ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries + 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp whipping cream
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Combine blueberries and flour in a bowl, and carefully mix them with your hand until all the blueberries are coated with flour. This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake pans.
- In a large bowl with a hand-held mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and mix on medium speed until completely incorporated and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, juice, and extract, and mix well.
- Add the eggs and mix until combined.
- Add half of the flour and half of the milk, mix until completely incorporated. Repeat with the second half of the milk and flour.
- Mix in the baking powder and fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine blueberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch. Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to smash the blueberries. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and resembles the texture of jelly. Remove from heat, press blueberry mixture through a mesh sieve, and discard the solids. Transfer blueberry jelly (I had about 1/4 cup) to a heat-resistant bowl, cover, and store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add cream and the (1/4 cup) blueberry jelly. Mix until completely incorporated. Add half of the powdered sugar, mix well, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat with the second half of the powdered sugar.
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate or stand, spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top and transfer the rest of the frosting to a piping bag. Pipe away & enjoy!
Adapted from Strawberry Lemon Cake.
Recipe from bethcakes. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without permission. If you would like to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Just kidding.
🙂
I have to tell you about where I got the inspiration for this cake! Back in April, I made this Strawberry Lemon Cake, which was adapted from a Southern Living recipe. Originally I linked back to SL for the lemon cake and used my own, best-ever, strawberry frosting.
After I made my Strawberry Lemon Cake recently for a client of my dad’s, I started thinking about other fruity frostings I could pair with it. Back at the beginning of July (JULY IS ALMOST OVER, FYI), I saw this beautiful Fresh Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting from White on Rice Couple. (BEYOND excited to be attending their photography workshop at Food Blog Forum in August !!!)
I wanted to make my own version of that, and make it thicker so I could pipe big, purple swirls of it on the cake. So I left out the cream cheese and used my own method of creating a jelly of sorts to flavor the frosting. It’s basically buttercream with homemade blueberry jam. Except jam and jelly aren’t really the right words. I’m not sure what the right word is, honestly.
The key to making frosting that is packed with flavor and NOT four cups of powdered sugar is to use this jelly/stuff. I’ve done it a couple of times with awesome results. I did it with these Champagne + Pomegranate Cupcakes (with both the champagne and the pomegranate juice), and with the best-ever Strawberry Frosting. The jam/goop texture is basically boiled down fruit juice, which keeps all the flavor and loses the liquid. That way it doesn’t thin out your frosting.
And it makes this blueberry frosting a bold shade of purple without any food coloring! It’s a win for everyone. 🙂
Haha this is so cute Beth!! Also I am SO jealous you are going to their photography workshop! That will be so much fun 🙂 This cake is beyond gorgeous – I love the flavors and love how you frosted it!
Thanks, Chelsea! I’m soo looking forward to the workshop. Can’t wait! 🙂
Purple frosting.
No, I could go home right now 🙂
I have tried the fruit in frosting, too, and it was always to watery/juicy. Thank you SO much for this recipe and tips! Pinned! Your ruffle icing is gorgeous, like, WOW professional.
Haha, thanks so much Mary Frances! I hope you try this frosting trick. It’s a game changer, for sure!
Beth, I totally LOL’d–such a cute intro 🙂 And this cake looks like what my every dream is made of! I am such a blueberry fiend and love how gorgeous your frosting looks. What a show stopper!
Thanks, Amy! Just trying to switch things up. 🙂
such a beautiful cake!!
Thank you, Bianca! 🙂
This looks ridiculously moist, Beth!! This is my favorite combination…lemon and blueberry! I really like the purple frosting instead of just white, gives it a little something extra 😉 The side cake design is amazing! Thanks for sharing, need this in my life!!
Thanks, Kelly! I have been loving everything lemon this summer. Trying to pair new things with it. 🙂
Yet another “this tasted as good at it looks” cake!
Thank ya! 😀
This is an absolutely beautiful cake, is it wrong that I want a slice for breakfast? Love it!
Absolutely not! It has blueberries in it, so I feel like that makes it acceptable for breakfast. 🙂 Thanks, Matt!
This is the most amazing thing I have seen in a long time. That FROSTING is beautiful! And I love how you decorated the sides, it makes this cake all the more perfect!
Thanks so much, Meriem! I really appreciate that. 🙂
hahaha yup I agree – you could have left it at purple frosting. It’s gorgeous!!! I will most definitely take a big slice 🙂
Haha, I really almost ended it there. 🙂 Thanks, Ashley!
