Blueberry + Lemon Layer Cake
Best investment ever - baby cake pans. Little 6-inchers that produce more appropriately sized cakes for our 2 person household. & the major plus, which my husband pointed out, is that miniature sized cakes mean less time we’re holding onto the inventory (or the quicker we eat it), which effectively means more cakes. & let me tell you - we are NOT cake wasters. Every cake that comes outta this house gets eaten slice for slice, even if that means putting half of it in the freezer & defrosting when appropriate. But it’s also an unwritten rule that not new cakes are made until the last one is eaten (which is slightly embarrassing), & we get anxious for new cakes. So you get a glimpse as to where our priorities lie.
Anyhow, I LOVE a lemon cake. Specifically a lemon cake with a tangy cream cheese frosting - just my sweet tooth’s dream. It’s probably my most favorite type of cake to load up with fresh lemon (juice & zest) & also a great vessel to tie in even more fruits. Berries being the numero uno choice. A lemon + berry cake just equals the perfect fruit pairing in a cake, and produces a dessert that feels summer inspired. Always bright & moist, light, tangy, & fruity sweet - literally my FAVORITE sweet thing to eat. This Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake has EVERYTHING - a sweet & super citrusy sponge, juicy berries baked right in, & (my favorite) cream cheese frosting encasing the whole thing. It’s like the light & citrusy desert you want to eat at a picnic table in your own backyard as your end of the day treat, & doing so with a glass of champagne to wash it all down. Also - if you’re not in on the cake + champagne pairing, you don’t know what you’re missing.
It’s a pretty simple cake because there are only two components: cake + frosting. The blueberries are literally baked right into the lemon batter. They’re definitely a fruity pop, but they also double as this jammy component that replaces the need for an actual filling. As with almost any berry thats baked, it pops and gets real juicy as it cooks. The blueberries in this recipe do kind of sink to the bottom of the cake. You do gently fold them into the batter so they’re evenly dispersed, but they do seem to cook in this almost perfect line. I mean you definitely get a few sprinkled through the sponge, but you’re left with this berry concentrated layer that naturally occurs, and it’s nothing to be mad at. When we cut into the cake it almost looked like this purposeful blueberry layer. I’m sure I’d get docked major points on the Great British Baking show for my “sinking fruit” in this bake, but it does a job here, and that imparting this effect of a blueberry layer, and it' was great.
This is an easy recipe. Not super time consuming, and honestly it was a good vessel to just practice some neat & tidy frosting application (no fillings mean no layer to muddle up your actual icing). My 3 things to remember when doing this bake (again) are:
Go heavy on the fruit additions. I’m in the camp of you can’t really have too much lemon in a lemon cake. I find myself adding more lemon zest or juice to almost any recipe I follow. & here you can’t have too many blueberries, either. I mean turning a measurement into a heaping portion (ie. a heaping cup or a heaping tablespoon) isn’t a bad move. It’s a GREAT move to end up with a cake that’s really flavorful.
Go heavy with the cream cheese frosting, & don’t stop at the crumb coat. I usually only do a crumb coat on a cake just because I like the way it looks. But when it’s cream cheese frosting - Amp. It. Up. First, when you’re putting the frosting on top of the base layer, don’t be shy. A generous, quarter inch thick layer is so satisfying. Be sure to spread this frosting layer slightly beyond the edge of the cake. It’s helpful in making sure you have no gaps between the 2 cake layers, and any overhang just goes away when you crump coat. It actually even helps the crumb coating process. Then apply a 2nd frosting layer (after the crumb coat) to encompass the whole cake. It is a NEED to do step here. The more cream frosting the better - always.
Use parchment. This is something you should never ever skip for any cake, but with a cake like this where you’re cooking with fresh fruits that can become quite juicy & sticky when baked, a parchment layer at the bottom of each cake pan to further eliminate chance of sticking to the pan is beyond essential. & let me tell you - nothing like a cake sticking to the pan and coming out in chunks to crush spirits on a baking day.
A few freshies - thinly sliced lemon & a handful of blueberries - are all that’s needed for a final touch. You can use just blueberries, or go the extra mile to candy the fruit. I like the simplicity of some fresh lemon slices & pop of color from the berries, so I stayed within my box here. Just a little something on top to take out the mystery of what’s inside, &, in my opinion, a more raw + organic cake topping always looks so yummy.
Overall a really simple bake that delivered on everything I could want out of a homemade lemon cake. Citrusy, sweet, moist, light, and very fruity. Just all my favorites, and it lead to us consuming this little number in very large pieces. & enjoying every darn bite.
For the cake
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. almond milk
I large lemon, zested + juiced
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. blueberries
For the cream cheese frosting
1 stick of butter, softened
1 lb. cream, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
2-3 tsp lemon juice
Grease & flour 2 6-inch baking pans. Line both pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large bowl (or an electric mixer) cream together the oil & sugars, mixing aggressively for 2 minutes to get it light & fluffy. Stir in the eggs. Once incorporated, stir in the sour cream & vanilla. Stir in the lemon juice & lemon zest. Add in the baking powder + baking soda, & half of the flour. Stir until you have a smooth batter. Add in the milk, remaining flour, and salt, stirring until fully combined. Gently fold in the blueberries (you want them to remain whole) so they’re dispersed evenly in the batter.
Pour the batter into the two cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cakes should have a golden brown tint, and pass the toothpick test. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 30 minutes. Run a knife along the edges, and remove the cake from the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours (or in the fridge to speed up the process).
Move to making the frosting. Add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of an electronic stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium//medium high for 2-3 minutes. With the mixer off, add in the powdered sugar and turn the heat to low. Gradually increase the heat to medium high, and then add in the lemon juice a teaspoon at a time until your frosting is the desired consistency (firm but spreadable).
Place one cake on a cake tray, top with a scoop of frosting (about 3/4 c), and spread in an even layer, with the frosting being spread slightly past the edge of the cake. Proceed to crumb coating the entire cake. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Remove and use the remainder of the frosting to ice the cake. Top with a handful of blueberries & a few lemon slices, and ta-da, the lemon blueberry is complete.