Lemon-Blueberry Cake

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Celebrate the season with this delicious Lemon-Blueberry Cake!

I have a thing for lemon blueberry recipes and desserts. This combination of flavors inspires me to create all sorts of lusciousness! From our favorite Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping, and these easy Blueberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream, to our all-time summer favorite – Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake, we just can’t get enough.

Decorate this Lemon-Blueberry Cake with your favorite seasonal edible flowers or fresh blueberries for a nice pop of color.

These beautiful pansies called to me with their lovely hues of yellow and blue, just like this lemon cake with a blueberry filling. While the flowers wilt within a day of being picked, they’re stunning for the initial presentation. If you’re serving this cake to your mum on Mother’s Day, or at a wedding or baby shower, simple edible flowers are the way to go for easy decorating. Make the cake the day before and keep it refrigerated overnight. Just before serving, pick the flowers, arrange in a simple pattern and serve.

This moist lemon cake is sturdy enough to hold up under the weight of all three layers, but is still tender and light!

For the prettiest slices, refrigerate this cake overnight so it’s well chilled before serving. Wipe the knife clean between slices with paper towels or a damp cloth to remove steaks of blueberry jam. Any leftover cake will keep for at about a week when stored in an airtight container. The jam will color the frosting a little over time, but nothing drastic or off-putting. This is a delicious cake that keeps well, tastes fantastic and will make your lucky recipients very happy!

The blueberry filling is very easy to make with just Wild Blueberry Jam and fresh blueberries.

This filling starts with our favorite Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam and 2-cups of fresh blueberries. Stonewall Kitchen’s jam has just the right amount of sugar so the filling is not overly sweet, and plenty of blueberry flavor. Super sweet jam or jelly may be a little cloying when combined with the luscious frosting. The jam is gently warmed and stirred then mixed with fresh blueberries. The mixture is microwaved at 50% power just until the blueberries are softened but not ruptured or burst. This method ensures the filling is not overly juicy or mushy and the blueberries stay intact. I do not recommend using frozen blueberries for this recipe. The filling will end up wet and bleed into the cake and frosting creating a big soggy mess.

Our recipe for Lemon-Blueberry Cake was created with three layers in mind.

If you don’t have three 8-inch cake pans, feel free to use two 9-inch pans instead. However if you make just two layers, I recommend using half the amount of filling. Or, feel free to top the cake with the remaining half for more blueberry flavor. I have not made this recipe using 9-inch pans, so watch your baking time carefully.

If desired, tint the frosting with a little blueberry jam liquid to achieve the subtle ombre affect.

To create the graduated color, first spread the frosting between the layers, across the top, and around the sides of the top layer. Add 1-tablespoon of the jam liquid to the remaining frosting and blend well. Next, spread the tinted frosting around the sides of the middle cake layer. Finally, add the remaining tablespoon of jam liquid to the last of the frosting. Spread the darkest frosting around the bottom layer of the cake. I don’t recommend using too much jam as it will make the frosting loose. Feel free to use food color if you prefer.

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5 from 3 votes

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Lemon-Blueberry Cake

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Course: Dessert

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained of seeds and pulp
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

For the filling:

• 1 cup wild blueberry jam, plus 2 heaping tablespoons
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

For the frosting:

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 24 ounces powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

Instructions

To prepare the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) cake pans. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until the yolk disappears.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In another small bowl, blend the sour cream, milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
5. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture to the sugar mixture and blend on low until incorporated. Next add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low until blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining sour cream and blend, then all the remaining flour. Blend on low just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula. Add the lemon juice and zest. Using the spatula, gently fold the lemon juice and zest into the batter. Do not beat!
6. Divide the batter equally between the three prepared 8-inch cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans after 15 minutes. Do not over bake!!! Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out and cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare the filling:

1. Gently warm the blueberry jam in a small bowl in the microwave at 50% power for 20 seconds; stir and repeat until slightly melted. Set aside 2 heaping tablespoons of the warm jam liquid to color the frosting. Fold 2 cups of fresh blueberries into the remaining warm jam. Microwave the blueberry mixture at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until the blueberries are slightly soft but not ruptured, about 2 minutes total. Set aside to cool while preparing the frosting.

To prepare the frosting:

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until blended. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, powdered sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy.

To assemble the cake:

1. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread 1/4 of the frosting on top of the cake leaving the icing higher all the way around the outside edge of the circle. This will help hold in the blueberry filling. Spoon half the cooled blueberry filling onto the frosted cake layer. Repeat with another layer of cake, 1/3 of the remaining frosting and then the remaining blueberry filling. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the top of the cake and then around the top layer. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved blueberry jam liquid to the remaining frosting. Frost around the middle layer of the cake. Add the final tablespoon of jam to the last of the frosting, then spread around the bottom layer of the cake to achieve a light ombre affect.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Garnish with additional blueberries, or edible flowers if desired.

Recipe Notes

I DO NOT recommend using frozen blueberries in the filling.

Here are a few more of our favorite Lemon-Blueberry recipes you might like to try:

Blueberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream – a light and flavorful company-worthy dessert that’s easily made ahead and assembled just before serving. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins with a Lemon Crumble Topping ~ Plump, ripe blueberries and tart, fresh lemon juice are the stars in these wonderfully moist, sour cream muffins. Not overly sweet, these muffins are terrific with or without the bright lemon glaze. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake ~ Ripe, juicy blueberries pop in this classic pound cake drizzled with a simple lemony glaze. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake – tender pound cake layered between fluffy lemon curd mascarpone cream and a fresh blueberry sauce for a wonderful frozen dessert you’ll be thrilled to serve your guests. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Finally, if you love the idea of using edible flowers in your recipes check out this wonderful article for 25+ Ways to Put Edible Flowers on the Table from Sue at The View from Great Island. From popsicles, appetizers, desserts and cocktails, you’ll find plenty of floral inspiration for all your spring and summer recipes.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Tricia