With plenty of fresh, wild blackberries and lemon zest, this blackberry bread bakes up incredibly moist, tender and delicious! Such a wonderful blackberry recipe that you’ll want to make every season!
Sharing a berry bread with you today (blackberry bread, to be exact)!
I’ve been enjoying all the wild berries lately from strawberry gooseberry jam to gooseberry cake to blueberry bread pudding. Can’t stop, won’t stop!
These (slightly tart) gems were hand-picked by my mom and me. It’s so awesome that they grow wild here in Newfoundland.
What a fun time we both had filling our buckets with berries.
Though I must admit, blackberries are a tad fussier than blueberries.
Blackberries often grow on or around prickly branches (thorns) and if you aren’t careful, they’ll sting ya.
I guess because of that, it makes the reward of enjoying the blackberries that much more satisfying.
And berry-stained hands after picking the berries? Oh yeah, so worth it!
Aside from enjoying the berries as they are, this blackberry lemon loaf is another delicious use for them. And, guess, what? The prep time is about 10 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for the loaf to bake!
How To Make Blackberry Bread
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Start by whisking together the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the cooled, melted butter, white and brown sugar, yogurt, milk, vanilla and eggs.
- Pour the sugar mixture into the flour mixture, stirring or whisking to combine.
- In a third bowl, dust your blackberries with a little flour, stirring to coat. Add those flour-dusted blackberries to your batter. Gently mix the berries in, being careful not to break too many. If you break some, no biggie!
- Scoop the batter into a prepared loaf pan.
- Bake, then allow the bread to cool slightly before removing from the pan and fully cooling on a cooling rack. You can then top your blackberry bread with a simple icing sugar glaze or enjoy as is!
Can I Freeze This Loaf?
Yes! Like most baked goods, I like to enjoy this loaf freshly made, but you can freeze.
If freezing, it’s better to freeze an unglazed loaf (as the glaze doesn’t look as pretty after freezing and thawing). However, you can still freeze the loaf if it’s glazed. No biggie, just something to keep in mind.
Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic food wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil (or just two layers of plastic food wrap). Place into a freezer-safe container. Don’t forget to label with the recipe name and date it was made. You can freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, remove the loaf from the container (but still leave wrapped) and let thaw at room temperature.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Keep in mind that blackberries will have more seeds than, say, blueberries so you will notice them in your loaf. But, if you are a blackberry fan, you probably already know this.
- The icing sugar glaze on this loaf is totally optional! If you are glazing, though, allow your blackberry loaf to completely cool before glazing or the glaze will soak into your cake.
- Not glazing this blackberry bread? Enjoy as is or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.
- As an alternative, sub out some of your blackberries for chocolate chips and ditch the lemon. Such a great combo too!
More Yummy Berry Recipes
If you make this blackberry recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Blackberry Bread With Lemon
Ingredients
Blackberry Loaf
- Baking spray, or butter (to grease pan)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons to dust blackberries
- 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest, plus more to taste for optional garnish
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk (dairy, oat or almond)
- 1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups blackberries, cleaned and stems removed
Icing Sugar Glaze
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, approximately
Instructions
Blackberry Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray or grease with butter, then line with some parchment paper (the parchment paper should cover the bottom and two longest sides of the loaf pan, with some parchment paper slightly overhanging the longest sides — this makes for easy removal of the blackberry bread after it's baked). Then spray the parchment paper with baking spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Note: When measuring flour, I like to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, (leveling off the top with a butter knife) rather than dunk the cup into the container of flour (that way, you won't over measure your flour and use more than you need).
- Next, melt butter in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat (or in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave) and allow to cool slightly. To a medium bowl, add melted and cooled butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, Greek yogurt, milk, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk everything together until well combined.
- Pour butter/sugar mixture into reserved flour mixture, whisking or stirring until well combined and there are no streaks of dry flour remaining.
- In another bowl, dust blackberries with a tablespoon or two of flour (this helps prevent them from sinking in the batter), stirring to coat the blackberries with the flour.
- Gently fold the blackberries into the batter with a spatula, being careful not to break too many.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan. Smooth surface with a spoon and tap the pan down on a hard surface 10 to 15 times or so to settle things.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.
- Let the blackberry bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then remove the blackberry bread from the pan and allow it to fully cool on a cooling rack before glazing (if doing so).
Icing Sugar Glaze (optional)
- Whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.Note: If you want a thicker glaze, use less lemon juice. If you want a thinner glaze, use more lemon juice. If you happen to make your glaze too thin, add more icing sugar to thicken. Also, you can easily make more glaze if you want more over top of the bread.
Glaze the Blackberry Bread
- Once the blackberry bread is cool, drizzle over glaze (if using) and a sprinkle more lemon zest (if desired). Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Keep in mind that blackberries will have more seeds than, say, blueberries so you will notice them in your loaf. But, if you are a blackberry fan, you probably already know this.
- The icing sugar glaze on this loaf is totally optional! If you are glazing, though, allow your blackberry loaf to completely cool before glazing or the glaze will soak into your cake.
- Not glazing this blackberry bread? Enjoy as is or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Ruth Ella Leaming
This is soooo good! My 11 yo grandson did most of the prep and baking. We are making a second for him to take back home. I had to sub the yogurt with lite sour cream. Thank you for a great recipe.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Wow, thank you very much, Ruth!! So happy you both enjoyed the recipe!!
Marissa
This loaf has the perfect texture, Dawn! Going on my ‘must make’ list!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Hope you love it, Marissa!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Blackberries and lemon were meant to be. This loaf looks sooo soft and luscious, I wish I had a big slice right now!! Happy weekend!! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks Katherine! XO
Hasin
Dawn,
Definitely a 5 star if there were more,then I would give them just for bringing the twist into making a blackberry bread. I have some growing in my backyard and your recipe is shouting out loud. Happy and hearty! Thanks.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
That’s awesome, Haisin! Thanks so much!!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
A perfect use for those blackberries and so lovely with lemon. I love loaves, so will be trying this soon 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Enjoy!
[email protected]
I love blackberries! And you have found the perfect way to use them! So sweet and tender – this bread looks amazing!! Happy weekend, my friend!! XOXO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Annie! XOXO
David @ Spiced
You had me at blackberries! I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I grew up picking wild blackberries at my grandmother’s house – such awesome memories. She’d usually bake ’em into a cobbler. I don’t think I’ve ever made blackberry bread, though – that clearly needs to change! Now I just need to find a wild blackberry patch around here – I feel like that’s a requirement for yummy blackberry bread! 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks David! Blackberries are pretty delicious, aren’t they?
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I was wondering what you were going to make with all those wild blackberries! This bread looks amazing. Love the glaze you’ve added! We’ve got plenty of blackberries, so I’ll be making this bread this weekend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kathy! Enjoy!