Don’t mind if I do have a slice! I love this summery cake, and the gorgeous purple frosting! I use the same trick of reducing fruit purees when baking, it’s genius for getting a strong flavor without adding too much liquid. 🙂
Thanks, Elizabeth! It definitely is a genius trick. I can’t remember where I first learned about it, but I’m glad I did! 🙂
What a gorgeous cake! It sounds absolutely amazing. And that frosting, wow! Love the color.
Thanks, Gayle! The frosting is definitely my favorite part. 🙂
I love blueberries and lemon together, it’s such a great pairing. Beautiful cake, Beth!
It is such a great pairing!! Thanks, Katy. 🙂
This is so pretty! I love how the blueberries tint the frosting, and I’ll keep your tips in mind when I add fruit/fruit juice to frostin next time! That’s so awesome that you’re going to a photography workshop! I’d love to go some day!
Thanks, Jules! The blueberries are totally the star in this cake. Photography workshops are so fun! 🙂
Not fair – you make this when I am out of town and not able to eat any of it. 🙁 You must make something with purple frosting for me. 🙂
Haha, I’ll make you some purple frosting when you get back. 🙂
Your frosting on the side of that cake is literally perfect. So beautiful! Love all the blueberry/lemon love I’m seeing around the blogosphere this summer 🙂
It’s totally my new favorite flavor combo, that’s for sure! Thanks, Medha! 🙂
What an insanely beautiful cake!! I love blueberry and lemon together.
Thank you so much, Shannon!
That was the best beginning to a post ever. I thought it was the entire post! Hahah awesome. And so cool that you are going to that food photography workshop!
Amazing looking cake! Pinned 🙂
Good, I’m glad that intro worked! Haha. I am so. pumped. for that workshop! It’s going to be awesome. 🙂 Thanks for pinning, Chris!
This cake is just gorgeous!
Thanks, Julianne! 🙂
Beth – I’ve been seeing this cake all over social media today and it’s GORGEOUS. I loooove your frosting job, it looks stunning, and the flavors sound so on-point for summer. Wish I had a slice! Pinned 😀
Thank you so much, Rachel! The frosting is my favorite part. 🙂 Thanks for pinning!
This cake is simply gorgeous. I have never seen the sides frosted like that before.
OMGGG that purple frosting is gorgeous!! Such a great cake. YUM!
This cake is absolutely stunning Beth! Haha I would have been totally fine if you left it at purple frosting because I literally could not stop staring at this for the loongest time. Love blueberry and lemon together, it’s definitely one of my favorite combos together and the ruffle icing is perfect! Pinned 🙂
it looks so yummy!
Love those purple ruffles! And that flavor combination sounds delicious, too!
Thanks, Suzanne! 🙂
One of my all time favorite flavor combinations!! I love all your adaptations and can’t wait to make this. Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL photography. You do not need any lessons! Those blueberries are just gorgeous. Loving everything Beth!
Thank you so much, Amanda! I got the inspiration for the ruffly frosting from some of your cakes. 🙂
Hi Beth, this cake looks delicious. I’ll try it one of these days. I don’t do much baking in the summertime as I live in Texas. I would call your jelly/jam mixture a reduction. But whatever you want to call it, it still looks divine.
Ah, yes! Reduction is a good word for it. I live in Alabama, so I totally know what you mean about baking in the summer! It’s just too hot for it sometimes. Thanks, Teresa!
This is ridiculously beautiful…
You could have left it at “purple frosting” and I would have been perfectly happy! Seriously this is a beautiful and tasty looking cake! Blueberries and lemons are made for each other and I love the ruffles you made with the yummy frosting! Pinned!
What a stunning cake! I can’t wait to make it, what tip did you use for the side ruffle? Just found your blog, excited to look around!
Thanks so much, Kelly! I used a 1M star tip for the ruffles. Just start at the bottom and pipe upwards in an almost zig-zag pattern to form a line straight up the cake, then repeat all the way around. 🙂
Wow!! This is a totally beautiful cake, with my favorite flavor pairing and perfect for the summer months. I’m dying to try out the frosting; it looks so pretty (:
Wow!!! I’m in Love with this Cake
I made this and accidentally split the buttercream, so I made some whipped cream and used it as frosting, it was a hit! Delicious cake!
I am trying to find the recipe but all I am not seeing it. Is it posted on this page???
We tried the frosting for my daughter’s birthday cake and it looked great but came out too buttery. Is it supposed to be 1 stick of butter instead of 1 cup?
Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Beth. I had never baked a cake before but after my daughter asked for a lemon cake with purple frosting for her birthday, I googled and found your recipe. I followed your instructions to the letter and the cake turned out beautifully. Everyone commented on how delicious it was and we all loved the gorgeous colour of the frosting. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi can I use frozen blueberries?