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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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Kitchen Essentials – SRFD’s favorite 8-inch cake pan
We love our Wilton Performance aluminum cake pans for this recipe. This cake pan is usually found in stores like WalMart and Michael’s as well as Amazon. This pan has a generous 3-inch depth for higher cakes and high quality aluminum construction for even-heating and durability. Click on the photo for more information!
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Lemon-Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ 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 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 24 ounces powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
To prepare the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) cake pans. Set aside.
- 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.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, blend the sour cream, milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
- 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!
- 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:
- 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:
- 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:
- 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.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Garnish with additional blueberries, or edible flowers if desired.
Recipe Notes
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 Breakfast Cake – perfect for breakfast, brunch or a light dessert. This luscious cake is a deliciously moist, lightly sweet “coffee” cake bursting with juicy ripe blueberries and a hint of lemon.
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.
2sisters Recipes says
Gorgeous cake Tricia!! Can’t wait to try this one! Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
Xo
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Anna! We did have a nice quiet Easter – after coming home from a week at the beach. Funny how I always need a vacation after the vacation!
Chris Scheuer says
This is so… beautiful Tricia – and it looks so tender and delicious! I can’t stop staring at it!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you so much Chris! You are the sweetest. I truly appreciate it!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Gorgeous cake. And when I say gorgeous, I mean G O R G E O U S!!!! And my kind of cake too — anything with lemon? Yes, please. And blueberries are wonderful, and combine most excellently with lemon. Super recipe — thanks.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you John! We love this combo too. This cake serves a lot but won’t last long 🙂
handmade by amalia says
This is the most beautiful cake I’ve seen this Easter. Almost too beautiful to eat, though it looks very delicious indeed. I just love the way you style your bakes, Tricia.
Amalia
xo
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Amalia! You made my day 🙂 Hope you had a lovely Easter with family.
Pam says
There’s only one thing that’s better than blueberries and that’s blueberries and lemon. Woo hoo! You are quite the baker, Tricia and this is a great presentation. Love the pansies!
Tricia Buice says
We adore this combo Pam – thanks so much. The pansies make for a simple and easy way to decorate 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
If that isn’t the perfect cake for spring, I don’t know what is…it is lovely.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Karen!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Oh my goodness! Such a beautiful cake and those blueberries inside are perfection 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Jennifer. This is a fun cake to make – and super easy to decorate 🙂
sue | the view from great island says
Yummy and so drop dead gorgeous! I love the two flavors together, it just screams spring!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Sue!
Susan says
What a lovely presentation! Your family is so lucky to have their own in-house bakery, Tricia!
Tricia Buice says
Haha – thanks Susan 🙂
Larry says
Wow that looks delicious and the pansies are a nice touch.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Larry – it’s a keeper!
angiesrecipes says
The cake looks stunning! I love the edible flower as the garnish…so elegant and delicious!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Angie – I love how easy it is to decorate a cake with fresh flowers. So much color and it only takes 5 minutes!