Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

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This Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting is the perfect cake for Springtime! Three perfectly thick layers of light and fluffy lemon infused cake loaded with sweet fresh blueberries. Then, after baking, each cake layer is generously frosted with the easiest and silkiest lemon buttercream. Every bite tastes just like spring and summer! It’s moist, bursting with flavor, oh-so easy to make, and SO. GOOD. This is the perfect cake for any and every occasion!

About The Recipe

I have been SO excited to share this cake with all of you. Honestly, I think this might be our ULTIMATE spring/summer dessert!

We know that y’all love lemon and blueberry desserts. One of our most popular recipes is our Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake from last summer! So, this year, we knew we needed to share another treat that was the same flavor combo, but more impressive and more delicious.

This cake really does have it all. Flavor, texture, ease of making…what more could you want?

Though, when we were developing this recipe, we originally had in mind a traditional 8-inch cake. We thought more the merrier! But, when the test batch was made, it turns out the amounts were more suited for a 6-inch cake.

Since it was simply a test, we dumped the cake batter from the 8-inch pans into some 6-inch pans and let them bake.

After the test cake was said and done, it was just SO CUTE as a 6 inch cake that we just had to leave it as such.

The layers are thick, but not too thick, literally bursting with fresh blueberries, perfectly moist, and so incredibly tender.

It’s the perfect cake to celebrate any and every occasion, whether that be spring/summer holiday’s, birthday’s, or just whenever you’re craving a decadent and oh-so delicious lemon blueberry treat!

Reasons You Will Love This Lemon Blueberry Cake

• Makes a 6-inch cake! This makes enough cake to share with friends and family, but not so much that you have a lot leftover. A win-win!
• Perfectly lemon-y and bursting with fresh blueberries.
• So much easier to make than you might think.
• Ready in about 1 hour.
• Can be decorated however you wish!
• The perfect bake for the spring/summer months.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Hand Mixer
• Three 6-Inch Cake Pans
• Cooling Rack
• Revolving Cake Stand
• Offset Spatula

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Cake:

• All-Purpose Flour – No need for fancy cake flour for this recipe! Regular unbleached all-purpose gives this cake the perfect structure and texture.
• Baking Powder – Leavening is essential in baking! This provides the perfect rise in the cake to give is a light, tender, and delicious texture.
• Baking Soda – For this recipe, we add a dash of baking soda to ensure the rise of this cake, as it does have an acidic ingredient!
• Lemon Zest – Helps carry the lemon flavor throughout the cake.
• Granulated Sugar – Sugar does so much for baked goods other than sweeten! It keeps the cake soft, moist, it helps promote browning…it is an essential ingredient for structure and flavor!
• Salted Butter – We opted to use salted butter for this recipe, which is why there is no added salt!
• Large Eggs – Remember to set our your eggs ahead of time to allow them to come to room temperature before mixing.
• Sour Cream – This is our secret ingredient in this cake. By using a little bit of sour cream, it adds extra fat to the cake! Which, in turn, creates a more tender crumb.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice adds a bright punch of lemon flavor to the cake.
• Vanilla Extract – A splash of vanilla helps round out all of the flavors in this cake to deliver a delicious and well-rounded bite!
• Whole Milk – Adding whole milk to a cake does SO MUCH! From creating a lighter, stronger crumb, to activating the leavening, and even making the cake itself a little richer.
• Fresh Blueberries – This cake is literally BURSTING with blueberries! There are so many and it adds a delicious flavor to this already yummy cake.

For The Frosting:

• Salted Butter – Be sure to use room temperature butter to give the frosting a silky and smooth texture.
• Powdered Sugar – For the best texture, measure out and then sift powdered sugar!
• Lemon Zest – Infuses the frosting with flavor.
• Lemon Juice – Just enough to give this buttercream a bright lemon flavor.

How To Make This Lemon Blueberry Cake

Step 1: Prepare cake batter

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest. Set aside.

In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 2 Tablespoons flour. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat well.

Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Fold in blueberries.

Step 2: Bake

Divide evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Allow to cool in pans for 15-20 minutes before turning out.

Step 3: Make frosting

Combine butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl. Beat on low speed until combined. Raise speed to high. Beat until light and fluffy.

Step 4: Frost cake

Level the cake layers, if needed. Place one cake layer on cake plate and spread with a layer of frosting.

Repeat with second layer. Add the third layer.

Frost entire cake.

How To Achieve The Perfect Buttercream

There are are a few things you can do to make sure you get the creamiest, silkiest buttercream every single time!

The first is making sure your butter is room temperature. This is super important! Another is sifting your powdered sugar. Lumps of powdered sugar = lumpy buttercream!

Then, thoroughly whip/beat your buttercream. You want it light, fluffy, and completely smooth.

Decorating Ideas

Once this cake is assembled, it is a blank canvas! There are SO many things you can do with this cake, but here are a few ideas to help you get started.

• Fresh Edible Flowers – Flowers can add a gorgeous POP of color to this cake. If you are using fresh flowers, be sure to wrap the stems in plastic wrap and wash any petals that may touch the cake. Remember to discard the flowers before serving!
• Buttercream – Of course, you can always make more frosting to decorate this cake! From piping simple patterns or shapes onto the cake to coloring the frosting to create a beautiful design.
• Sprinkles – Sometimes, simpler is better! Use seasonal sprinkles to add a cute and festive element to this cake.
• Fresh Fruit – To finish this cake, you can decorate it with candied lemon slices and fresh blueberries, if desired!

How To Store

Since this is a very moist cake, the best way to store it is in a covered cake plate and in the fridge for 5-6 days!

Though, if needed, you can also freeze this cake. You can either freeze the individual layers before assembly or you can freeze individual slices of this cake for up to 2 months.

Substitutions

• You can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh, if desired.
• Unsweetened full-fat greek yogurt can be used instead of the sour cream.
• This recipe can be made vegan if you use plant based butter, your favorite vegan egg replacer (we love aquafaba!), vegan sour cream or unsweetened plant based yogurt, and unsweetened plant based milk.

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake, Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake, Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake, Lemon Pound Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Expert Tips

• Don’t skip coating the blueberries in flour!
• Be careful to not over-mix the cake batter.
• When dividing the cake batter, it’s best to use a ladle and a scale to help ensure each cake layer is even!
• If you’re unsure if the cake is baked, you can use a cake tester or a toothpick to test the cakes. If it comes out clean, the cake is fully baked!
• Let the cake layers cool COMPLETELY before assembling the cake.
• Depending on how the cakes bake, you may or may not need to level the cake layers.
• If you’d like, when frosting this cake, you can do a crumb coat to help ensure a clean and crumb-free frosting.
• To get clean slices, wipe your knife after each cut!

When you make this Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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