Super Moist Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
There Are No Accidents
This super-moist and soft lemon blueberry layered cake is bursting with summer tangy flavors. It’s for serious lemon lovers because it has lemon all over it! I layered it with my super smooth and creamiest cream cheese frosting, which has more cream cheese than butter and has lemon juice as well. Seriously, this is the best lemon blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting that you can possibly make!
I think my excitement for this cake is because the delicious taste and tender texture were a bit of an accident. But I’ve learned that there are no accidents, as the famous metaphorical proverb that I came to learn through Kung-Fu Panda! How many times Mariana and us watched this movie!
The issue with these cakes is that the blueberries sank almost to the bottom, which is technically a no-go in the baking world. I say almost because I spooned some batter sans blueberries at the bottom of the cake pan as a base, which prevented the blueberries actually touching the bottom of the pan. But even if I did all the tricks written in the world for preventing blueberries, or other fixings for that matter such as nuts or chocolate chips, traveling non-stop to the bottom, it happened because the batter was a bit light for them.
I know all the technical things I can do in order to prevent that from happening again. But the reality is that, I don’t want to do so! Here’s the thing; first, the texture of the cake itself is just perfectly soft, tender and light, and playing around with ratios, like adding more flour or reducing the liquids, will mess that up. Trust me, if you taste this cake you will understand why I don’t want to change anything. Second, the blueberries kind of clustered on the bottom area, creating a jammy texture instead of just a blueberry surrounded by cake, and that jammy texture is also contributing in making this lemon blueberry cake a super-moist and soft one. So I decided to go with my gut and published the recipe with my “accident”, because my gut was extremely happy after eating this cake, Seriously, I can’t stop eating it!
The only thing you need to be aware of is to handle the cakes very gently after baked, because they’ll be super tender and will have kind of a shaky bottom because of the blueberries. But no worries! I promise they won’t break if handled with tender loving care. As always, I’ll walk you through my process making this super delicious lemon blueberry cake.
Today this list is a bit longer than usual, but you know me guys, I like for you to have a clear idea of what to expect at each step of the process. After you get everything ready to go you’ll see it’s pretty easy and straightforward. I made this cake from start to finish in 3 hours non-stop. But this cake is so moist it’s perfect for making ahead. Pat the syrup over the cakes, wrap the cakes a bit tight in cling wrap and let them in the fridge overnight. Make the frosting and assemble the next day.
How to make a layered lemon blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting:
Get your oven preheated to 350°.
I like to start by taking out my butter out of the fridge. This recipe calls for softened butter but not room temperature. Softened butter is the stage where it’s already spreadable but it is still a bit chill to the touch and doesn’t feel oily. If it warms up too fast (not oily though) and you aren’t ready for it, just pop it in the fridge a couple of minutes until you finish preparing everything else.
This cake is bursting with lemon flavor because I added lemon juice and lemon zest through different stages. Start by zesting one large lemon or two mediums and set the zest aside.
Squeeze out ¼ cup of lemon juice and mix it with the whole milk. They should rest for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime mix the blueberries with a few drops of lemon juice and then with two tablespoons of flour. Having the blueberries a bit wet will help the flour stick to their skin and prevent them from falling all the way to the bottom. Well, at least not completely in this recipe, hehe! If using frozen blueberries do this step right before adding the blueberries to the batter.
Sift with a large sieve the flour, baking soda and salt over a large bowl. Get the other ingredients ready and prepare your cake pans.
Start making your cake batter according to the recipe. You don’t want to incorporate too much air here, so it’s super important to keep beating times according to recipe.
When batter is ready, spoon some on each pan to cover the whole cake pan bottom area. You want to spread a layer of about ½” of thickness.
Fold the blueberries into the batter, including the flour in which they are dusted. Distribute batter evenly through your cake pans. Make sure as much as you can that there are no blueberries touching the sides of the pan. Shake the pans a bit so the top is even.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Now, this is the moment of truth! The cakes will never bump a dome at the top, they will remain pretty flat. But they will look super moist and they will be fully baked on the very last minutes. My suggestion is to bake the cakes at least 30 minutes before start checking on them.
As soon as they are done, let them rest in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. They’ll be so delicate at that point that if you try to remove them they can crumble.
Be very careful and gentle when removing the cakes from the pans. After removing from the pan to a plate, I used a large thin spatula to help myself transfer the cake to a cooling rack.
Even out the tops with a serrated knife if necessary. I did this to also remove that skin on top so the cakes absorb the soaking syrup better. I also used cooking scissors to make the corners even.
Use a pastry brush to pour the lemon syrup evenly over the cakes.
I recommend you (again, carefully) to wrap each cake on cling wrap and let them chill on the fridge while you clean up and make the frosting. Or let them in the fridge overnight at this point and frost them the next day.
Make frosting according to recipe and frost each cake, arranging one on top of the other and smoothing frosting through the sides as well. You can decorate right away but I let the frosted cake set several minutes in the fridge before decorating it. I used crushed pistachios and fresh blueberries, of course!
This cake is so moist it will stay super soft in the fridge for several days!
Phew!! That was intense! As the lemon and blueberry flavor in this cake! But when you finally get to taste this you will see why it is the best lemon blueberry cake in the world!
