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Bursting Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake…to celebrate the weekend. Three layers of light and fluffy lemon cake swirled with a mix of fresh blueberries and blueberry jam. Each cake layer is frosted generously with whipped blueberry mascarpone buttercream. This cake is mouthwatering and oh so delicious. Every bite is layered with fresh berries, hints of lemon, sweet vanilla, and filled with creamy buttercream. This is the perfect berry-filled cake for any and all occasions. Bonus? It’s simpler to make than you’d think, and so very pretty…with barely any added effort.
And here I am, back with another layer cake, simply because they make me happy and I needed a happy cake in my life this week. You do too. Trust me on that.
Just like flowers, pretty (and delicious) food has a way of being able to completely turn my day around. It’s maybe kind of cheesy to admit, but I have a love of beautiful things. And when they happen to be incredibly delicious beautiful things? Well, that’s just an added bonus that makes food like cake the BEST.
And I don’t think many of you will argue that, because who doesn’t love cake, you know?
muti colored buttercream
1st cake layer
1st cake layer with buttercream
2nd cake layer
2nd cake layer with buttercream
cake before covering in buttercream
The story of how this cake came to be is really pretty simple. In an effort to surround myself with more color and “pretty” things, I picked up a whole bunch of fresh berries and ordered way too many edible flowers. When purchasing the berries and flowers, I really didn’t have an idea as to what I would make with them. I just knew something good would follow.
Almost as soon as the flowers arrived at my doorstep, I began baking this cake. Something about the purple-toned dahlias and faded white elderflowers screamed blueberry cake to me. Instead of thinking twice about it, I just started cooking. Less than 2 hours later I was putting the finishing touches on what is now one of my favorites cakes… Yes, I kind of have a lot of favorites.
Here are all the details.
Start with the cake. It’s a combination of a fluffy vanilla cake, lemon cake, and blueberry cake. It’s so moist, just perfectly sweet, and has a hint of lemon flavor throughout. To get a really incredible and intense blueberry flavor, I used a mix of both fresh blueberries and blueberry jam. So yes, that’s double the blueberry action, and yes, this cake is very heavy on blueberry flavor. Every bite literally bursts with berries and it’s maybe one of the best things you will eat.
Kind of dramatic, but also kind of true.
For the buttercream, I had a lot of over the top ideas. But in the end, I actually stuck with something a bit simpler and did a blueberry-mascarpone buttercream. Since I really wanted this cake to be heavy on the blueberry flavor, I didn’t want the buttercream to compete with the cake, I wanted it to compliment.
Enter this mascarpone buttercream swirled with a small amount of blueberry jam to give the cake a very pretty color. Not going to lie, I did attempt an ombre frosted cake. But it didn’t really work out just as I envisioned in my head. Oddly, I’m OK with that, and even odder? I love the imperfect look.
It’s effortlessly pretty…
Which brings me to the best part about this cake. It’s actually fairly easy to make, and pretty too.
No special ingredients, nothing fancy, just pantry staples, and a whole love of blueberries. If you have access to edible flowers, those are of course welcome, but not needed.
I know a lot of people, myself included, can stress to create a cake that’s frosted perfectly. But what’s great about this blueberry cake is that it should look like a swirly, messy, unperfect cake. Just have fun swirling on the buttercream and don’t worry too much about how it looks. Promise, in the end, the cake will be beautiful no matter what.
And most importantly?
It’s going to be GOOD…SO GOOD.
There are not enough words to describe how good this cake is, but just know that every forkful is filled with fresh berries and sweet jam. Each layer is moist, hinted with lemon, and layered with sweet buttercream.
It’s exactly what you should bake this weekend. And with that, let’s take a summer Friday and happily make our way to the kitchen. It’s time for cake.
Thank God!
If you make this bursting blueberry lemon layer cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Bursting Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake.
