January 22, 2018
Lemon & Blueberry Cake!
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A three-layer fresh lemon & blueberry cake with lemon sponges, fresh blueberries, lemon buttercream, and blueberry jam!
Lemon and blueberry cake
As its the new year, I wanted to do some cracking new recipes, and some fresh delicious recipes. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever been prouder of a cake because DAMN this one worked well. So well I refused to share the first go, and part of the second, and a little of the third…. I didn’t need to make the cake several times, but I did because I LOVED it so much.
I didn’t think blueberries would be any good at this time of year yet, but oh my they have been seriously delicious. So, this cake happened. I was wondering how I could make something fruity, and light, but so moreish and a bit of a showstopper… so I wanted something that would dazzle. The fresh blueberries in the sponges give the cake a whole new element.
I based it very similarly on my Biscoff cake, but used caster sugar instead of light brown sugar as I wanted a lighter sponge in flavour, and something that would help the blueberries along. I didn’t just want to make it blueberry however, and the best fresh flavour to match it is of course, Lemon. Helloooooo one of the best combinations ever. Ever.
Three layers
I went for a three layer cake because I just think they look insane, but there are notes below on how to make it only a two layer if you wanted. However, you will definitely want three layers. The sponge and flavour combination is so light, the three layer version is definitely better and more filling!
Lemons and blueberries
Thing is, to give it a bit of whammy, I added in two lemons worth of zest, along with the fresh blueberries, and to be honest you could eat the sponges just like that. However, I wanted more. There comes the blueberry jam, and lemon buttercream frosting. I always think using fresh Lemon Zest and then Lemon Juice in recipes is the best and truest way, but obviously sometimes using lemon extract is just easier.
However, when you had an awful cold, and your mum supplied you with ~endless~ lemons for hot lemon water, you have to use them up somehow. And cake is simply the best way! Blueberries are also healthy, so like.. its a healthy cake?! To be honest, cake is cake, but if you need to make yourself feel better, fruity cakes are ideal.
Decoration
Sometimes I do think that all I want is a chocolate cake, but other times I craving something not to filling, but fresh, like this! Yes, it still has buttercream in it which some people can find too much, but I purposely don’t overfill mine. I realise sometimes people can make my recipes and have buttercream leftover, but everyones piping tips are different, and piping techniques, but for this I had the exact amount.
Drizzling over the blueberry jam between the layer made it pretty, and gave it an extra flavour hint, but fresh blueberries on top were perfection. I am very proud of this cake, and the photography because I rediscovered my favourite food photography lense (Canon 50mm Macro) and yeaaaaaah buddy this was amazing. I hope you love this as much as I did, enjoy! x
Lemon and Blueberry Cake!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 400 g unsalted butter
- 400 g caster sugar
- 400 g self raising flour
- 8 medium eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 300 g blueberries
Buttercream Ingredients
- 350 g unsalted butter
- 700 g icing sugar
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1-2 tbsp boiling water
Decoration
- Blueberry jam
- 100 g blueberries
Instructions
For the Cake
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan and line three 20cm/8inch sandwich cake tins with baking parchment – leave to the side.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and caster sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, eggs, and lemon zest and beat again briefly until combined – try not to overbeat!
- Carefully fold through the 300g of fresh blueberries into the mixture.
- Divide the mixture between the three tins and smooth it over – bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are golden and when the cake springs back (skewer should also come out clean)!
- Once baked, leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes or so, and then remove and leave to cool fully on a wire rack. If the cake has domed slightly, leave the cake to cool upside down to flatten it slightly so its easier to decorate later!
For the Decoration
- Beat the butter with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes to loosen it – gradually add the icing sugar on a slow speed until it is combined, add the lemon juice, then speed the mixer up and mix for 3-4 minutes until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- If its too thick, gradually add the boiling water until you reach the desired texture – I usually add 2 tablespoons! Keep on beating for 2-3 minutes until whipped and silky smooth!
- Using your favourite piping tip, I used a large round tip, pipe the buttercream onto the bottom layer of the cake. Add some jam, I drizzle it slightly to make it look pretty, and add the second layer, and pipe buttercream on again, and then the jam again, and add the final cake layer.
- I then pipe the rest of my buttercream on top, and add on some extra fresh blueberries!
Notes
- This cake will last at room temperature for 3 days.
- I used a a large round tip to decorate my cake, but you can use any really!
- I used blueberry jam because I wanted an extra blueberry hint, but this is optional. Also, you can use lemon extract in the sponge and buttercream if you wanted instead of the fresh lemon zest and juice.
- The cake may take a little longer to bake due to the moisture coming from the blueberries, but don't worry, just wait till a skewer is clean and it's not making a bubbling sound anymore.
