bowl sides every add to grab dry pockets.
- 💡 Pour blackberry ginger ale slowly while mixing on low. Foam pops kill those precious air pockets. Fizz helps crumb light but fizz lost if resting batter too long. Mix close to oven time.
- 💡 Butter bundt pan melted in oven for 3 mins then brush whole inside thickly. Butter pools grab berries better, keep stick at bay. Cornmeal dust if sticky, adds gritty texture but helps release.
Common questions
Can I use another soda?
Lemon soda works cautious—final zing changes. Buttermilk soda with grated ginger and lemon zest mimics ginger ale fizz — decent backup. Regular soda dulls flavor, fizz drops fast, less lift.
How to tell when cake done?
Toothpick with few moist crumbs, never sticky batter. Watch crust color—golden reddish spots, edges pulling from pan. Crackling sounds near end signal moisture escape. Smell shift raw flour to berry and toasted sugar tells almost done.
Berries sinking in batter?
Butter pools in pan trap berries; pressing gently so berries embed but don’t disappear. Tap pan hard on counter after scattering berries—gets air bubbles out fills corners evenly, anchors berries so they don’t fall.
Storing leftover cake?
Wrap tight same day slows drying. Refrigerate speeds stale taste. Freeze with berries separate, thaw gently. Drizzle best fresh; syrup can get sticky or runny if left too long or too cool.