Servings: 24
Calories Per Serving: 1583 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted coconut oil (can use melted butter or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup high-quality blueberry jam
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw using frozen)
Blueberry Buttercream
- 3 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons high-quality blueberry or blackberry jam
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the coconut oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, lemon juice, and zest. Add 3 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. 3. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and fold them into the batter. Swirl in the blueberry jam, leaving a few streaks of jam throughout the batter, it shouldn't be fully incorporated.4. Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.5. To make the buttercream. Add the butter, mascarpone, and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy. Divide the buttercream between 3 bowls. Mix 1-2 tablespoon jam into 1st bowl, then 2-3 tablespoons jam to the 2nd bowl. Leave the 3rd bowl plain. 6. To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread the darkest colored buttercream over the cake. Add the 2nd cake layer and spread with the lighter colored buttercream. Add the final cake layer and spread with the white buttercream. Lightly frost the outside of the cake, swirling the different shades together. It's shouldn't look "perfect". Chill 30 minutes. Serve, or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This post was originally published on June 7, 2019
Made this for Father’s Day and it was amazing! Super simple and beyond delicious. Not going to lie- I ate the leftovers for breakfast. Will definitely make again!
So great! And never any judgment! Thank you for trying this cake, Andrea! I am so glad it turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
Hi do you think I could sub the melted coconut oil for avocado oil? Or better with melted butter? Allergic to coconut ?
Hi! I would recommend melted butter. I think that flavor will taste much better! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi – I hate to say it, but I tried this and didn’t get a great result. I do bake, and followed this recipe exactly … and it was quite stodgy (“claggy” is the word my family used). Any idea what might have gone wrong?
I did wonder about 4 cups of frozen blueberries, which seemed like a LOT. Why do you double the amount from fresh? Surely they take up the same volume?
Hi Ursula, why did you double the amount of berries? I think that is the issue. Sorry you had trouble!
Girl, this is cake perfection (and quite worthy of adding to the cake favourite odyssey)!! May I ask where you adorable desert plates are from?
Hey Darcie! I SOOO wish I had the plate source, but my dad found these at a thrift store. So sorry I could not help more. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! Looks great…think I can sub for raspberries? Any recommendations if I do that? I have a friend who loves lemon raspberry and her bday is coming up.
Hi Heather! Raspberries with be so delicious and so pretty! Great idea! You shouldn’t need to make any adjustments, use equal amounts of raspberries. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Do you have to use parchment paper?
Hey Andrea! I the parchment paper ensures that the cakes will not stick to the pan. I so recommend using the parchment, but if you grease the cake pans well than I am sure it will be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I’m from Germany and want to make your cake for a Christening! I need to 1 1/2 time the recipe as its going to be a bigger cake, so can I base my ingredients off the metric list or would you recommend to rather use the cups for more accurate measurements?
Thank you!! Anna x
Hey Anna! I am much more familiar with using cups, so I would recommend using those measurements. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this today (my second ever layer cake) and it was sooo delicious! So easy to make too. The blueberries truly are bursting in every bite of this cake. The beautiful colors of the buttercream and the pairing of lemon + blueberry make this cake a true showstopper! Thank you again for another fantastic, easy layer cake recipe!!
Thank you so much Otillie! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Could I bake this in one 13×9 pan it would it have to split into two?
Hi Kylee! This is a bit too much batter for a 9×13 inch. I recommend reducing the cake recipe a 1/3 and then it should fit perfectly in a 9×13 inch pan. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this yesterday and it turned out great! I had to use 9 inch pans instead, and they were done (in my oven) in 28 minutes. Everyone loved this recipe! Thank you so much!
I am so glad everyone loved this Cynthia! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. Love the blog! Any thoughts on turning this into cupcakes? I’ve got a 2 year old’s birthday on the horizon and I think she’d love these!
I made this cake today and it was absolutely delicious! So moist, and tender and the icing went perfectly with the cake! Will be making again!
Yes! I love to hear that! Thank you Criston! xTieghan
Hi!
I wanted to make mini layer cakes out of this recipe using a sheet pan – any way you could let me know what the equivalent would be for the ingredients if i were making in a 13 x 18 size sheet pan?
Thank you!
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
I would actually recommend using the same measurements as listed. I have not tested baking the cake this way, but I do think it will work well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi,
Do you mix together the dry ingredients together first in a separate bowl, or just add them all individually to the mixer with the wet ingredients?
Hi Melissa! I just add the dry ingredients right into the mixer. No need to use an additional bowl. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love, love this recipe, and can’t wait to bake it for my family. With a few celiac issues in our family, any recommendations for making it gluten free?
Hi Lisa! I have not tested it, but I would recommend using your favorite GF flour blend. I know a few others have made this with a GF blend and have had success. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan