Happy Wednesday! I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day with all of your lovies. I woke up yesterday morning, with a sudden and unrelenting need for sunshine–in any form. For what I think was the first time, rather than craving a particular food (or ingredient), I was craving a colour: yellow! I knew I had to make and bake something full of sunshine–absolutely bursting with sunshine, from the inside out: this time it was all about flavour.
Naturally, a lemon confection immediately came to mind, so I figured it was time to bake a Lemon-Blueberry Layer Cake. I love anything lemony, and of course bringing blueberries into the mix makes this recipe even more appealing. For this version, I incorporated a layer of buttery vanilla cake in between two layers of the blueberry-lemon cake, filled it with homemade lemon curd, and topped it all with the lemoniest frosting I could come up with. Now, that’s the triple-lemony burst of sunshine I needed!
So here it is! A little bit crazy in there–like a literal burst of blueberries and lemon inside, sandwiching a layer of classic vanilla cake. What I love about it is the random and almost messy appearance, once sliced. As much as I love perfect layers, it wouldn’t be much of a “burst” if it was neat and tidy inside! There’s a lot going on in there, but to me it all comes together so nicely. The lemon in the blueberry cake is simple and subtle with the addition of a bit of lemon zest, lemon extract, and lemon juice, which pairs well with the fresh blueberries. The lemon curd is perfectly tart, and combined with the whipped lemony (and sugary) frosting, it’s zesty and sweet. The truth is, I’m in complete lemon love (and possibly lust) with this cake!
If you haven’t made lemon curd before, I highly recommend it. It takes a bit of effort, but overall it’s quite simple to make and so rewarding. You can make a bigger batch, freeze it, and simply pull it out when you need a punch of lemony filling. There’s truly nothing zingier, and who doesn’t need zingy in their lives from time to time?
While we’re on the topic of sweet sunshine-y goodness, here are my little blueberry bursts playing while the cake layers were baking. Their favourite activity, these days, is goofing around on the bed, being just as silly as can be. Neve thinks it’s hilarious that she can stand up on her own on the bed and then land face first into the pillows, and of course, big sister Reese has to follow suit, followed by endless girly-giggles from the gut. Love those.
We had a great day yesterday, while we baked the cakes. I managed to get some things organized for spring, and even though it was -13 degrees Celsius here on Lake Ontario, it seemed as though spring was in the air…
Even if it was just in our hearts (and bellies)…I suppose this cake really is a burst of much-needed sunshine. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and that you’re also feeling a bit of spring in your world!
This recipe is for 3 x 8″ round layers. I happen to have an extra vanilla layer baked that day, so I included that, but 3 layers of the Blueberry-Lemon cake would be divine as well. What happened to the third blueberry-lemon layer that I baked? I’ll never tell.
Here are the recipes:
Lemon-Blueberry Layer Cake (click here for printable recipe}
Ingredients
2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened about 20 minutes out of refrigerator
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8″ round cake pans with parchment paper, butter and flour. Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon flour mixture to larger bowl. Add fresh blueberries and toss to coat them with flour. Set remaining flour mixture and blueberries aside.
Stir whole milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest in small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, until pale yellow and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter equally among 8″ round pans.
Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks for about 10 minutes, then invert onto racks until completely cool.
*The Lemon-Blueberry cake base adapted from Epicurious
Zesty Lemon Frosting {click here for printable recipe}
Ingredients
1 cup soft unsalted butter
2 teaspoons lemon zest
5 cups icing sugar (or 6 for sweeter version)
60 ml fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons whipping cream (35% cream)
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons water
pinch salt
1 drop of AmeriColor “Electric Yellow” gel color (optional)
Method
Cream butter and lemon zest in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, about 3 minutes. Slowly add icing sugar, mixing on low speed for about 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat on med-high for 3-4 minutes until very fluffy. If using color gel, add a drop or two (really, no more than that, because too much sunshine really can be a bad thing!), then beat until blended. Yields enough to frost outside of three layer 8″ round cake.
Filling: 2 x Lemon Curd recipe from Martha Stewart
Assembly
Spread thin dollop of frosting on an 8″ thin cake board. Transfer 1 cake layer to board, face up. *Create a dam around the perimeter of the layer using frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, then spread lemon curd (apprx 1 cup) inside the dam–this prevents the curd from reaching out over edges. Top with another cake layer, face up; repeat frosting around perimeter and lemon curd filling. Top with third cake layer, face down (brown smooth side up). Spread thin layer (crumb coat) of Zesty Lemon Frosting over top and sides of cake, using offset palette knife and bench scraper for smooth finish. Place cake in refrigerator for apprx 30 mins. Remove from refrigerator and using same method, frost cake with generous layer of frosting, smoothing again. For ruffled border, add frosting to piping bag with petal tip (Wilton #123), and with skinny end facing out, use back and forth/up and down motion to create short ruffles.
For the vanilla layer, I used the cake recipe from the Classic Vanilla Butter Cake post.
Due to the lemon curd filling, keep cake covered and refrigerated (for up to 2 days) but serve room temperature.
*Update: Here are some other fun ways of creating this cake with alternate flavours:
- Use a cream cheese frosting, lemon or plain
- Replace blueberries with other berries or berry combinations
- Use frosting to fill in place of lemon curd
- Use a smooth blueberry jam as filling in place of lemon curd
- Make all 3 layers lemon-blueberry cake
You may also enjoy this past post: 50 Tips For Baking Better Cakes
Good luck & enjoy!
Love, Rosie xo
Gorgeous! Huge lol, I used that VERY cakestand at my little girl’s party today. But the cake was nothing like this gorgeous wonder. You are amazing!!!
Thank you! Haha, really, the same one?! Great minds think alike! I hope your little girl had a fabulous party, but I don’t doubt that, with you as a mommy, it was amazing, sweet, colourful, and incredibly creative! xo
Wow, that look so delicious and yummy!! I now have to try this recipe!! :D
Oh my goodness this looks amazing! I love the combination of lemon and blueberry and I am running to the market tomorrow morning to make this! Your blog makes me so happy!
amazing… the yellow definitely brings a smile to my face! i love the ruffled border on top of the cake… lemon and bluberries are so wonderful together!
This cake is beautiful! I’m not much of a lemon person but you’re making me a believer:) I love your blog and all of your work! I just started following you on twitter too! Your girls are gorgeous! Thanks for all of your inspiration!!!
That is what I call a perfect cake! My lips are puckering as we speak!
Stunning! I love how beautiful and sunny it is. And the combination of lemon and blueberry is always a winner, ugh I want a slice right now!
gorgeous!!
So gorgeous.. both the cake and your sweet “cakelets”. I love the way you frosted the cake, smooth and clean with that fun border on top.. so cute!
Absolutely gorgeous! I love the burst of the purpley blue of the berries in between the sunshine layers of the cake. It looks so delicious and I want some right now! Yum!
Hi Rosie
What a stunning cake, Perfecto!! I do not like blueberries, is there any other fruit I could use in this cake recipe, or could I leave them out altogether.
Thanks, Jackie! In my opinion, you could replace the blueberries with any berry, really. You could also leave them out, as you mentioned–that should be just fine! Enjoy and good luck–let me know how it turns out!
That is a beautiful cake and some very good looking kiddies!
That’s sunshine in a cake! And your girls are gorgeous! I just bought a TON of blueberries on sale and now I know what to do with them :D
Thanks for sharing such a cuteness. I am happy I found that blog ,D
I wish my “almost messy” looked this neat! The cake looks absolutely perfect, not to mention delicious. And your girls are beautiful!
This is amazing! Now I’m craving for some lemony cake too! :)
Oh Rosie! I have to say that you have the most precious, beautiful little girls! You must be very proud!
And this cake! I love the combo of blueberries and lemon so much! And yellow always makes me happy! In fact, my birthday is this weekend and I have yellow in the plans! :)
Thank you for another recipe that looks just as delicious as it sounds!
Thanks, Darla! And, wow, it’s your birthday? Happy, Happy Birthday! Thanks so much for the sweet comments! xo
This was so much fun to see this morning, it did brighten my morning(considering the sun hasn’t came up yet:) Nothing is better than lemon and blueberries! Pretty pics too!
Hi Rosie. What a beautiful cake. My daughter’s birthday is next month and I’m definitely making this. If you lived just a little close, I would have asked you to make it! Two questions- can I bake and frost this 2 days in advance of her birthday or will it dry up? Is there enough frosting to fill the layers too as I’m not a fan of lemon curd? Thanks!
Oh and is there a reason you’ve coated the berries in flour?
Thanks, Sukaina! To answer your questions, in my opinion, the cake is good for up to 2 days really well covered (but not refrigerated, if you’re not using curd), so you should be okay. Even 1 day ahead would be ideal, but I imagine it would still be good after 2 if it hasn’t been sliced into. The frosting you’ll definitely want to double the recipe if you’re using as filling. Even a thin layer blueberry jam would taste yummy, but you can never go wrong with frosting! The flour on the berries is something I saw on the Food Network about keeping berries in place in a cake, because it’s said that the flour-covered berries adhere to the batter and they don’t slip and sink. It’s especially an issue for taller bundt cakes, but I figured it would help in this cake too! I hope this all helps. Happy Birthday to your daughter! xo
I feel better just looking at your cake! Lemon and blueberries are such a great combo and my goodness you have the most precious, gorgeous little girls!
I just love reading your blogs and admiring your photos…I really need to learn how to use my camera! My photos aren’t half as nice as yours. I love the fact that you share all of your recipes…thank you so much for that =) As well, thank you for the tip on coating the blueberries in flour! I also love getting new baking tips! I will definitely be baking this cake for the next get together with friends!
Beautiful cake! Lemon and citrus in general is one of my favorite flavors and I have been finding amazing blueberries at the market recently. I will be sure to try this recipe out in the future. Do you have a special technique for keeping your cake plate so clean?
I love love love your cakes! Every time you post a layer cake I want to go make a cake right now- they are so neat, and clean and they look amazing!
We have a large lemon tree in the backyard, and I’m always looking for new ways to use them up! Not that we really need more sunshine here. I got quite the sunburn helping my older daughter run a lemonade stand this past weekend.
