This Blueberry Layer Cake is a blueberry lover’s dream, featuring blueberry and vanilla cake layers with blueberry frosting and a blueberry jam top.
Today is my sister’s 28th birthday. This cake is in honor of her. We don’t currently live in the same state, so sadly she did not get a bite, but I cannot wait to bake for her when we see each other again!
She is my older, fearless trailblazer sister who I would follow anywhere. She and I share a love for dessert that I believe started when our granny would treat us to Dairy Queen blizzards every so often as children. I can always count on her to be in the mood for a treat with me!
Since this was a birthday cake with birthday candles, I got to try out my new rechargeable lighter! I have been wanting one for awhile and when REIDEA offered to send me one, I gladly accepted. They also gave me a code to share with my followers for 20% off. You can find the lighter on Amazon and use my code ‘youthsweets’.
What makes this blueberry layer cake special
I took care every step of the way on this blueberry layer cake to incorporate the most blueberry flavor possible, from the jam to the cake to the buttercream.
As my loyal followers know by now, I am a freeze-dried fruit lover. I look for ways to put it in everything, from macarons to ganaches. So this is one of those recipes. I promise this blueberry frosting will knock your socks off. It is packed with so much blueberry flavor and so perfectly creamy.
Be careful not to go too overboard on adding freeze-dried fruit powder though as your buttercream may “break”, meaning it becomes curdled or grainy.
How to fix grainy or curdled fruit buttercream
On the first attempt, I went a little overboard on adding blueberry powder. So in a desperate attempt to save it I started googling. That is when I found this incredible article by Phil’s Home Kitchen, which says to fix broken buttercream frosting you can add 50 grams of melted and cooled white chocolate for every 200 grams of frosting. This worked so well I was really shocked. And not only did it fix the consistency, but it amped up the overall flavor of the frosting.
I also attempted a swirl in the cake batter, but it appears the blueberry portion went to the bottom during baking. If anyone knows how to prevent this, let me know in the comments!
However, it was still super delicious and I kind of liked reaching that blueberry layer by itself. It was like a bonus layer in this blueberry layer cake. This layer is also completely optional. The cake gets plenty of blueberry flavor from the frosting and the jam if you want to leave the cake portion as completely vanilla.
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Tips:
If your frosting “breaks” (looks grainy or curdled) mix in 50 grams of melted and cooled white chocolate for every 200 grams of frosting. This works for most frostings, especially those with add-ins that have the potential to break the emulsion.
If you like lemon, try adding a layer of lemon curd in between the layers. You can use store bought or try my orange and lemon honey curd recipe.
You could use the blueberry jam in the middle of the cakes instead of on top. I used it on top to cover where the birthday candles were.
In the mood for a different cake? Try my other recipes:
- Chamomile Strawberry Layer Cake
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Icing
- Fruit Flower Cupcakes
- Dutch Butter Cake
- Ukrainian Honey Cake
- Dragon Fruit Crepe Cake
Lastly, if you make this Blueberry Layer Cake recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Layer Cake
Ingredients
Blueberry Jam
- 16 oz fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
Cake layers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (115g)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3 teaspoon neutral oil like grapeseed or vegetable
Blueberry Ermine Buttercream
- 2 oz freeze-dried blueberries ground to a powder and sifted
- 10.5 oz white granulated sugar (300g)
- 2.25 oz flour (65g)
- 12 oz whole milk
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 12 oz butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- white chocolate see note
Instructions
Make the jam
- Combine all of the jam ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes stirring frequently.
- Mash the blueberries with a whisk or immersion blender if you like your jam smoother. Once you remove it from the heat, store it in the fridge to cool down. It will thicken as it cools.
Make the cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment circles.
- Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder until thoroughly combined and set aside.
- Crack eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the eggs on medium speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly stream the sugar in.
- When the sugar is completely in, turn the speed to high and beat for about 7 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan and gently heat until completely melted. Do not let it overheat or simmer. Set aside but do not let it cool off too much (do not do this ahead of time).
- Add the flour mixture in three parts to the egg mixture just mixing until almost combined. If you still see flour, finish mixing by hand by folding the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Add vanilla and oil to the milk-butter mixture and whisk to combine.
- Remove two large spoonfuls of batter and add it to the milk-butter mixture and whisk to completely combine. This tempers your milk mixture so that it does not cook your egg mixture.
- Pour the milk mixture into the rest of the egg mixture with the beaters running on low. Continue beating just 10-15 seconds more until combined.
Make the blueberry batter
- Remove ⅓ of the batter to a medium bowl. Add ⅓ cup of the cooled blueberry jam and blue or purple food coloring, if desired. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Layer your batter into your pans, starting with vanilla, then blueberry, and ending with vanilla. Swirl the batter with a butter knife just a few times.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the pans for 15 minutes before inverting the cakes onto a cooling rack (tops down).
Make the frosting
- Combine flour and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk and cook for about 2 minutes to toast the flour. Add blueberry powder and whisk.
- Slowly add milk, whisking to combine, and turn heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking continuously until it is thick and pudding-like. Once simmering, cook for an additional minute.
- Transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that it is touching the surface without any air bubbles in between to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Alternatively, Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan (covered with plastic) and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to cool it down faster. Ensure the mixture is completely cool, otherwise it will melt the butter.
- Add softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on high until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese with a whisk or hand beater for a few seconds to get out any lumps. Add it to your butter and whip on high until incorporated.
- Add the cooled flour mixture gradually, by the spoonful, while still beating. Incorporating the mixture slowly ensures a smoother consistency.
- Add vanilla and salt, and mix until fully incorporated.
Assemble the cake
- Place a small spoonful of frosting on an 8-inch cake board. Place a layer of cake on top. Place a large dollop of frosting on top of the cake layer and spread it to the edges. Place another layer of cake on top.
- Place a large dollop of frosting on the cake and spread it on top of the cake to the edges, using the excess to frost the sides. Scrape off any excess with a metal offset spatula or bench scraper. This is your crumb coat that will seal in any crumbs.
- Place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes or fridge for 30 to set the crumb coat.
- Then, pipe or spoon frosting all over the cake, smoothing out the top and sides with a metal offset spatula or bench scraper until you are satisfied with the look.
- Use any remaining frosting to decorate and add fresh blueberries to garnish, if desired.
- Cover the top with the remaining jam, if desired.
This is the first recipe I made in my new stand mixer and I love it! The buttercream has such a nice flavor and consistency. I love how the blueberries almost make it sparkle. Thankfully mine did not break, but I will have to remember the tip about white chocolate. The swirl in the batter somewhat came through although all the actual blueberry bits fell to the bottom while baking. Despite that, the cake still had an amazing flavor and appearance. As suggested I added a layer of lemon curd mixed with a little bit of the blueberry jam to the middle which I think really brought the whole cake together. 10/10 recipe, would definitely make it again!
Hi Hannah! That is great! I am so glad to hear that you liked it. I hope to try the lemon curd upgrade myself soon. 🙂 Happy baking!
In love with this recipe, I’ll be making it this weekend! What kind of sugar did you use for the buttercream?
Hi Sofia! I used white granulated sugar. Updated the recipe card with that now. 🙂 Happy baking!