Lemon Blueberry Cake
Lusciously moist lemon cake speckled with juicy blueberries, layered with homemade lemon curd and frosted in a tangy cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅔ cup buttermilk*
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, freshly-squeezed
- 1 ½ Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ¼ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen**
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Lemon Curd:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 ½ Tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Fresh Blueberries, for decorating
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line four 6-inch pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until combined; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until lightened and creamy. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and almond extract on medium speed.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with the 1 Tablespoon of flour. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
- Divide batter evenly among the pans. Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar together until just combined. Whisk in the lemon juice, zest, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 4-8 minutes minutes.
- Immediately strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together on medium-high speed until smooth, 2-4 minutes. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until creamy.
- Transfer about a cup of the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
Assemble the Cake:
- Place one cake layer onto a cake plate or pedestal. Spread a very thin layer of cream cheese frosting on top. Pipe a border of frosting along the top edges of the cake. Spread 1/4 of the lemon curd evenly on top, inside the frosting border. Top with another cake layer. Repeat these steps until you place the last cake layer on top. Do not frost the top or sides yet. Freeze cake until solid.
- Once solid, remove cake from freezer and frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting. This will act as the crumb coat. Return cake to freezer until frosting has hardened.
- Remove the cake from the freezer. Frost the sides and top with a final layer of frosting. Spread last quarter of lemon curd on top. Decorate with remaining frosting.
Notes
*If you don’t have buttermilk, just add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to a measuring cup, then pour in enough milk to equal 2/3 cup. Stir, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
**If using frozen blueberries, don't thaw them out. Fold them into the batter frozen.