Last updated on January 3rd, 2024.
This is the best lemon blackberry bread recipe, and the best way to celebrate blackberry season. It is also the ultimate lemon bread for lemon dessert fans. This delicious quick bread recipe is easy, fast, and the most delicious breakfast, brunch, and snack idea.
All the equipment you need is two bowls, a whisk, and a loaf pan, and you’ll have the most tender, moist, and flavorful blackberry lemon loaf in an hour or so.
Why This Homemade Lemon Blackberry Bread?
Firstly and most importantly, it is loaded with lemon flavors and dotted with juicy blackberries, which makes this blackberry lemon bread recipe ridiculously delicious. Secondly, it is easy and just as fast to make. Unlike pound cake, this is a lemon blackberry quick bread, and you don’t need to beat the butter with the sugar, so there is no need for a hand or a stand mixer. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in the second bow, mix the two, and bake.
I included some of my secret tips to improve this recipe. You can use the same technique when you bake other quick bread and muffin recipes like this Hazelnut Chocolate Bread and Coconut Banana Muffins.
Be sure to get a copy of my book “Baking Science” for more baking tips and all the information you need to elevate your baking.
Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements below on the recipe card.
The most important thing is ensuring all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter. Salted is also ok.
- Lemon zest
- Sour cream
- Fresh lemon juice
- Large Eggs
- Unbleached all-purpose flour. Unbleached all-purpose flour is my go-to when I bake; however, its ok if you are used to baking with bleached flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Fresh blackberries. Only use frozen blackberries if you must; thaw the berries, discard any access blackberry juice, then toss them with two tablespoons of flour.
If you have some extra blackberries left, consider these recipes: Blackberry pie, blackberry cheesecake, and, Lemon Blackberry Cake, Blackberry Chocolate cupcakes.
Streusel (optional)
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh Lemon zest
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Melted butter
- Sliced almonds (optional)
Lemon glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
Substitutions
For the blackberry bread
- Use plain greek yogurt or buttermilk instead of sour cream.
- Use orange zest and orange juice to make blackberry orange bread. Same with lime to make blackberry lime bread.
- Replace the blackberries with other types of berries such as fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or even dried cranberries.
- Fresh cherries are also a good option.
Variations and serving ideas
- Mixed berries. Use your favorite berry or a mix of all of them.
- Cranberries. Make this bread for a holiday by mixing dried cranberries and serve it with a dollop of cranberry sauce.
- Lemon bread. Skip the berries and bake a quick lemon bread.
- Top it. Top the bread with lemon curd, homemade whipped cream, or even Honey roasted cashews.
How to make this Blackberry Lemon Bread From Scratch?
This recipe is a quick bread recipe, and it calls for the two stages mixing method: mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a second bowl. Pour the wet over the dry, mix, and bake. No need to beat the butter or use an electric mixer; quick breads are rich and get their fluffiness from the chemical leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) and moistness from the relatively large amount of liquids.
- Place the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and use a fork to dub the zest into the sugar. Melt the butter and pour it over the lemon sugar, mix, then mix in the sour cream, lemon juice, and eggs. Place the bowl aside for about 10 minutes while you prepare the streusel. Allowing the wet ingredients to rest for extra 10n minutes is an extra step that will make this bread extra moist. During rest time, the sugar will dissolve from the liquid and create a strong bond with it. The bond is hard to break, and less water (moisture) will evaporate from the batter as it bakes. However, you can skip it and mix in the flour mixture immediately. (make sure to have the streusel ready)
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; use a fork to blend well and set aside. Make the streusel: rub the zest with the sugar, then mix in the rest of the ingredients,
- Add the flour mixture over the wet mixture and mix just until the flour is hydrated (a few lumps are ok). Use a rubber spatula to fold the blackberries and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle over the streusel and bake. The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs from the center of the bread. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Mix the glaze ingredients until smooth, then use a spoon to drizzle over the bread.
Expert Tips and Troubleshooting
Please read the below tips for the best results.
- Bake it as Muffins, and bake for 18-24 minutes or just until a toothpick or a cake tester comes out dry from the center of the muffins.
- Many recipes call for processing the zest and sugar in a food processor to bring out the lemon flavors. Using the spoon works just as well, and in addition, the heat from the melted butter will help release many flavors.
- For the bread/muffin to have a tall high rise at the center, allow the batter to sit for about 1 hour in the refrigerator before baking.
