Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake

A single slice of blueberry lemon cake with visible blueberries and creamy frosting on a white plate, garnished with blueberries and lemon zest

5 from 18 votes

Imagine moist lemon cake bursting with blueberries that's coated in a tangy, blueberry-hinted cream cheese frosting! This Blueberry Lemon Cake recipe is the BEST!

Prep Time1

Cook Time35

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 708kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk room temperature
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest from 1 large lemon
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice from zest lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 1/2 cup blueberries frozen or fresh, rinsed, dried and tossed in 1 tbsp all purpose flour

For the Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
pinch of salt
2 lbs confectioner's sugar You can start at 1 1/2 lbs and add more until it stiffens what you prefer
1/4 cup blueberry jam
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice from zest lemon

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 325°F, then liberally spray 2 (8-inch or 9-inch) round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, then set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, whole milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Set this mixture aside, as well.
In your mixer bowl, use the paddle attachment to stir together the oil, butter and sugar on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to high and beat the mixture for 4-5 minutes.
Once the mixture is white and slightly fluffy, decrease the speed to low and begin adding the eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each addition and scrape down the sides as needed.
After all of the eggs have been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is thick and pale yellow in appearance.
With the mixer on the lowest speed, add flour mix and the sour cream mix to batter in stages. Begin with 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Scrape down the bowl after the wet ingredients have been incorporated.
Continue this mixing in process: 1/3 of the dry, followed by remaining wet ingredients, and lastly the remaining dry ingredients.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and mix, on low speed just until the last of the dry mixture is combined.
Finally, using a large spatula, gently fold the flour-coated blueberries into the cake batter.
Divide the batter evenly between your prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with minimal crumbs attached.
The sides of the cake will pull away from the pan, but the center will be springy and bounce back when pressed lightly.
Remove pans from the oven and allow them to rest in pans for 5 minutes. Invert cakes from pans onto cooling racks, then allow them to cool completely.

For the Frosting

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the room temperature unsalted Butter, cream cheese, and salt together on medium-low speed until smooth.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted confectioner’s sugar to the bowl a cup at a time.
Once all sugar has been added, scrape down the bowl and paddle. Whip the butter-sugar mixture on high for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Stop the mixer and add the blueberry jam, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the bowl. Whip the frosting on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer after 1 minute to scrape down the bowl and paddle. This ensures your frosting is well-blended.
Once finished, your blueberry frosting will be a pale lilac color and light and fluffy in texture.
You can store the frosting at room temperature until you’re ready to frost the cake, or covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To Assemble

Level the cakes by trimming off domed tops (if any). Slice each cake horizontally into two layers making a total of four layers of cake.
Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of frosting between layers, then frost the entire cake with remaining frosting.
To create an ombre look, spread a 1/2- to 1-inch border of blueberry jam towards the bottom of the frosted cake and smooth the sides of the frosting to create a faded look.
Garnish the frosted cake with fresh blueberries and lemon zest and enjoy.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Video

Notes

Be patient with that batter, boos. Don’t go throwing everything in the mixer at once, take your time. And when it’s time to add the blueberries, fold them in by hand. If you toss them into the mixer, they’ll pop and turn your batter into a soupy mess.

When it’s time to bake, space the pans out so they’re not too close to the sides of the oven. Stick to the top and middle racks and rotate them once or twice while they bake so they cook up nice and even.

Let the cake layers cool completely at room temp, then wrap them up in plastic wrap and freeze for a couple hours. Chilled cake means fewer crumbs, which makes frosting WAY easier.

Level those layers with a serrated knife (or the dental floss trick) so they stack up even. Also, start with a thin crumb coat, chill it for 15 minutes, then go in with the final layer of frosting.

Nutrition