Oh goodness now you totally have us craving spring even more than we already were! This gorgeous, sunshine-y cake looks like the perfect thing to whisk away the winter blues…!
Sunshine in a cake. Just gorgeous!
Love your post. Beautiful cake and thanks for sharing! Where do you get cake stands like that one?!
Thanks, Lenita! I think I bought that one several years ago, so I’m sorry that I don’t recall where! It was likely HomeSense here in Canada. I wish I could be of more help!
Looks amazing and delicious! i want to try it! This may be a stupid question…But is “icing sugar” different than powdered sugar?
Thank you, Francesca! Yep, icing sugar is the same as powdered, or confectioners’ sugar. It may be a Canadian term to say icing sugar! xo
It’s an Australian term too! :)
My birthday is next Friday and I am seriously considering making this! I think a serious dose of sunshine is definitely what I need!
Looks delicious! I’ve never had a lemon-blueberry cake before…but it sounds like something I would LOVE!
Your cake and your daughter’s just radiant sunshine and smiles. Such a lovely post.
Thanks so much for all of the sweet words! xo
OMG! I love the flavor combination. As always you are so wonderfully talented. Your cakelets are adorable!!
I love this super sunny lemony post!! This is a big dash of spring. As always I love gazing upon your confections and seeing your adorable kids. Have a great day :)
This cake is making me swoon. You are one talented lady. I wish I could bake gorgeousness like this and present it so beautifully too. Magnificent!
absolutely mouth watering!!!!! another beautiful creation!!!!
the triple lemon blueberry layer Sponge Cake Recipes is gud. Looks very delicious and mouth watering.
This is so beautiful! I bet it tastes wonderful too. Lemon and blueberry are one of my favorite combos. One of these days I’ll be able to frost a cake as pretty as you. ;)
I am in love with your blog. The colors are so soothing. The cakes look so beautiful. Each one more beautiful than the other. No , I think each one is a gem.
Your children are adorable.
Inspirational Stuff
So gorgeous! I can definitely taste the sunshine in my heart after reading your sweet post! Can’t wait to taste it with a fork as soon as possible!
Lemon and blueberry are one of my favorite combinations. For a quick dessert, I’ll do a pound cake topped with fresh lemon curd and blueberries. I’m def saving this in my online cookbook, http://cookmarked.com.
Hmmm that looks divine! Do you think lemon mascarpone frosting will be a good one for the cake?
Also, what camera do you have? The pictures are beeeaaauutiful!
Hi Kimberly! Thanks for the note. I think lemon mascarpone frosting would be incredible with this cake! To check out more about my camera, feel free to read the About section of my site. Here’s the link: http://sweetapolita.com/about/ I hope this helps!
I am going to be making this for Easter!! It is bright and colorful. Perfect for spring. Can you tell me what tip you used for the ribbons on top?
Hi Kimberly! I used Wilton petal tip #123, with the skinny side facing out, for this ribbon pattern. Hope this helps!
Oh my gosh! This looks so good–blueberry and lemon is such a great combination. I can’t even imagine how good this cake must have been, and it’s beautiful to boot.
I absolutely lusting for this cake right now! oAo
This looks amazing! Love your site
This cake looks wonderful! I made your neapolitan cake for my little girl’s third birthday last week and everyone loved it, especially the birthday girl! I think I’ll be making this one for my other daughter’s first birthday at the end of March. Thank you for the great recipes :)
Hi Rosie,
First of all, I adore your blog and all the wonderful things you bring to your readers… so thank you for that.
A friend of mine’s husband just turned and 40 and when she asked if I could make a yummy cake I thought I’d give your triple-lemon cake a try. I did have to make a few changes because it was such short notice. I used 9″ pans so only made 2 tiers and since we don’t have fresh blueberries (in Israel), I opted for strawberries. I also omitted the middle vanilla tier. Nonetheless, it came out amazing. Guests at the party ooed and awed over how pretty it looked and even moreso when they tasted it. The tanginess of the lemon and the sweet strawberries combined with the subtle lemon buttercream were a big hit. And of course, the lemon curd recipe you provided is irresistable. Thanks so much!
Sounds amazing, Dalia! Thanks for your sweet words!
STUNNING! In and out!!!! Beautiful
simple & beautiful and it looks so delicious!
Love your blog. Very inspirational!
Any suggestions as to where I can find the Sugarflair colour paste and Americolor gel colours in Toronto?
Hi Christyna! Thanks so much. You can find both brands of gel colours (and tons of other great supplies) at Bonnie Gordon School at Eglinton and Bathurst. Hope this helps!
The idea of lemon and blueberries together sounds and probably tastes heavenly! This one could surely be another family favorite recipe.Love the kid pics too. I also live in Ontario:)Thanks for the awesome post.
Thanks everyone! xo
I totally understand that you needed a bright yellow cake to cheer you up because even though here in france it’s not as cold as in Canada, I’m craving for sunny desserts ! This cake looks just perfect, I love the way you piped the icing on top of the cake ! i discovered your blog today and it’s like a revelation to me :o) Bravo !