- You can try frozen blueberries, but be warned they may create even more extra moisture.
- I love this style of cake as you can tell from the few I have made, and I happen to have 3 8″ tins, if you don’t have 3 tins you can make a smaller version of the cake, use 300g of everything in the cake mixture rather than 400g, 6 medium eggs (and it might take an extra 5-10 minutes to bake) and use 2/3 of the decoration recipes!
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J x
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Hello, to do the 2 tier version, how many grams of blueberries would I need to put in the mix?
Thanks!
Hi, Would this recipe work with Blackberries as I have a lot in my garden?
Thank you
Yes, it should!!
Hi there. I was just wondering is there any way you could do this as a loaf cake rather than a three tier? Also, can this be frozen beforehand and then decorated at a later date? X
Hello!
I’d like to make 2 tiers but use 9inch baking tins. Would I need to adjust the recipe or baking time at all?
Thank you
Hi, I’m planning to make the 2 tin version of this with 6 eggs and 300g of other ingreds, but I’ve weighed my 6 eggs and they weigh 350g. Should I up the amount of other ingredients, or are they supposed to be less than the eggs? Thanks!! X
Hiya! It’s best to match to the eggs, so it may be a little more mix but it won’t do the cake any harm! x
I made your 2 layer version and it went down a treat!…….I would like to make a traybake (9 x13inch) with the cake recipe. Would the 2layer version be enough for a single layer traybake?…I plan to pipe the entire top with the buttercream. Thank you!
Can’t wait to make this cake! Do you think a cream cheese icing would work instead of buttercream?
absolutely, sounds yummy! x
Just made your above cake for the first time the lemon n blueberry, is the batter ment to be so thick, and once you’ve creamed the sugar n butter together you do put tge flour n eggs n rind in together, my cakes don’t look like yours they seem very decent, I cooked them on 160 fan oven hopefully they’ll be OK when I ice them, any ideas???
Yes I do – cake mix is often thick!
I made blueberry muffins once before (not one of your recipes) and they were so soggy from the blueberries and all the blueberries sank to the bottom. Does this happen with this cake and if so is there a way to stop that? Thanks
Hiya! Try rolling them in flour beforehand. Hope this helps! x
I am dairy free due to an allergy. Would it be to use a vegan butter/spread for the cake and icing? Thank you!
Hiya! Yes absolutely – be sure to use vegan butter block for the icing and be wary it will be a lot softer, so careful adding extra liquid to the icing! Hope this helps! x
So I’m getting married and mum came with me to the venue to an open event. Spoke to someone about wedding cakes/flavours and mum loved the sound of Lemon & Blueberry. Decided to make one for her 60th birthday as she absolutely loved it! I couldn’t find Blueberry Jam anywhere so I made my own which made it extra special. This cake is now a firm favourite along with your biscoff no bake cheesecake in our family! I’ve found a new hobby and cannot wait to try making some more of your amazing recipes!! Xx
Hello Jane,
I’m going to make this cake for my moms birthday. Could you please tell me if one can use cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream ( cream cheese ,icing sugar, vanilla and lemon juice )?
Also, would pouring a drizzle (lemon juice and sugar) over the sponges be too much and cause the cake to fall apart ?
Can I make and assemble the night before and not put it in the fridge ( I find the fridge always ruins the texture of the sponge !)
I made it with a mascopone lemon filling- was gorgeous
Hi
I made this as a tray bake. It was delicious. I made your back to basic recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting as the topping and drizzled over Blueberry jam.
Best frosting recipe I have ever used!
Just baked this halved the recipe and baked in two 20cm pans and added some lemon extract it’s looks amazing I had a little batter left and make a couple of cupcakes they tasted really good just waiting for it to cool so I can decorate. Your recipes always turn out great x
Can you change the flour for gluten free flour instead for this recipe?
I don’t see why not! x
I made this cake and it came out beautifully! I just did 2 tiers and reduced the ingredients as you recommended, and that worked great. It also didn’t require any longer in the oven which was good.
Also a note to say, I started baking your recipes during lockdown in January. Prior to that I was AWFUL at baking, it never seemed to go right and I avoided it like the plague as I had no confidence with it. However I’ve received nothing but compliments and people now request my bakes on a regular basis! (particularly your millionaires shortbread). My friends also bought me your cookbook for my birthday. So just a big thank you 🙂 your recipes have given me so much.
Hey! Awh this is such a lovely message to receive. I am so pleased you have found a love and confidence for baking with my recipes. I hope you enjoy the cookbook just as much when it arrives x
I love lemon and blueberry together and I really enjoyed making this cake, I wanted to know if I could make it as a tray bake using the measurements for a party.
