Cream Cheese Cake
Well I recently made a Blueberry Cobble Cake (in fact we made two) and I made a little bit too much blueberry compote. That big bowl of sweet, pie-like filling has been staring at me every time I open the damn fridge, and all I can think is about how those organic blueberries were expensive! So I was committed to making sure my homemade compote did not go to waste. So blueberry cake round 2 came in the form of this Cream Cheese Cake - comprised of airy + light cream cheese cake layers, held together by a sweet + tangy cream cheese frosting, and layered with crunchy hazelnuts and a homemade blueberry compote. The real take-away is that you can totally have fun with the fruity filling, and this cream cheese cake + cream cheese frosting pairing is perfect enough to hang with a lot of different cake fillings.
An amped up funfetti
This cream cheese cake is such a good option for a yummy birthday cake or any recipe that needs a simple white cake. It’s light + versatile, and easy to pair with so many different fruits or jams. I’ve made a lot of cakes, but never added a block of cream cheese to the batter, and it was quite tasty. It did not make the cake heavy or too rich - it was airy + light but has a fun enough flavor to bring something a little exciting to a simple cake.
This cake really would be perfect for a birthday cake. The frosting is easy to work with to both frost the cake and do some piping on top, and the simple color makes it the perfect base for sprinkles, which is exactly what I reach for to add a pop of color. Went the patriotic route to stay on theme for a pre-Memorial weekend cake, but the funfetti vibe was still there.
Sweet on Sweet
The cake is sweet and simple, and it needs a fruit component. So this blueberry compote is perfect. It’s sweet on sweet in a perfect kind of way that’s just lovely for a sweet dessert, but you can totally use any fruit! A curd, fresh strawberries or raspberries, or even a stone fruit would be so good, too.
I felt like the cake needed a crunch, so I dug through the miscellaneous items on hand and hello hazelnuts. Honestly, I found the open bad and through to myself - hmm, that’s different! And it was a fun nutty flavor and necessary crunchy component. Just toasted em’ up and sprinkled the pieces on top of the blueberries - easy peasy.
Best ever cream cheese frosting
Cream cheese frosting just felt right with a cream cheese cake. And it was! And THIS cream cheese frosting is having a moment here at my house - it’s so good + easy + it’s the kind of frosting where you don’t want even one morsel to go to waste. So stinking tasty, and the tangyness of the cream cheese frosting is a nice way bright component to the cake.
Just a simple + fun cake that I’ll be reaching for next time a sprinkle cake is what’s appropriate.
For the cake
3 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temp
1 c. canola oil
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
3 eggs room temp
1 c. buttermilk
For the blueberry filling
2 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1/2 a lemon)
hazelnuts (about a 1/2 cup)
For the cream cheese buttercream
1 1/2 c. unsallted butter (3 sticks), room temp
4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
6 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
fresh blueberries (save for assembling the cake)
Preheat the oven to 325. Oil + flour 3-6 inch cake pans, and line each with parchment. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, oil and sugar. Add in the vanilla and mix in on medium speed. Add in the eggs one a time, and continue mixing on medium speed until totally incorporated. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk - half of each at time - and when totally added in mix on medium-high for another 3-4 minutes. Separate the batter amongst the 3 pans and bake for 40-45 minutes.
White the cake bakes, make the blueberry compote. Combine all of the ingredients for the compote in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the blueberries to burst + the compote to thicken - cook for about 7-10 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a day.
When the cakes have baked completely, remove from the oven (keep the oven on) and let them cool in the cake pans at room temp for 20-30 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pan, letting them continue to cool at room temp for another 45-60 minutes. Level the cakes, so cut them so they do not have a domed top. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to firm up.
Lay the hazlenuts or the cake on a baking sheet and let them toast for 3-4 minutes. Remove, let cool on the hot pan for 10 minutes, then roughly chop.
To make the frosting, which you should only do when you’re getting close to baking, add the butter + cream cheese to the stand mixer, mixing at medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar (slowly to avoid making a huge mess), and once all is incorporated add in the cream, vanilla, + salt. Increase the speed to medium high, and mix for 5 minutes. It should be light + fluffy. Add some to a piping bag, leaving the rest in the bowl for cake assembly.
Now assemble the cake.
Place a smear of buttercream on the cake tray and place the bottom cake layer right on top. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake, and pipe a thick ring of the buttercream. Spread a layer of the blueberry compote on top + sprinkle hazelnuts on top.
Place the second layer right on top of the compote, and repeat the steps in step above.
Place the final cake layer on top, and dirty ice the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place an acrylic disk on top of the cake + continue with thoroughly icing the sides of the cake, leaving a bit of the buttercream to use to finish icing the top of the cake. When you’ve iced the sides of the cake, place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
Remove the acrylic disk gently, spread a smooth layer of buttercream right over the top. Use extra frosting to do some decorative piping on top and finish with some colorful sprinkles - a nice bit pressed into the sides of the cake and a light sprinkle on top. Dive in + enjoy.