Sigh…..your food is the stuff of beautiful dreams! Love it all!
Oh. My. God. This looks SO good. I just book marked it and I won’t be surprised if I bake this before the day is over. I have a feeling it’s all I’ll be able to think about. And also, I need you in my google reader, stat. Making that happen now.
Your cake is absolutely beautiful, and I really love the border you piped around the top. Can you tell me how you did that (what tip)? Thanks!
your cake looks sooo delicious! and your children are beautiful!
what a stunning cake! i am a sucker for anything lemony : ) and blueberries too just make it that much more fabulous. love the pictures.
wonderful blog – will definitely be back again…and soon!
cheers!
cailen
http://www.cailenascher.blogspot.com
ohhh….my english is so bad, but i have just Known you and your beautiful world and i had to post a coment!!! wonderful!!
what a welcome dose of sunshine! this is a crafty and delicious cake–bravo. :)
Just made this cake…it’s currently cooling. Smells absolutely divine. Can’t wait to frost it then dive in :) Your photos, as always, are irresistibly gorgeous. Thanks for being such an inspiration :)! Happy Weekend!
Hey Rosanne,
When you say “icing sugar” in your frosting recipes, do you mean sifted icing sugar?
Hi Krista! To be honest, I don’t always sift my icing sugar for frosting. I put it in a bowl and whisk it for a few minutes, to aerate, and then I carry on with the recipe. Hope that helps!
Thanks,Rosanne!!
I’m going to try some of your icings. Some friends and I are having a grown up “princess party” on the morning of the Royal Wedding and I’m in charge of cupcakes!!!
I don’t know if you’re able to respond to comments like this, but I was wondering how you get your buttercream/frosting so smooth. Mine always has air bubbles that show up as holes all over the surface. Any tips or tricks?
I’ve made a couple of your cakes, and they’ve all received rave reviews from the staff at school! So thanks for sharing your recipes.
This cake is gorgeous!! And it looks delicious!!!! I can’t wait to make it, I’m going to look for some fresh blueberries tonight! I have a question about the beautiful clean slices in your photographs. It would be such a shame for me to make this beautiful cake and have messy, ugly slices. Especially if I attempt to make your Neapolitan cake, I’d love to have perfect slices like you have here.
Thanks!!!
This cake is amazing! I made it precisely as is for my dad’s birthday (he is turning a wonderful 62 this year!) and it was a gloomy rainy day so I thought this would be the perfect sunny cake to offset the weather! The only thing I did differently was to use only half the listed amount of icing sugar in the frosting (6 cups seems a lot to me!) so with the 3 cups, it still turned out perfectly sweet and zesty and light!
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!
Made this last week. Came out beautifully! Great recipe!! :) My neighbors thank you too ;)
So glad you all enjoyed this post! xo
I made this cake for a lemon loving friend’s birthday cake. HUGE hit! Thanks for the great recipe!
I love all of your cakes and the beautiful simple designs! I want to make this cake for my daughters bday but I am not an expert in the decorating; can you tell me what tools and any tips to get the icing to perfection like yours?
Hi Joanne! Thank you for your comment! To answer your question, I will be putting together my own tutorial for frosting a cake, but in the meantime, Kaitlin, from Whisk Kid blog has a fabulous tutorial with photos on the subject. Here’s the link: http://whisk-kid.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-frost-cake.html Good luck & Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Rosie, I’m making this cake for my sister’s baby shower this weekend. I have extra lemon curd and was wondering if this frosting would hold up if I folded some curd into it…and if so, how much curd?
Also, if I’m planning to use the ruffle frosting technique, how much extra frosting should I make? {FYI: I made the cake as a 6-inch layer cake.}
Thanks for your help! :-)
Hi Lisa! So sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you in time. I hope it all worked out for you! The frosting likely would have held up fine with a few tablespoons of curd–did you end up trying? I’d be interested to know how it went! Also, for the ruffling tecnique you need about 3 x the buttercream. Let me know!
hi! i would like to make this frosting and use the ruffle technique… you said via twitter, that the smb would hold up better for the ruffling. if i added some lemon juice or curd to the smb, would it change the consistency too much? also, i was thinking of using strawberries instead of blueberries in the cake- i have some that i fresh picked, bad idea.. thanks!!!
sorry, i meant to add a question mark after bad idea! thoughts?
Hi Amber!
Okay, well, I hope to help as much as I can. Here goes!
1. Yep, the SMB is much better for all-over ruffling because it’s more satiny, smooth, and is much more pleasant to eat in larger amounts (the sugary frosting would taste too sweet for so much on each slice, in my opinion).
2. Yep, you can definitely experiment with the lemon juice or curd. If using lemon juice, be sure to use real lemons and add about 3 tablespoons of the juice along with about tablespoon of the zest per 5 cup batch (just a guideline–you can play around), or, you could use some lemon curd–I would say about 1/3 cup per 5 cup batch. I’ve never actually tried adding curd, but preserves typically work very well in the SMB, and I think curd would work well.
3. Finally, I think, yes, strawberries would be lovely! Just be sure to coat them with a bit of flour and I would cut them into smaller pieces.
I hope that helps! Good luck!