Made this cake loads of times and is always beautiful. I was wondering if using different fruit would work like orange instead of lemon etc. If everything is in the same quantity would it turn out ok? Thanks xx
Hiya! Ahh yay I am so glad you love it. Yes it should do but I don’t know for sure xx
Hi Jane,
I made the cake this weekend and it was perfect. However, I want to bake the cake for my grandma who is diabetic. Is it possible to reduce the powdered sugar in the buttercream or does that change the consistency?
The same goes for the cake, could I reduce the sugar in that too or would it make the consistency different?
ps Love all your recipes and your blog is my go too for baking.
Thank you in advance.
Reducing the sugar will change the the bake for both the buttercream and cake unfortunately! x
I’m going to make this for my boyfriend today, but I only have 23cm tins to bake it in.. how much longer do you think it would take to bake in these?
So you would have to increase the recipe slightly or the sponges will be too thin – increase the recipe by about 1/3 over all and split between the three 9″ tins! I’m not certain on baking times however, but it would probably be about 40+ minutes but that is a guess!
I realised after posting this that I’d actually got two 20cm tins, not 23 like I had thought 😂 I forgot to put the blueberries in though, would I be able to fold them into the icing? I was planning on spreading it over the cake rather than piping it (purely so I get to use my new palette knives haha!)
Yeah you could crush the blueberries down a bit and fold them through the buttercream for a swirled look!! x
Hi Jane, I am looking to make this into a 6inch cake how would i adjust the cooking temp/time.
Thanks, Chelsea x
I’m unsure on timings I’m afraid as I rarely bake 6″ cakes – but temp would be the same x
This cake looks beautiful! I’m going to make it next week I think – do you have the nutritional content for it? My mum is watching her weight so is trying to count calories but I want her to still be able to enjoy it!
Hi Jane, I plan on making this cake Friday, however I’ve got large eggs not medium, how many large eggs would you say to use? Also, I could not find any blackcurrent jam at my local supermarket, I have blackberry though, do you think this will taste okay with the lemon and blueberries, or should I try another store – I don’t want to ruin the cake! Thank you!
You want to weigh the eggs in their shells and get as close to 400g as you can – then, match the butter/sugar/flour to that weight. So say 6 or 7 large eggs weighed 410g, use that weight! And yes I think that would taste nice x
Hi Jane I just made a sponge cake using the 200g ratio and used 4 medium eggs, I added 1 tsp of the Nielsen Massey lemon extract and my cake tastes quite eggy it was cooked very nicely not over cook or under cooked is it because I should’ve added a tad more of the extract?
Did you weigh the eggs? It could be that there was too much egg still if not. x
Love this cake! First made it as a Father’s Day treat for my husband (I have a feeling that Father’s Day cake will now be a tradition in our house after this!) and like every other recipe I’ve tried from this blog, it was so tasty and easy to do! Made it again since and was just as delicious second time round! 🤩
This looks absolutely amazing and I am going to be attempting to recreate this for my niece’s 1st birthday. I want to do vanilla and blueberry instead – do you know how much essence of vanilla I would need to use?
I would use 1.5tsps for the cake! x
Hi Jane! I’m hoping to make this Cake, but as a Vanilla with Blueberries as my friend doesn’t like Lemon. Is there anything that I need to change/alter?
Just leave out the lemon! X
Hi Jane, I’m baking this cake at the moment ready for my mums birthday tomorrow, can I prep the butter cream and leave in fridge overnight before decorating tomorrow? X
You can, but you will need to bring it back to room temperature naturally and then re-beat it tomorrow to liven it up again to be able to decorate with it (so it may not save you much time) x
Hi Jane,
Making this for a friend who loves lemon cake but doesn’t like fruit! Can I just take out the blueberry part? Thanks
Yes!! It might take a bit less time to bake because of the lack of fruit, but it works! x
Absolutely love this cake. So light and fluffy. Not dry at all. Mine looked a bit rustic as didn’t come out of the pans cleanly but all in one piece still. Lovely lemon flavour coming through from the cake and the buttercream. I scaled the buttercream back as don’t like too much and have made a lot of cakes with buttercream lately so might be sugar overload. 😂
Could you recommend an alternative to buttercream that I could try next time with this cake – as I will definitely be making this cake again.
I would say whipped cream would be lovely with this – it would make it so light! And I’m so glad you liked it! x
Lovely recipe, best cake I’ve ever made!
So simple to follow. Will definitely be making again! 🎂
Loved this recipe! It may have resembled the leaning tower of Pisa more than I would have liked but it was delicious none the less and went down a treat.
Hi Jane! My 13 year old daughter made this lemon and blueberry cake for my birthday and it was delicious. Big hit with everyone who tasted it.
