Lemon blueberry cake
This cake is a stunner, both in flavor and looks! Easy-to-make lemon layers are filled and frosted with a blueberry cream cheese frosting.
Servings 8 slices
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk at room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cup blueberries fresh, divided
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- 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.
- Beat 1 cup unsalted butter in a large bowl while adding 2 cups sugar gradually until creamy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well each time to combine.
- Sift 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt (I do it directly over the butter mix) and add them in 3 parts to the butter mixture, alternating with ¾ cup milk, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in 2 parts.
- Mix well but don’t overbeat.
- 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.
- Let cool 20 minutes on a wire rack and carefully remove from the pan.
- 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:
- In the bowl of a food processor, with the metal blade, mix ½ cup cream cheese and ¼ cup unsalted butter until smooth.
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar and process.
- Add ⅓ cup blueberries, ½ teaspoon lemon zest and ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract and process until smooth.
- Add the rest of the powdered 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:
- If the cake is domed (has a slight curve), cut the part that stands out so you have a flatter surface. Cut the cake in half if you baked only one layer.
- Place the bottom layer on a cake stand (see notes below) and frost with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.
- Add the rest of the fresh blueberries on top of the frosting, pressing gently so they adhere slightly.
- Top with the remaining layer and press gently to level.
- Frost sides and top of the cake, using more on the top and leaving the sides with less frosting, sort of a naked cake.
- Decorate with blueberries, fresh edible flowers, elderberries, or whatever you like. A sprinkling of lemon zest works too.
- Eat at room temperature.
- 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 temperature 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 temperature 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. It will not return to its original state. It will dry out slightly and have a tighter crumb. Don't freeze it twice if you already froze the layers before assembling the cake.
Variations: you can change the flavor using different citrus and berries: orange or tangerine zest and blackberries; lime zest and strawberries; orange and blueberries; lemon and raspberries.
