Jordan Rondel’s sweet and herby blackberry thyme crumble cake

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Use whatever berries you have on hand with this fresh, summery cake, writes Jordan Rondel.

Blackberries are one of my favourite berries to bake with because they bring just enough sharpness to balance a rich cake, but you could use any berry you like in this recipe. I love the use of coconut sugar for its subtle caramel note, and paired with a light whiff of fresh thyme, a not-too-sweet honey cream cheese icing, and a crunchy crumble topping, this cake is genuinely exciting to eat.

Blackberry Sour Cream Thyme Crumble Cake

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake time: 45 minutes

Ready in time: 2 hours

For the cake:

• 115g butter, room temperature

• 120g coconut sugar

• 100g caster sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

• 2 free range eggs

• 100g plain white all-purpose flour

• 80g ground almonds

• ½ tsp salt

• 1½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 300g sour cream

• 150g fresh or frozen blackberries

For the crumble:

• 60g plain white all-purpose flour

• 30g coconut sugar

• 30g sliced almonds

• 30g quick rolled oats

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 60g butter, room temperature

For the icing:

• 400g cream cheese1 tsp vanilla extract 4 tbsp good quality honey

• 2 tbsp Fresh As freeze-dried blackberry powder, or as desired

For the decorations:

• handful of Fresh As freeze-dried blackberries

• a few fresh thyme leaves

• a few fresh, food-safe flowers, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C on fan bake. Line a baking tray and 2 x 22cm cake tins with baking paper.

2. First, make the crumble. In a bowl, mix everything together except the butter until a rough sandy texture is reached. Spread out evenly onto the baking tray, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden. Set aside to cool.

3. Next, make the cake. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugars, vanilla and chopped thyme until pale, light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs one by one, mixing well before adding in the next.

5. In a separate bowl combine the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder, soda and cinnamon.

6. By hand, gently fold half of the dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture. Once mostly combined, fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Finally fold through the sour cream, being very careful not to overmix.

7. Evenly divide the batter between the 2 cake tins and spread out to the sides. Evenly dot in the blackberries, pressing down lightly.

8. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The cakes are ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

9. Allow the cakes to cool for around 10 minutes in the tins before turning out onto a cooling rack.

10. Meanwhile, make the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat all the ingredients together until completely smooth.

11. When the cakes are fully cooled, spread some icing onto one layer. Place the other cake layer on top and neatly ice the top. Scatter over a generous layer of the cooled crumble, followed by some freeze-dried blackberries, thyme leaves and fresh flowers if using.

12. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.