PS. I also love to just use 2 teaspoons of pure lemon extract for every 5 cup batch–it’s simple, lemony, and yummy.
I made the Lemon Blueberry cake for Easter dessert. It was a hit with everyone. My husband and I had to have a second piece after everyone went home. Would definitely make it again. I added a dollop of blueberry jam to the top center of the cake for added decoration. Fabulous and refreshing. Love you site.
I’ve made this cake today for William and Kate’s Royal Wedding celebrations.
Thank you, what a beautifully written recipe and a beautiful cake too!
Here’s my pics…
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150171127582696.313421.518212695
I just loved it…no words to xpress my feelings…Ur little cakelets r also beautiful like u…Keep up the good work!!!
Since I found your blog a few months back, I’ve made a few of your cakes, and they were all winners. I can’t wait to make this one, and thank you so much for the printable versions…
So sorry but how many tsp/TBSP is 60 ml?
12 teaspoons or 4 tablespoons in 60 ml, Erin. :)
thank you!! Can’t wait to make it for my sister’s birthday- she is in love with all things lemon.
I followed this recipe to a T, but found that the batter was very thick, and the cake too dense. I would suggest that it needs more wet ingredients and instead of 1/2 a cup of milk, add 1 whole cup of milk.
Sorry to hear that, Kim. I really like it the way it is, but, of course, as with any recipe, it’s personal preference. Thanks for the input!
Well, on the original recipe, it calls for 1 whole cup of milk. On yours, it calls for 1/2 a cup. I think that really makes the difference
It does, Kim, but I didn’t omit the 1 cup of wet, I split it between 50% whole milk and 50% sour cream, which makes for a nice moist cake, but thanks, again, for the input!
I use a similar recipe when I’m making muffins. But for cakes, I like the batter to be a bit less viscous.
Hi Rosie,
My sweet friend requested that I use your recipe for one of her wedding cakes. The cake will be two tiers, one 6″ and the other 10″. Will one of your recipes be enough or would I need to make a double batch? And any suggestions for baking times?
Thanks for your help and I love your blog!! Amazing!!
I brought this to a lunch with friends on monday and they raved about how delicious it was! It was the most moist cake I have ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
Oh my gosh, this is honestly one of the best looking cakes I’ve ever seen! There’s a lot going on, yet not a lot at the same time. Does that make sense?! :) Looks great though, can’t wait to check out some more of your recipes!
Hi there,
I absolutely adore your website! I have read every recipe and am always so enamored over your beautiful cake & other sweets photography. As a person who loves to bake as a hobby, I recently tried out your swiss merengue buttercream – it was a hit! It was so silky and buttery and delicious!!!
However, today when I tried to make this cake recipe, I encountered an issue. The cake was in the oven at 350 degrees for the alloted 25 minutes, and an inserted toothpick to the center came out perfectly clean. When the cake cooled, however, and I went to move it to a dish, the inside of each layer was completely undercooked. Now, I had realized after the cakes were in the oven that I had embarrassingly only added one stick of butter (a really big “uh oh” moment). Do you think that could be why the cakes were so underdone at 25 minutes, even though the toothpick came out clean from the center?
Thanks so much for your time. Keep up the great work! You and your baked goods are my inspiration to be a better baker =]
This cake is gorgeous & bright!
Excited to make this for my baby’s birthday. He’s due in a few days and I want to make a cake during early labor. This is the recipe I’ve decided on! Thanks for all your recipes and this beautiful website!
Oh my! I saw on cupcake wars this blueberry lemon cupcake and thought WOW! I bet that is good. So I went on a hunt
And found you! BLESS YOU, and your family. :) I’ve always wanted to try a lemon curd but never found a
reason til this. I am a culinary student and I’m almost done so I’m getting better and made this wonderful beef Wellington
And thought hey this cake would be the perfect dessert. And to my pleasent surprise it was. I loved it. This cake is truly
fantastic. I’m glad I followed the recipe however I found that I’m not a huge fan of lemon curd so from now on ill be
Making this cake with blueberry preserves in the place of the curd. (A little more blueberry could never hurt and it would look
Quite pretty) so to you I am grateful and pleased. I love your site and will never look elsewhere for wonderful cake recipes.
THANK YOU for what you do. It is a gift and I appreciate it. :)
YOU make me Maddddddd!
I made this with red currant curd filling and Swiss Meringue Icing. I then decorated it with alpine strawberries and wild blueberries. Exquisite!
I saw this image on pinterest, & decided to bake it this week while family is in town! Thank you so much for sharing!
My wife and I reviewed the recipe and we found my mistake…1 cup or butter = 2 sticks, not one! I took the frosting and re-whipped it with the extra stick of butter and of course, now it’s thick and holding shape. I couldn’t remove my earlier comment, so just wanted to share that it was my mistake and this recipe is delicious.
