This lemon blueberry cake is a moist layer cake filled with a whipped cream cream cheese frosting. A perfect cake for birthday parties or Mother’s Day! Here you will find an easy recipe that shows you how to make a lemon blueberry layer cake from scratch.
Lemon and blueberries are a match made in heaven. I wanted to create a soft, tender cake that was sandwiched between layers of lush whipped cream-style frosting. Thanks to the butter and oil in the ingredient line up this cake stay nice and moist. Bursting with spring flavor this cake is perfect to celebrate Mother’s Day or Easter but quite honestly delicious all year round. Due to the cream cheese whipped cream, you need to store this cake in the refrigerator but I suggest letting it sit for 10-15 minutes before indulging in it to take the chill off.
If you love lemon and blueberry check out this lemon blueberry loaf cake is a classic we make every spring.
Let’s get to the recipe
This post was sponsored by LorAnn Oils. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Confessions of a Baking Queen possible.
Ingredients
For this layer cake recipe you’ll need:
- Cake Flour. There is a lower protein content in cake flour which helps create a softer, more tender cake.
- Chemical Leavening Agents. You will need a combination of baking powder and baking soda for the cake to rise beautifully.
- Salt. All of the other ingredients’ flavor profiles are enhanced by the addition of salt.
- Granulated Sugar. The sugar helps with creating the cake’s structure and sweetness.
- Lemon Zest. We will add the zest to the dry ingredients so it has time to rub up against the sugar to help release all of the natural lemon oils.
- Butter. The butter should be softened to room temperature so it can reverse cream.
- Neutral Oil. To ensure the cake stays moist I like to use some oil in addition to the butter. I like Avocado Oil or Vegetable Oil.
- Buttermilk. Adding buttermilk helps create an incredibly soft and tender cake. Make sure you use it at room temperature.
- Sour Cream. Sour cream is like a moisture bomb to the cake, this also needs to be at room temperature.
- Fresh Lemon Juice. Make sure when you squeeze your lemon you remove all of the seeds.
- Lemon Emulsion. To make sure this cake packs an intense flavor I use my LorAnn Organic Lemon Bakery Emulsion which adds a delicious lemon flavor to your cake.
- Large Eggs. Your eggs need to be at room temperature to evenly incorporate into the rest of the batter.
- Blueberries. You can use fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries but if frozen do not thaw them before using otherwise they will bleed and make the batter too purple.
- Flour. You can use a bit of cake flour or all-purpose flour to coat the blueberries to help prevent them from sinking.
For the frosting you will need:
- Cream Cheese. The cream cheese must be completely softened to room temperature otherwise you will end up with a lumpy frosting.
- Confectioners Sugar.
- Lemon Emulsion. Using some of the LorAnn Organic Lemon Bakery Emulsion helps flavor the frosting without making it too watery which is what lemon juice would do.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Make sure your whipped cream is very cold so it whips properly.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease two 8-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans, and set them aside. Your oven must be properly preheated for your cake to bake properly.
In a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and granulated sugar.
Once fully combined for 30-60 seconds add the softened butter in chunks and mix until incorporated and the mixture becomes like wet sand.
In a bowl combine the buttermilk, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, and LorAnn Organic Lemon Bakery Emulsion then add to dry ingredients and mix for 60 seconds, you want to really incorporate everything to make sure the batter builds structure.
Add in the eggs and mix for an additional 45-60 seconds, there should be no trace of egg left. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined.
In a small bowl combine the blueberries and flour. Gently fold in 3/4 of the berries into the cake batter. Pour cake batter into prepared pans and top with remaining blueberries scattered on top, gently press into cake batter ever so slightly.
Quickly and gently place the pans in the oven and do not open the oven door until the 25-minute mark. Do this very quickly and don’t close the door too abruptly. Your cakes should be done baking in the 33-38 minutes mark for 8-inch cakes. If you press a toothpick into the center it should come out with no wet batter, or you can gently press the top center of the cake and it should bounce bake immediately, the sides of the cake will be coming away from the edges of the pan. Set on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before inverting onto the wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment whisk the cream cheese, lemon emulsion, and powdered sugar for 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the bowl once or twice to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
While the mixer is still on medium-high speed very slowly pour/stream in the heavy cream. Whip for another couple of minutes after the cream has been added until you get a thick whipped cream texture do not over-mix. You want stiff peaks though so let it get nice and fluffy.
