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This blackberry lemon bread is moist, easy to make (no stand mixer necessary), and is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The lemon glaze and fresh blackberries on top take it to the next level. This recipe is dairy-free with a gluten-free option.
This lemon and blackberry loaf is the summer version of coffee cake. The fresh blackberries leave a deep purple hue dotted throughout the bread when baked. The lemon glaze gets intertwined with the freshly cut blackberry halves on top leaving subtle streaks of pink.
But even better than its beautiful aesthetic is the sweet, tangy flavor and moist texture of each slice. If you love quick breads, you'll love my carrot cake loaf.
Ingredients
This quick loaf can be eaten as a snack, breakfast, or dessert. Here's what you'll need.
- All-purpose flour. See the substitutions section for other options.
- Baking powder and baking soda. This recipe contains both for the best texture, flavor and color.
- Kosher salt. To balance out the flavors.
- Organic cane sugar. This is my favorite unrefined granulated sugar, but feel free to use white granulated sugar if you wish.
- Oil. I used liquid refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor, but you can also use avocado oil or even olive oil.
- Eggs. They help bind the bread together, just make sure they're at room temperature so the batter comes together smoothly.
- Plain, unsweetened yogurt, either dairy-free or regular if not dairy-free. This adds moisture without thinning the batter.
- Vanilla extract. For extra flavor and sweetness.
- Lemon zest. The zest is added for the concentrated lemon flavor that really comes through once the bread has baked.
- Lemon juice. The juice adds tanginess and tartness.
- Fresh Blackberries. Berries with a juicy, sweet-tart flavor.
- Powdered sugar. To make the glaze.
How To Make Blackberry Lemon Bread
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- "Cream" together the egg and oil.
In a medium bowl, "cream" together the cane sugar and oil until combined.
- Add in the other ingredients.
Whisk in the eggs to the creamed mixture before mixing in the yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and juice.
- Fold the wet into the dry.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together using a silicone spatula until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Add the blackberries.
Before you add the fresh blackberries to the batter, toss them with 2 teaspoons of flour to coat them before folding them into the batter. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your loaf.
- Transfer to a loaf pan and bake.
Transfer the batter to a parchment paper-lined 9×5 pan. Bake for 45 - 48 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this blackberry lemon bread using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free 1:1 flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
- No blackberries? Feel free to use blueberries instead for a little sweeter flavor and no seeds or raspberries for a similar texture and sweet-tart flavor.
- No lemons? Use both orange zest and orange juice in place of the lemon or a combination of the two.
- No dairy-free yogurt? You can also use sour cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh blackberries really work best. BUT, if you still want to make this bread and they're not in season, you can use frozen, but you have to do two things. 1) Let them thaw first. 2) Blot off any excess juice before coating them in the flour. This will minimize streaking.
Room temperature ingredients emulsify more easily so you get a smoother batter with less lumps. During the baking process, this emulsion traps air in the batter, which expands and results in a light and more tender result.
This happens when an oven runs too hot. Remove your loaf from the oven and carefully cover the top with tin foil (use oven mitts so you don't burn yourself) and put the loaf back in the oven for an a little longer. Check it again in 3-5 minutes. The addition of foil will help your crust from browning too quickly.
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Blackberry Lemon Bread
Ingredients
Blackberry Lemon Bread
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons for blackberries
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt if not using kosher salt, use ¼ teaspoon
- ¾ cup organic cane sugar
- ½ cup oil (avocado, olive, or liquid coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup plain, dairy-free unsweetened yogurt room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to thin if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, “cream” together the sugar and oil until combined.
- Whisk in the eggs to the creamed mixture before mixing in the yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together using a silicone spatula until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Before you add the fresh blackberries to the batter, toss them with the 2 additional teaspoons of flour to coat them before folding them into the batter. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your loaf.
- Transfer the batter to your parchment paper-lined 9×5 pan. Bake for 45–48 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 30 minutes before carefully transferring it to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. When the loaf is nearly cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle on top followed by halved blackberries.
Liz says
I just made this! Very easy and delicious! I will definitely make it again!