- If the blackberries are big, chop them into two or three pieces and toss with one tablespoon of flour before folding the fresh berries into the batter.
- When sprinkling the streusel, leave some bare spots for the steam to escape.
- Before removing the cake to a wire rack, allow it to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
Pan sizes
You can use any loaf pan you wish, including mini pans, to make mini lemon berry bread. The bread will increase its size by almost 75%, so leaving space in the pan is essential. Please ensure not to fill over 1/2, or it will overflow and collapse.
Storing
At room temperature for two days. No need to place it in an airtight container; leave it in its pan and cover it with aluminum foil.
Freeze the leftovers, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready, please remove it from the freezer and unwrap it. Allow it to reach room temperature before serving.
FAQ
Follow the recipe as is, and do not add the blackberries. For a lemony breakfast cake, check out this Ciambellone Cake.
You probably overbaked it. The longer it is in the oven, the more moisture it loses.
I don’t recommend it. If you are a tangy lemon and sweet blackberries fan, try this Blackberry Lemon cake.
The batter is thick and should be set before the blackberries sink. However, large (about 3/4-1 inch or larger) berries might sink, so cut them into 2-4 pieces.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?
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Here are some more recipes you might enjoy
Lemon Blackberry Bread
Lemon blackberry bread is an easy and fast recipe for a tender and delicious lemony bread dotted with blackberries.
Ingredients
Bread
- 3/4 Cup Granulated sugar (150 g / 5 oz)
- 1 Table spoons Fresh lemon zest from about two medium lemons
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted butter, at room temperature (113 g / 4 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Full fat sour cream, at room temperature (120 ml)
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh squeezed lemon juice at room temperature (30ml)
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 Cup Unbleached all-purpose flour (210 g / 8 oz)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 Cup Fresh blackberries (125 g / 4.25 oz)
Streusel
- 2 tablesoons granulated sugar (30 g / 1 oz)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest from 1/2 medium sized lemon
- 1/2 Cup All-purpose flour (60 g / 2 oz)
- 1/8 tsp Baking powder
- 3 Tablespoon Melted butter (40 g / 1.5 oz)
- 2 tablespoons Sliced almonds (optional) (10 g/ 0.5 oz)
Lemon Glaze
- 1 Cup Powdered sugar (125 g / 4 oz)
- 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon juice (water is also ok) (30-45ml)
Instructions
Making the lemon blackberry bread
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line with parchment paper one 9×5-inch and 4-inch wide loaf pan. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest with the sugar. You can use your fingers or a fork.
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Melt the butter and pour it over the lemon sugar, mix then mix in the sour cream and lemon juice, followed by the eggs. Set the mixture aside for about 10 minutes while you make the streusel and the rest of the ingredients.
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Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Make the streusel.
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Mix the wet mixture once more, then mix in the flour mixture. Only mix until the flour has been incorporated, few lumps are ok. Fold in the blackberries.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle over the streusel and bake on the middle oven rack for 40-45 minutes. The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out from the center of the bread with a few moist crumbs.
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Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transfering it to a wire rack.
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Once the bread is completely cool, mix all of the glaze ingredients until smooth then, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread.
Streusel
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Rub the sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder and almonds.
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Melt the butter and pour it over the dry ingredients, use a fork to blend it all together.
Recipe Notes
- Very important to make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature; otherwise, the bread will come out thought and chewy.
- Over ovens are different; the bread is ready when a toothpick or a cake tester comes out from the center of the bread with a few moist crumbs.
- Use any size of loaf pan you wish but make sure not to fill it over 1/2 full, not including the streusel. Too much batter will overflow and might collapse. If you have leftover batter, bake it as muffins.
- You can bake this recipe as muffins. Fill 12 muffin liners 2/3 full and allow the batter to rest for about 30 minutes to one hour in the refrigerator. Adjust the baking time to 18-24 minutes.
- To make lemon bread, follow the recipe, and do not add the blackberries.
- Replace the berries with other berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, dried cranberries, or cherries.
- If the blackberries are big, cut them into 2-3 and toss with one tablespoon of flour.
- The streusel and glaze are optional; make one or the other or none.
- When sprinkling the streusel, leave a few bare spots for the steam to vent.
Can this blackberry lemon bread be made gluten free? Thank you
Yes, use 1:1 gluten free flour.
This is a great recipe, not so sweet and the streusel makes it very special.
Thank you, Jenni; glad you enjoyed it.