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Lemon Blueberry Cake

Prep Time:

30 Minutes

Cook Time:

45 Minutes

Serves:

10 Servings

Level:

Advanced

About the Recipe

A lovely cake to impress for a dinner party or small gathering on the weekend.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 210g, plus 1 tbsp to coat berries

  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar 333g

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170g, room temperature

  • 3 egg whites room temperature

  • 1/2 cup whole milk 120ml, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml, room temperature

  • â…“ cup lemon juice 60g, fresh

  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL

  • 1 1/3 cup blueberries 180g, fresh

For the Reduction:

  • 1 tbsp water 15mL

  • 1 1/2 cup blueberries 203g, fresh

  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh

For the Lemon Buttercream:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter 339g, room temperature

  • 6 cups confectioners' sugar 720g

  • 3 tbsp lemon juice 45g

  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt



Preparation

For the Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use damp cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well.

  • Sift the dry ingredients including the sugar together in a large bowl.

  • Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.

  • In a small bowl, add blueberries and lemon zest. Coat with about 1-2 tbsp flour.

  • Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in blueberry/lemon zest at the very end and mix until just combined.

  • Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.

  • Bake at for about 30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.

For the Reduction:

  • Put ½ cup of blueberries in the freezer.

  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 1 cup blueberries, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Mash and stir for a minute then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half then strain into a small bowl to chill.

For the Lemon Buttercream:

  • Cream the butter in a stand mixer then sift In the confectioners' sugar in a few batches, Scrape the bowl down and mix once more until lighter in color and homogenous.

  • Add lemon juice a tbsp at a time until a desired consistency and taste is reached.

  • Transfer about 1/2-3/4 cup to a small bowl and mix in blueberry reduction a tablespoon at a time and mix or until you reach a desired flavor.

  • Transfer blueberry buttercream and around the same amount of lemon vanilla buttercream to piping bags. Snip off the tips of both. Add both bags to one piping bag and snip off the tip.

  • Transfer the rest of the lemon buttercream to a piping bag.

For the Assembly:

  • Pipe blueberry/vanilla buttercream between each layer. Add a thick ting of lemon buttercream to the edge

  • Pipe the plain lemon around the sides and smooth for a naked crumb coat. Scrape the sides and smooth cake for a naked look.

  • Using an large closed star (846 tip), pipe a circle of dollops about 1 inch from the edge of the cake.

  • Add frozen blueberries to the inside of the circle.



Notes: If you're decorating this as a naked cake you'll have some extra buttercream which could be used for cupcakes or frozen for later. I have a hint for avoiding berries at the bottom of your pans. Toss the blueberries in a just a dash of lemon juice to moisten the skin a bit then sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of flour. This will prevent them from sinking during the bake. The harder part is making sure the blueberries are separated and not in a big clump when you pour the batter into the pans. Just use a spoon so move them around if you notice a big pile here or there. If you're wondering how I got such a nice light edge to the layers it's from using cake strips! They're wet fabric strips you wrap around the edge of the pan. Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.

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