No problem, Justin–I’m glad it worked out for you!
greetings from pakistan!! =)
have been going through all your recipes, and the pictures ofcourse and they are so amazing!!
this one here is gorgeous! loving it! you are terrific!! =)
im only beginning to take such keen interest in baking, and turns out it isnt as easy as it looks!
belong to a small city, and havent been able to find blueberries as well as good food colors (the food colors i tried for red velvet were salty and the cake didnt come out that good), but i’ll definitely look around and try this, i have fallen in love with this cake!
if u could please help me with a few things?
i have observed in many of western recipes that ALOT of sugar is used.. when im making frosting, half a cup of icing sugar is enough for a cup of butter, otherwise the frosting becomes too sweet. the reason could be that we may have more intense sugar here.. well, the problem is the consistency of the frosting. the temperature here ranges to above 110 F, the butter doesnt hold up, and since i have to use even lesser sugar, the frosting is very flowy! what can i do to make it hold up?? i tried this: mixed milk and cornflour, boiled until creamy, and added it to the butter. but it still wasnt creamy enough, it would still flow.. so if u could please suggest something, because i really want a solution to this problem! =(
secondly, what other berries ccan i use for this recipe?
would be grateful if u respond..
and ma-sha-Allah, your girls are adorable! =)
I tried SMB today, 1 egg ratio just to test. It was runny after I added the butter, so I refrigerated it for a while. Whipped it afterwards and added some more butter, and it looked really smooth, and worked well. But 10 minutes in the kitchen, and it started to become runny again. Not very, but still, I realised that it wouldn’t hold either. Am I doing something wrong, or is it the temperature? I added the butter until it looked satiny enough, and tasted nice. I think I ended up adding less butter than required, but I saw that you have cut it down to 80% of the recipe yourself, so that shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Hi Irsa,
Which SMB recipe did you try? If I mention that I reduced the butter by 20% in the post you got the recipe from, then I would have included the revised recipe, so you should be including all of the butter mentioned. Do you know what I mean? If you can comment on the actual blog post you were referring to, then I can see which version of the recipe you’re using. Thanks!
Hi! I was searching for the PERFECT lemon blueberry cake for my dad’s 52nd birthday. It is his favorite flavor combination and nearly every year we try to recreate the lemon blueberry cake of his childhood. I came across this picture on Pinterest and it led me to your recipe blog and I knew I had to make this one. My dad loved it! My 3 year old son called it “sour cake” but he enjoyed it, too. Thank you for sharing a recipe that is simple enough for me to duplicate, but special enough to look amazing and taste wonderful.
Wow, this cake is beautiful….I just got back from the blueberry field, and am craving dessert! All my blueberries are bagged and frozen though….would it make a difference if I used frozen berries?
Thanks, Kate! Hmm, to be honest, I’ve never added frozen blueberries, for fear that the moisture will seep through the cake and cause too much “bleeding.” That’s just my opinion, though. If you do try, be sure to add them at the very last minute, coated in flour, and stirred only enough to incorporate. I hope this helps!
I just made this tonight and it is SO GOOD! I am amazed at this cake, and at myself as they are the best looking layers I’ve ever baked. Thank you so much for this recipe! :)
Made this beautiful and delicious cake for an end of summer beach party yesterday– it was stunningly beautiful and delicious! I made the recipefor another party today– left out the lemon curd and made glorious cupcakes—thank you for such beautiful, inspired recipes!!
hi can i use 2-3 cups icing sugar in frosting?because i don’t like too much sugar :)
1 question more ;)
The cake ingredients r for 2 layers or 3 layers?
m confused plz explain :)
Mike, the recipe is for three 8″ layers. Good luck!
Thanks :)
hi can i use 2-3 cups icing sugar in frosting?because i don’t like too much sugar :)
Please Answer :)
Mike, you can definitely start with 2-3 cups and see if you’re happy with the consistency–it’s whatever works for you! If you find it’s not sturdy enough, you can gradually add more until you’re happy with it. I hope this helps!
Thanks
Hi Rosie!, This blog never ceases to amaze me! You do such beautiful work, and I love it! I am a stay at home mom and love to experiment with new delicious indulgences. I have a passion for all things sweet, so this site really excites me, my favorite of your recipes is definitely the raspberry meringue buttercream on dark chocolate cake! I must say thank you for sharing, your ideas help when I am in a pickle for a new recipe or idea… I do have a question, how do you get your buttercream sooooo smooth on your cakes? I seem to do a decent job, but never as smooth as these beauties! Thanks for your input, I look forward to hearing back!
Hi,
This cake sounds so good. I was wondering if I could use a “box” lemon cake mix and add the blueberries in? Also, is the frosting stabile enough to cover with fondant? Thanks! Kelly
Hi Kelly,
To be honest, I’ve never tried it with a box mix, but I imagine it would work just fine. For covering in fondant, I would recommend using the more traditional fondant-friendly frosting, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, as I’m not certain how this sugary frosting would hold up. Hope this helps!
Hi Rosie! I just made this cake today. When I added the liquid ingredients to the frosting, it began to separate. Any ideas why that might have happened? I followed the directions with no omissions or substitutions. LOL, even bought a fresh lemon (I usually just use the already squeezed stuff). It still tastes wonderful…just not as pretty looking.