I would love to see your version of this fabulous cake. Tag me when you share your pics on Insta or Facebook so I can see and share them!
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Super Moist Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cake
◯ Lemon zest - from 1 large lemon
◯ Whole milk – ¾ cup
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice – ¼ cup TBSP
◯ Blueberries - 1 ⅓ cup
◯ All-purpose unbleached flour – 2 TBSP + 2 cups
◯ Baking soda – 1 Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ Tsp
◯ Unsalted butter, softened - 9 TBSP
◯ Raw sugar (see notes) – 1 ¾ cup
◯ Vanilla extract - ½ Tsp
◯ Eggs - 2
◯ Regular sour cream - ¼ cup
Lemon Soaking Syrup
◯ Lemon juice - ½ cup
◯ Natural granulated sugar – ⅓ cup
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
◯ Unsalted butter, softened – 7 TBSP
◯ Cream cheese, softened – 10 oz (1 ¼ box)
◯ Lemon juice - 2 to 3 TBSP
◯ Pinch of salt
◯ Powdered sugar – 2 cups, sifted
Details
Yield:
three 6” or two 9” cakes
Total Time:
3 hours
Active time:
15 minutes to make the batter, 10 minutes to prep the cakes after baked, 20 minutes to make the frosting and frost the cakes, in intervals
Equipment:
6” or 9” cake pans, stand mixer or electric hand mixer, large sieve for sifting, pastry brush
Steps
To make the lemon blueberry cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray with baking spray three 6” or two 9” cake pans.
Zest one large lemon and set aside.
Mix ¾ cup of milk and the ¼ cup of lemon juice and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Mix the blueberries with a few drops of lemon juice and the two tablespoons of flour until their skin is coated. (If using frozen, so this at the very moment you are going to add the blueberries to the batter.)
In a medium bowl sift together the 2 cups of flour, the teaspoon of baking soda and the ½ teaspoon of salt.
Place the 9 tablespoons of softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl to be used with a hand held electric mixer with the beaters on. Beat in medium speed (between #2 and #4 in the Kitchen Aid) for exactly 2 minutes, until light and pale. Decrease speed to medium-low (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) and add the 1 ¾ cup of sugar and lemon zest. Beat for one minute. Add vanilla and the two eggs, one at a time and waiting until one is incorporated to add the next one. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl and scrape the bottom as well. Mix until everything seems well incorporated, about 20 seconds.
Decrease mixer to the lowest speed and add about ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk-lemon mixture. Repeat with about the same amount of flour and follow with the remaining milk. Add remaining flour. Stop mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl if necessary and mix a few seconds more.
Spoon some batter on the bottom of each greased pan until it covers about ½” from the bottom up. Add blueberries to the remaining batter and scrape proportionally on each cake pan. Make sure as much as you can that there are no blueberries touching the sides. Shake each cake pan gently to even out the surface. Align pans side by side in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean after inserted through the center of the cakes. Remember that the tops will not grow and they will look a bit moist.
Wait about ten minutes before removing cakes from pan. Cut the tops out to make the surface even and pour the lemon syrup (recipe follows). Let them cool completely before frosting (recipe below).
To make the lemon syrup:
In a small sauce pan combine the ½ cup of lemon juice and the ⅓ cup of sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer until sugar dissolves, about two minutes. Using a pastry brush pat the syrup evenly through the surface of all cakes until you have used all the syrup. Ideally, wrap each cake in cling paper and place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or even overnight before frosting (see how to’s for some tips on storing the cakes).
To make the cream cheese frosting:
Place the 7 tablespoons of butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large glass or metal bowl if using a handheld electric mixer with the beaters attached. Beat for 1 minute in medium low speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) to make it smooth and lighter. If using a stand mixer, change the paddle for the whisk attachment. Add the 10 ounces of cream cheese and whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the whisk wires and the walls and bottom of the bowl if necessary to make sure everything is mixing well. Add the first tablespoon of lemon juice to help the mixture mix up better. Add the pinch of salt as well.
Decrease mixer to the lowest speed and gradually add the 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar. Add the second tablespoon of lemon juice if you feel your frosting is too stiff (take in consideration that it will get softer while mixing). Increase speed one notch and mix for 2 to 4 minutes, until frosting is super creamy, smooth and all the flavors taste well integrated.
Assembling the cake:
Place a cake in the middle of your plate or cake stand. Spread some frosting, about 4 to 5 tablespoons to make a not too thick nor too thin layer. Repeat with the other cakes, arranging them one in top of the other. Arrange the top two cakes upside down for more stability. Spread a bit of frosting on the sides, filling any large gaps between cakes and using an offset spatula to smooth out the sides for a semi-naked cake look. Add some extra frosting at the top for a thicker layer and spread it out, smoothing again on the sides any excess of frosting that slides down through the sides. Add more frosting on the sides and smooth out for a fully covered cake.
You can decorate with chopped pistachios and fresh blueberries at this point but I recommend to chill it for 20 to 30 minutes before decorating so the frosting is a bit set. You can serve at this point or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Let it out the fridge for 10 minutes before cutting. Cake will be good for about a week in the fridge but remove the fresh blueberries after a few days.
