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White cake stand with a cut lemon blueberry cake. Gray background.

Lemon blueberry cake

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4.8 from 8 reviews

Lemon Blueberry Cake is a total stunner, both in flavor and looks! Easy to make lemon layers are filled and frosted with the most decadent Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting.

  • Total Time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients

Units

For the cake:

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose or cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (divided)
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • Drops of vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF /180ºC.
  2. Butter or spray a 9-inch cake pan with removable bottom (or 2 if making separate layers). Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper if you want. Or dust the whole pan with fine breadcrumbs or flour, shaking off excess.
  3. In a large bowl beat butter while adding sugar gradually until creamy, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add zest and eggs, one at a time, beating well each time to combine.
  5. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt (I do it directly over the butter mix) and add it in 3 parts to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla in 2 parts.
  6. Mix well but don’t overbeat.
  7. Pour mixture into prepared pan(s), and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. It will be less if using 2 pans.
  8. Let cool 20 minutes on a wire rack and carefully unmold.
  9. Peel the paper (if using) and let cool completely before frosting. It is best to wrap and refrigerate it for 1 day before frosting.

For the frosting:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, with the metal blade, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  2. Add a cup of powdered sugar and process.
  3. Add 1/3 cup of the blueberries, the lemon zest, and vanilla, and process until smooth.
  4. Keep adding the sugar in half cups until you have a thick frosting. You might use more or less of the sugar in the recipe depending on how thick you want it and how much juice the blueberries release.

To assemble the cake:

  1. If the cake is domed (has a slight curve), cut the part that stands out so you have a flatter surface.
  2. Cut the cake in half.
  3. Put the bottom layer on a cake stand (see notes below) and frost with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.
  4. Add the rest of the fresh blueberries on top of the frosting, pressing gently so they adhere slightly.
  5. Top with the remaining layer and press gently to level.
  6. Frost sides and top of the cake, using more on the top and leaving the sides with less frosting, sort of a naked cake.
  7. Decorate with blueberries, fresh edible flowers, elderberries, or whatever you like. A sprinkling of lemon zest works too.
  8. Eat at room temperature.
  9. Refrigerate leftovers, well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. 

Notes

Baking the cake: my recommendation is to bake the cake layers 1 or 2 days in advance and keep them wrapped in plastic in the fridge. You can make them up to a month in advance and freeze them too, well wrapped and labeled.

Frosting: it can be made up to a week in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Processing the ingredients together achieves the best consistency. Take the cake out from the fridge just when you are ready to frost it. A cold cake is easier to manage. You can make a naked cake (sort of what I made here), or completely frost the sides. The amount of frosting is enough.

Filling: make sure the cream cheese frosting is soft enough to spread easily. Otherwise, it will cling to the cake crumbs and make a mess. It should be cool but not cold and spread easily, like room t° butter. Fill it and pop the whole cake in the fridge to firm it up again before frosting it.

Storing: if the frosting is firm enough (that is, you added enough powdered sugar) the cake holds well at room t° for 2 days. Cover it with a cake dome if possible or lightly wrap it in plastic. This ensures it stays moist.

Freezing: this cake can be frozen, well wrapped. Defrost it in the fridge first. Take into account that it will not come back to the exact state it was before being frozen. It will dry out slightly and have a tighter crumb. And don't freeze it twice if you already froze the layers before assembling the cake.

Variations: you can change the flavor by using different citrus and berries: orange or tangerine zest and blackberries; lime zest and strawberries; orange and blueberries; lemon and raspberries.

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooling time: 120 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8
  • Calories: 865
  • Sugar: 96.2 g
  • Sodium: 179.4 mg
  • Fat: 34.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 131.7 g
  • Fiber: 1.6 g
  • Protein: 9.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 179.6 mg

Find it online: https://vintagekitchennotes.com/lemon-blueberry-cake/