Greetings from Lima, Peru. I stumbled upon your blog last night while doing a little research on SMB. Your cakes – and everything else for that matter – look fantastic! Can’t wait to make this recipe! I really like your style of applying frosting – that wavy effect is supper cool! I’ve made SMB many times before for my own little cupcake business and think I’ve pretty much got it down to where it turns out consistently well, except for one little problem, heat. Here in Lima it gets a little warm about 6 months out of the year and SMB doesn’t hold up so well for outside events and I almost always have to switch to buttercreams. Assuming you have also done outside events, I was wondering if you have had this challenge – maybe no since you live in Canada – and if so, have you found a workaround? I’ve been thinking about experimenting by adding various ratios of margarine to help hold its shape.
One other thing about this recipe, what do you think about using cake flour/pastry flour instead of all purpose?
Keep up the good work!
I have saved this recipe multiple times and am doing it again … just in case I lose it! Do you think frozen blueberries would work in this cake? I know they wouldn’t be as good as fresh, but sometimes I can’t get fresh or can’t afford them. I have thought about actually baking while the berries were still frozen so that they wouldn’t make such a mess in the cake. Thoughts??? and thank you so much!
I can’t thank you enough for posting this recipe. I just found it via pinterest and I made it for my lemon and blueberry loving sister-in-law. Everyone at the party raved about the cake, everything about it is perfect! In my opinion a lemon cake can never be too lemony and the lemon curd filling gave it that extra zing that most cakes lack. I have now added this recipe to my “treasured recipe” collection. Thanks for sharing. X
So glad to hear that, Jenna! I really appreciate you taking the time to pop back and leave such a kind comment. It means a lot!
My frosting wasnt thick enough to stick to my cake like that. What am I doing wrong?
What a BEAUTY! I happen to have a bounty of lemons, and now I know what to do with them:)
I don’t know if you’ll get this question in time (I just made the frosting for use tomorrow!) but it’s terribly curdled. Help? I added the lemon juice last when I added all the rest of the ingredients and that’s when it happened – was there a specific order I was supposed to follow?
Also – can it be saved?? I’d love to not have to get up early tomorrow morning and do it all over again :( Looking to end up with something that can hold form to look like lovely fluffy cupcake frosting
Hi Sarah,
I can’t say this has happened to me, but it makes me wonder if you added all of the icing sugar? The order really shouldn’t matter, so that makes me believe that perhaps the measurements were off? Try adding and mixing small increments of icing sugar, and that may help bring it back together. Let me know how it goes!
Ah – THANK YOU! I didn’t add 5 cups of confectioner’s sugar because I don’t usually like it that sweet (and, also, i conveniently…or I suppose inconveniently at this point, ran out!) so I added about 3.5 cups. I guess that’s the problem, eh? I’ve got it in the fridge right now so when I’m on my way home later I’ll pick up some more and try to re-whip and add. Hopefully that’ll fix it! In an effort to try to fix it already without having more sugar I added some marscapone and another half stick of butter so hopefully it’s not beyond saving at this point (I was thinking more creamy ingredients were the key but it sounds like it’s the dry!).
Hi Rosie! I just discovered your blog and I love it! Your cakes look amazing and your daughters are adorable!
I just have one question. I’d like to make this cake but we don’t have fresh blueberries where I live. Can I use canned blueberries like the Duncan Hines (Comstock)?
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for the kind words about my blog! To answer your question, to be honest I would stay away from canned blueberries, just because they are typically packed in a syrup of sorts (is this the kind you mean?). I have never tried it that way, so I can’t say for sure, I’m sorry! If you do give it a go, please pop back and let me know how it went? I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Beautiful cake!
Last week on I went on Pinterest I was browsing and I stumbled across a picture of your cake. As I was reading this entry my sweetheart walks by and says politely “make that please”!
So….Sunday I made it! I used all of your recipes except for the buttercream. And my cake layers were not the same width lol so my cake (to me) looked silly. But the taste…was sooooooo good! I don’t care for blueberries but I love this cake(and your vanilla cake recipe is AMAZINGGGG)! Martha Stewart’s Lemon Curd was a bit too much for me but everything else was wonderful! I am for sure I will be making this cake again :D
Hi Rosie, I stumbled upon your cake a couple of weeks ago, and have been planning to make it for my daughter’s first birthday this month (24th March). I think it looks absolutely beautiful and delicious. I just had a couple of questions: how many people would the cake feed? I’ve got about 40 adults and 11 children coming. I was thinking of making 2 identical cakes. Do you think 2 would be enough? Also, I can’t seem to find pure lemon extract. I have found lemon essence, but I don’t think that’s as good. Would real lemon juice do the job? Thanks! Rachel (Sydney, Australia).
Great recipe loved making it for my father in law who loves lemon cake – frosting was amazing so pleased I have found your blog (Zoe, epsom, england)
Well now that i obsessed with baking and your blog I couldn’t wait to make this cake. I come from a very traditional Italian family we love our lemon. I made a few personal alteration because Im allergic to blueberries. I used raspberries, and added limoncello to the frosting…..my family devoured this cake after dinner. haha I think we just about licked the cake stand. Your such an inspiration. Thanks!
