Vanilla Poppyseed Cake with Blueberry, Rosemary, Violet & Chocolate

Moist vanilla poppyseed sponge brushed with a vanilla bean cake soak, filled with blueberry rosemary compote, and coated in a violet chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. The Capricorn cake.

Happy 2025!! To ring in the new year, behold: the Capricorn installment of my astrology cake series. As for all my astrology cakes, I look at the traditional correspondences for each sign in terms of colors, fruits, flavors, etc, and develop the cake from there, adding my own personal interpretations. For Capricorn, I drew on the correspondences of green, brown, and poppy, resulting in the cake we have here.

This is a moist vanilla poppyseed olive oil sponge, using my usual Vanilla Bean Olive Oil Cake recipe. The cake is then brushed with a vanilla bean cake soak and filled with a blueberry rosemary compote. The rosemary adds a subtle, earthy, woodsy note that I find pairs well with berry fruits and the violet extract used in the buttercream. I opted to leave the blueberries whole as opposed to blending and straining them as I’ve done with other cakes. The blueberries cook down well and I find the minimal texture of cooked blueberries to be very pleasant to eat. With that said, If you would prefer a smoother bite, feel free to blend the finished compote and strain through a fine mesh sieve.

The buttercream is really the star of this cake, in my opinion. I opted to use a Swiss meringue buttercream as I wanted an impossibly smooth and silky result. For the chocolate, I used melted dark chocolate chips, as cocoa powder would thicken the texture of the buttercream and potentially clump, derailing my plan for a velvety result. This buttercream is a bit looser than my regular Swiss meringue buttercream, which was fine for my decorating purposes. But, if you want a firmer texture, place your bowl of finished buttercream in the refrigerator for 10 -15 minutes and re-whip to solidify. If you are unable to use melted chocolate and only have cocoa powder on hand, be sure to bloom it first in a little oil before adding it to the buttercream. I’ve never used cocoa powder in a Swiss meringue buttercream before as everything I’ve read suggests against this, but I’m sure in a pinch, it could work.

Violet extract is the newest addition to my extract collection that I specially purchased for my Nosferatu Cake. The extract is floral and powdery, with a slight woodiness that compliments the rosemary well. You can leave the violet extract out, of course, the buttercream is delicious just as chocolate, but I really do beseech you to get your hands on some if possible!

I chose to keep the decor of this cake very simple and romantic. I swirled the buttercream to create a silky-looking texture, almost like a draped fabric, and adorned the cake with fresh white roses. As always, decorate in whatever way speaks to you. Happy baking and Happy New Year!