Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

With spring knocking on the door, this Blueberry Lemon Cake is the perfect treat to celebrate with! I made this easy layer cake for my kid’s birthday, but it would also make a great dessert for Easter or any holiday during warmer months.

A luscious lemon sour cream cake is studded with fresh blueberries and layered with rich cream cheese frosting for a balance of amazing flavors in this homemade cake. It really doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to a sweet treat!

Fresh Fruit Cake Recipe

Cake with cream cheese frosting is such a decadent dessert that it pairs wonderfully with fresh fruit. The bright acidity of fresh fruit compliments the rich cake for a delicious bite of goodness.

From this impressive Fresh Strawberry Ombre Cake to a simple Berry Angle Food Cake made with a box mix and fresh fruit, the combination can’t be beat.

• Fresh Strawberry Ombre Cake
• Berry Angle Food Cake

Easy Layer Cake

The reason I made this as a layer cake is not only because I wanted it to be an impressive birthday cake, but also because the blueberries tend to sink to the bottom of the cake.

If I were to make this in a 9×13 pan, it would still taste great, but you’d end up with all the blueberries sunken to the bottom as opposed to studded throughout this nice layer cake.

Ultimately it only comes down to looks. The layer cake adds an extra 10 minutes to making the cake, but it has a much nicer presentation.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

This blueberry lemon layer cake calls for fresh blueberries but frozen blueberries are a perfectly good substitution.

You just need to be sure to toss the berries with the flour before adding them to the lemon cake mixture. This helps prevent them from bleeding throughout the cake and turning the entire cake purple.

How to make a blueberry lemon layer cake

While layer cakes seem daunting to most novice bakers, they really are a simple way to make an impressive dessert. There are just a few additional tools you will need.

3 (9 inch) round cake pans

rotating cake stand and spatulas – The rotating cake stand isn’t an absolute must, but it does make frosting the cake much easier.

parchment baking sheets – Not a must have, but it makes removing the cakes from the pan foolproof

Sour Cream Lemon Cake

The base of this cake is a luscious sour cream vanilla cake with added lemon zest for a bright pop of flavor. Prepare the cake batter by beating the butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add the egg, extracts, lemon zest, milk and sour cream and blend until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat slowly until well combined and only a few lumps remain. In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with flour and add them to the cake batter. Gently fold them into the batter until just combined.

I prefer to use cake flour for cake recipes as it results in a lighter crumb. It is worth grabbing that extra flour for your pantry. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour.

How to prevent cake from sticking in round pans

Prepare three 9″ round cake pans by coating them in butter. Scoop 1/4 c. flour into one of the pans and shake around the pan so all of the butter is coated in flour. Dump the excess flour into the next buttered pan and repeat until all pans are buttered and floured.

Alternatively, you can just spray your pans with non-stick spray and add a round parchment layer to the bottom of the pan. This will ensure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan anywhere and make it easy to remove the baked blueberry cake from the pan.

Add about 2 cups of cake batter to each prepared cake pan. Bake the cakes in the center racks of the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool to room temperature.

To remove the cooled cakes from the pans, swipe a butterknife around the outside edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Use the tabs on the parchment to carefully remove the cakes. If you didn’t use parchment, place your hand over the top of the cake and gently invert it onto a parchment lined counter.

Assembling blueberry cake

If your cake layers are mounded in the center at all, use a large bread knife to careful cut the top off the center so they are flat. When I used a 9 inch round cake pan, they were nice and flat on top from the small amount of batter.

Spread a thin layer of plain frosting in the very center of your cake stand. Top with one layer of cake.

Spread a thick layer of frosting on the top of the first layer of cake by adding a big dollop to the top of the center of the cake and using your offset spatula to push the frosting out towards the edges.

Top with the another layer of cake. Continue the process until you have layered your three tiers of cake with frosting.

Decorating layer cakes

If you opt to decorate the cake in a clean crisp layer of frosting on the outside of the cake, I highly recommend this very affordable set of a rotating cake stand and spatulas. Having the right tools really does make all the difference.

Coat the outside of the layered cake with a thin layer of frosting for a crumb coat. Allow this to rest until the frosting has hardened a bit on the outside. A crumb coat helps keep all the crumbs from being spread into the final layer of frosting.

After the crumb coat has hardened, add the remaining frosting to the outside of the cake, spreading evenly over the sides and top.

Tips for decorating cake with cream cheese frosting

Unless you are a pro, unlike myself, you likely won’t have a perfectly smooth finished layer. That is perfectly acceptable! IF you are like me and it drives you a little nuts though, use a dry cotton cloth or paper towel with no texture and pat the dried frosting smooth. It really does help smooth out small imperfections.

If you don’t want the headache of trying to smooth frosting evenly over the cake, go for the rosette method! This is a full proof method that just about anyone can use to accomplish a beautifully finished cake.

Garnish your cake with slices of lemon and fresh blueberries for an easy finishing touch. Candied Lemons would be an extra special touch that are also delicious!

Blueberry Dessert Recipes

If you love the flavor of fresh blueberries in your dessert as much as I do, be sure to check out some more great desserts with blueberries!

Blueberry Lemon Custard Bars – This recipe is incredibly easy with a Betty Crocker sugar cookie crust, simple custard and lots of juicy blueberries!

Mini Blueberry Pies – If you love blueberry pie and want a beautiful way to serve it to guests, check out these adorable little pies.

Lemon Berry Crisp – Enjoy a great mix of fresh berries in this easy crisp recipe topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

• Blueberry Lemon Custard Bars
• Mini Blueberry Pies
• Lemon Berry Crisp

Notes

You will achieve a lighter cake crumb with cake flour

Serving: 1 g | Calories: 655 kcal | Carbohydrates: 89 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 31 g | Saturated Fat: 19 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 106 mg | Sodium: 466 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 56 g