What a wonderful cake! I’ve been wanting to make this since last year when I first saw it. My son wanted a lemon cake for his birthday and this was perfect! He didn’t want the blueberries, so I may have to try it again someday. The cake was such a perfect combination of subtle, tangy and sweet. Delicious. Every cake that I have made from your site has turned out wonderful! My daughter wants chocolate for her birthday, so we’ll be making another of your cakes on Wednesday. Yummy.
Hi Rosie,
Can this cake stand up to being frozen? And how long can i keep it at room temp without yhe cake losing its moist factor? Without it going stale? Im thinking of using this for a baby shower and eould like to make ahead the layered cake and some mini cuocakes. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Rosie!
I just wanted to thank you for 1) a beautiful site; 2) gorgeous photos and easy to follow, specific directions; and 3) making my newly 3-year-old daughter’s birthday cake request a reality. It’s always been a tradition in my family that the birthday person gets to choose his or her birthday cake. This year, my little gal decided she wanted “a blueberry cake with pink frosting!” After searching the web for inspiration, and finding mostly muffin recipes, I found this AH-MAZE-ING (!!!!) cake, paired it with your recipe for SMB frosting (tinted pink, of course, and flavored with lemon extract), and pulled off her birthday cake wish. I called it her Berry Pink Lemonade cake!
It turned out perfectly–the cake so lovely and reminiscent of the old fashioned cakes my grandmother used to make. I also used blueberry preserves in the middle and fresh blueberries on top. We all loved it, but I wish you could have seen her literally licking the frosting off the piece on her plate and asking for more “pink fraw-sting, peeze!”
My birthday is in May and I’m trying how to (not-so-subtly) get my husband to attempt the 6-Layer Rich Chocolate Malted & Toasted-Marshmallow Cake…if not, i’m making it for myself!
Can’t wait to bake up something else from Sweetapolita!!
Megan
Lemon and blueberry, my two favourite flavours together!
What size is your ‘cup’, though?
This is exactly what we needed to complete our Easter table this year. So glad to have found your blog… and this delicious masterpiece :)
I just made this cake for Easter and it was a huge hit! Sooooooo delicious and tangy and it looked adorable on my vintagey cake stand. I even added some fresh blueberries to the top of the cake. This is one of my first forays into fancy cakes and i can’t wait to try another!
This looks amazing!! I have been doing research, and more research, and more research (to the point where I’m baking cakes in my dreams…) about cakes, because my daughter’s 1st year birthday party is coming up. I think this is the cake I will be making… just wondering, can I make this cake a day beforehand? And put in the fridge? (Would there be condensation on the cake if fridged?) Or can bake the cake, and make the buttercream a day before, and assemble the cake on the day and leave out on the table? My apartment is relatively warm, I can turn on the aircon and open the window.. I just hope the icing won’t melt!
Would love to hear from you soon, as her birthday party is next saturday!
Many thanks!!!
P.S. I can’t stop reading your site… you are one talented mummy!
Hi Sharon,
Thanks so much for the kind words! You can definitely make this cake the day before and keep covered in the fridge. I have never found there to be condensation on this type of frosting, so you should be okay. I am a big fan of doing things ahead of time, so I would make the curd as soon as you can and pop it in the freezer or fridge, bake the cake layers on Friday and wrap tightly and leave at room temp, and then make the frosting on Friday and assemble. You can pull the cake from the fridge first thing Sat and leave out for the duration of the day if you need to. You’ll just want to refrigerate the leftovers (because of the lemon curd). Hope this helps and Happy 1st Birthday to your little girl! xo
So I made the cake! It was the first time I’ve ever made a cake like this with all the different elements… one of my blueberry layers broke in half! And then my frosting kept separating.. (I was so sleepy and a bit out of it and added only half the butter… but after adding the other half it was good!) So I was nearly in tears as it took nearly half a whole day to make and assemble! BUT it turned out great, obviously not as good looking as yours.. but my friend who hates cake said she loves this, so thanks for the recipe! Was so pleasantly surprised :)
P.S. There was no leftovers ;)
what a gorgeous cake and I feel the sunshine:)
It DOES look like a burst of sunshine. What a great recipe, great pictures. Your girls are lovely too. :)
I found this recipe some time ago and bookmarked it for an upcoming baby shower. That shower was today and I just wanted to share how FANTASTIC this cake was. Not only did it look awesome on the table, but when I cut into it, people kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing about how pretty it was on the inside! I did two lemon/blueberry layers with a white layer in between. I had to substitute blueberry jam for the lemon curd, though, since I wasn’t sure about pregnancy + tempered eggs. But, it was a hit – and I will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing a gem!
So glad to hear it, Jen! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your experience with the cake!
I made this today for my birthday/mother’s day. Cakes didn’t turn out a thick as I expected. However, it looks fabulous. I can not wait to slice it. Was easy to put together. I didn’t feel like making curd and I happen to have a jar in the fridge so figured I would use that. I only used a thin layer because of the frosting being so delish I didn’t want it to be too overwhelming. I sugared my remaining blueberries and placed a small pile in the middle and placed a few around my border. Looks beautiful. Thanks for combining my two favorite flavors!
I love your recipes. I am not a huge fan with so much butter in the icings. I didn’t know if you could change some of the butter with some crisco?