So at 11:00 PM what’s the best thing to do? Make cake of course! Who
knows why but I decided to start baking that late. Every now and then
that ‘gotta bake something’ urge hits and you just go with it, right?
I’m a night owl anyway, and as much I try to break the habit it seems
almost impossible, I blame Pinterest :). At least I waited until morning
to frost it, as much as I wanted to just dive into the cake at
midnight.
[post_ads]I had a bag of lemons and plenty of fresh
blueberries and I was planning on making scones, but I’m WAY more of a
cake person. Totally different things but I wanted to put my fresh fruit
to it’s best use, the scones can wait.
You need to make this cake
at least once this summer while all the fresh blueberries are in
season. It’s so bright and refreshing and it just screams summer. The
cake is soft and moist, it’s loaded with blueberries and plenty of lemon
flavor from three different sources (lemon zest, extract and juice).
The irresistibly creamy, cream cheese frosting compliments each flavor
in the cake and balances out the sweetness of the cake perfectly.
This has got to be my new favorite summer cake! I can’t wait for all
the summer get togethers so I have an excuse to make this again.
Enjoy!
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Yes these photos are both entirely different (the top vs these two
here), but thanks to the rain I never made it outside until after I cut
the cake. Thanks rain. Since I’m still rather new to food photography
it’s fun to try a few different setting anyway. Really pictures don’t
matter here though, it’s all about this delicious cake!
I tried to
do a flower design on top because I have no idea how to decorate cakes
so I just made something up. I wish it would have been more pronounced
but it’s not a very thick layer of frosting to work with.
Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: About 16 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp lemon zest
4 large eggs
2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, at room temperature, rinsed and drained well
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 oz cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 pkgs)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract*
3 cups powdered sugar
Blueberries and lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
[next]
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round baking pans and line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper. Butter parchment paper and lightly dust pan with flour, shaking out excess.
Sift cake flour into a mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk for 30 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (if you don't have the paddle attachment that constantly scrapes sides of the bowl while mixing, then stop mixer occasionally throughout entire mixing process and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl), whip together butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until mixture is pale and fluffy. In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, measure out milk then stir in sour cream and lemon juice, let rest 3 minutes.
[post_ads]Meanwhile, mix eggs into butter mixture one a time, then stir in lemon extract and vanilla extract. Toss blueberries with 3 Tbsp of the flour mixture. Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with remaining flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture (to the butter/egg mixture) alternating with 1/2 of the milk mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide mixture evenly among prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 24 - 27 minutes. Cool in baking pans about 20 - 30 minute then invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with blueberries and lemon slices if desired. Store in an airtight container.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, whip butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon extract and powdered sugar and blend several minutes longer until smooth and fluffy (if frosting seems slightly runny, you can chill it for a bit before frosting cake).
*Omit lemon extract if making this cream cheese frosting for a different recipe. This frosting is good on so many different kinds of cake!
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: About 16 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp lemon zest
4 large eggs
2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, at room temperature, rinsed and drained well
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 oz cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 pkgs)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract*
3 cups powdered sugar
Blueberries and lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
[next]
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round baking pans and line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper. Butter parchment paper and lightly dust pan with flour, shaking out excess.
Sift cake flour into a mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk for 30 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (if you don't have the paddle attachment that constantly scrapes sides of the bowl while mixing, then stop mixer occasionally throughout entire mixing process and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl), whip together butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until mixture is pale and fluffy. In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, measure out milk then stir in sour cream and lemon juice, let rest 3 minutes.
[post_ads]Meanwhile, mix eggs into butter mixture one a time, then stir in lemon extract and vanilla extract. Toss blueberries with 3 Tbsp of the flour mixture. Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with remaining flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture (to the butter/egg mixture) alternating with 1/2 of the milk mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide mixture evenly among prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 24 - 27 minutes. Cool in baking pans about 20 - 30 minute then invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with blueberries and lemon slices if desired. Store in an airtight container.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, whip butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon extract and powdered sugar and blend several minutes longer until smooth and fluffy (if frosting seems slightly runny, you can chill it for a bit before frosting cake).
*Omit lemon extract if making this cream cheese frosting for a different recipe. This frosting is good on so many different kinds of cake!
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