Using a serrated knife saw off the dome of the cake to create a flatter, even surface. Then slice the cake in half. Place the bottom layer on the serving plate and place two large ice cream scoops of frosting on the cake then use a small angled spatula to spread an even layer of frosting onto the first cake layer then top with the second cake layer upside down to create a flatter top surface.
Make sure to get down and look at the cake at eye level to see if it is level or not, and adjust as necessary. Repeat with the second layer of cake by slicing it in half and frosting it.
Add a thin layer of frosting around the whole cake to create a crumb coat, then place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes to set it. Frost with remaining frosting and add blueberry on the cake and lemon zest.
Gently remove the parchment paper piece. Store the cake in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although best tasting the first two days.
Make sure to check out LorAnn Oils for all of their delicious baking emulsions.
How To Freeze
Slice the cake into individual servings or freeze it whole. Place on a freezer-safe platter and cover in plastic wrap tightly, twice, this helps prevent freezer burn. When ready to eat let the cake thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Lemon Recipes
Check out these lemon curd cookies, we love these for bridal showers and baby showers!
For an easy and quick recipe check out my lemon olive oil cake recipe.
Cheesecake is always a good idea especially if you swirl in some lemon curd, you’re gonna love these lemon cheesecake bars.
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
For Cake:
300 grams (2 1/2 cups) cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
350 grams (1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 oz (1/2 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
4 oz (1/2 cup) neutral oil, I like avocado oil or vegetable oil
4 oz (1/2 cup) buttermilk, at room temperature
4 oz (1/2 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
2 oz (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon LorAnn Organic Lemon Bakery Emulsion
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not thaw)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
For Lemon Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
16 oz cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
100 grams (1/2 cup) confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons LorAnn Organic Lemon Bakery Emulsion
16 oz (2 cups) heavy whipping cream
Directions
For Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease two 8-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans, and set them aside. Your oven must be properly preheated for your cake to bake properly.
- Using an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and granulated sugar. Mix for 30-60 seconds or until fully combined. Then add the softened butter in chunks and mix until incorporated and the mixture becomes like wet sand.
- In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, and lemon emulsion then add to dry ingredients and mix for 60 seconds. You want to really incorporate everything to make sure the batter builds structure. Add in the eggs and mix for an additional 45-60 seconds, there should be no trace of egg left. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined. In a small bowl, combine the blueberries and flour. Gently mix in 3/4 of the berries into the cake batter. Pour cake batter into prepared pans and top with remaining blueberries scattered on top, gently pressing them into cake batter ever so slightly.
- Quickly and gently place the pans in the oven and do not open the oven door until the 25-minute mark. Do this very quickly and don’t close the door too abruptly. Your cakes should be done baking in the 33-38 minutes mark for 8-inch cakes. If you press a toothpick into the center it should come out with no wet batter, or you can gently press the top center of the cake and it should bounce bake immediately, the sides of the cake will be coming away from the edges of the pan. Set on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before inverting onto the wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
For Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese, lemon emulsion, and powdered sugar for 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the bowl once or twice to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
- While the mixer is still on medium-high speed, very slowly pour/stream in the heavy cream. Once the cream has been added, whip for another couple of minutes until you get a thick whipped cream texture. Do not over-mix. You want stiff peaks though so let it get nice and fluffy.
- Using a serrated knife saw off the dome of the cake to create a flatter, even surface. Then slice the cake in half. Place the bottom layer on the serving plate and place two large ice cream scoops of frosting on the cake then use a small angled spatula to spread an even layer of frosting onto the first cake layer then top with the second cake layer upside down to create a flatter top surface. Make sure to get down and look at the cake at eye level to see if it is level or not, and adjust as necessary. Repeat with the second layer of cake by slicing it in half and frosting it. Add a thin layer of frosting around the whole cake to create a crumb coat, then place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes to set it. Frost with remaining frosting and add blueberries to the cake and lemon zest.
- Store the cake in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although best tasting the first two days. For best results, let the cake come to room temperature for 10-15 minutes before enjoying a slice.
