Lemon Blueberry Cake -

This really might be one of the most special cakes I’ve ever made. Tart with freshly squeezed lemon juice and bursting with blueberries, this layer cake smells like pure heaven.

You don’t have to frost this to be a “naked cake” like I did here but the frosting was gorgeous as-is and I didn’t want to to smooth it on the sides. The frosting is so fluffy, it almost has a whipped cream texture.

I actually picked the blueberries in the batter in east Texas last year. I love picking blueberries because they freeze so well and you’ll never taste better berries than those you pick and freeze immediately. I keep frozen hand-picked berries in my freezer year-round.

Note: you’ll want to keep this cake in the fridge since it has fruit. Pull it out half an hour before you want to slice into it so it isn’t ice cold. For that reason, I frosted it on a dinner plate rather than on a cake stand. Mine is just too tall to store in the fridge! Plus I packed this up for a picnic and a dinner plate conveniently fits in my cake carrier for easy transportation.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

For the cake:
2 cups sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lemon zest
4 large farm fresh eggs
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries, rinsed and pat dry
1 Tbsp flour
Additional 1/2 cup blueberries for garnish

For the frosting:
6 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

To bake the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour two 9″ round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add butter to the mixer and beat until it looks sandy.
Combine the milk and vanilla and add to the mixer. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Add lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix well.
Crack eggs into a bowl. This way, you won’t accidentally get egg shells in your cake batter. With the mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time. Make sure each is incorporated before adding the next.
Toss blueberries with 1 Tbsp flour. Add to batter and gently stir in using a spatula.
Pour batter into your prepared cake pans. Softly bang the bottom of the pans against the countertop to help settle the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for five minutes before removing it from the pan and allowing layers to cool completely.
Frost with Lemon Frosting (recipe below). Garnish with an additional half cup of fresh blueberries and a lemon slice, if it strikes your fancy.

To make the Lemon Frosting:

Cream together powdered sugar and softened butter with an electric mixer. Start with two cups of powdered sugar and half a stick of butter, alternating additions.
Slowly incorporate vanilla, milk, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Add additional milk or powdered sugar if needed for desired consistency.

I came up with this recipe for a vineyard picnic with my friend Sarah. It traveled beautifully and paired wonderfully with San Martino Winery’s sparkling rosé.