What a fabulous cake and it was fun to make! Looks sensational and tastes awesome. I’ll definitely make this again.
I made the 300g quantity. Baked it in 2 x 8″ tins and then sliced the cooked cakes in half. It took about 45 mins to cook. I made the ‘jammy bit’ by cooking some blueberries and sugar in a pan. Today is a wonderful day of sharing it with my family!
Hi Jane, I absolutely love this cake, made it many times now. Do you know how I could convert the recipe to be 3 6” tins instead of 3 8” tins please?
I want to do 3 in 6 inch cake tins how did yours work with ingredients and timing?
Just made this cake, unfortunately my lemon buttercream was quite runny so didn’t pipe as well as I hoped. Is this because I used stork instead of unsalted butter? I love your recipes.
Yes – you must never use stork for buttercream – always unsalted butter as stated in recipes. The kind in foil is the ONLY kind I recommend! x
Hi, I am making this cake for a friend’s mother in law and I would like to cover the whole cake in buttercream. I was thinking of making another 50% of buttercream. Do you think that sounds about right?
Yes that sounds ideal!
Hi Jane I’m just in the middle of baking this cake and the smell coming from the oven is amazing!! I’m going to do a lemon buttercream with elderflower cordial just to be slightly different. I love all your recipes so I can’t wait to taste this one! Caroline x
Hi, would I be able to make this in 3 7″ cake tins instead of 8″ ones using the same quantities of ingredients?
You could, but it will take longer to bake and be very tall!
Hi Jane! I hope you’re well. Is it OK to freeze these cakes for a few days before assembling them?
It can affect the fruit sometimes, but if you don’t mind that then go for it!
Thank you, lovely! I have made this cake once before and it tasted amaaaaaazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I wanted to make it as a celebration cake for a cousin that’s just had twins, so I was wondering whether making it before this weekend and freezing would be a good idea! Do you think I’ll be better off sticking to a good old vanilla sponge?
I think if you NEED to freeze it then I would go with something else – you can still do the lemon, just leave out the blueberries! x
Got it! Thank you very much xx
Hi! Would this recipe work ok as cupcakes?? Giving it a whirl this afternoon! Thanks!
Yes I’m sure it would! I have a lemon & blueberry muffin recipe that’s already suited for 12 cupcake sizes – but this cake you will probably get 30 cupcakes or so!
I’ve made this cake twice now and both times it’s gone down a treat! Very easy and looks amazing.
Thank you!
Hi Jane, I made this cake for the first time last weekend and it was absolutely delicious, I had a problem with the buttercream though, I think it was way too soft and didn’t know how to salvage it so went with a cream filling instead. If I wanted to make the cake without the 3rd tier how much buttercream would I need (determined to make a success of the buttercream!). I had so many lovely compliments on the cake so I will certainly be making this again x
Hiya! Ah amazing! Most likely this weather hasn’t been helping with the buttercream. What butter did you use for the buttercream? And make 2/3 of the quantity as you’d only need enough for the two layers xx
Hi Jane, I just used an unsalted butter from the local supermarket, I think it may have been too soft, I should’ve probably stuck it in the fridge to slightly firm up a little – you learn by your mistakes I guess. Delicious cake though and I’m definitely trying more of your lovely recipes x
Ahh okay yes, well its the right butter so thats good! Room Temp butter these days is more liquid than anything haha! x
I absolutely love this recipe. Just one question how do I stop the blueberries sinking to the bottom of the cake? I’ve tried flouring the blueberries but still sink. Do you think sprinkling them on top of the mix just before adding to the oven?
Hey! yes sprinkling them over would be best! Also, try not to over mix your cake batter so its nice and thick and that should help as well!
I always dust any soft trust in a little self radiating flour before sprinkling into the batter. It stops then sinking right to the bottom…… mostly!
Hi Jane,
I made this cake in February and it turned out perfect! Such a hit with everyone who tried it! I am going to make it again his week but wondered if it would work with raspberries in place of the blueberries? Or would they be too soft? Thanks x
Should work well!!
Hi Jane,
This cake looks amazing! I want to make it for my boyfriend’s birthday this week but he lives in Germany and I am struggling to find self raising flour here. Do you know how much flour and baking powder I should use to replace the self-raising flour if I am making the 2 layer version?
For the 300g quantity of cake I would use 2tsps of Baking Powder with Plain Flour! x
I’ve just made this cake for my best friend’s birthday tomorrow and it looks amazing! Can’t wait to have a slice! Just one dilemma- it’s quite tall and I don’t have anything to transport/ store it in. What boxes/containers do you use for taller cakes?
Thanks for the recipe! x
Hiya! You can either use an actual cake box which are about 6-8″ tall roughly, or a large container… because I bake big cakes often I have a stash of both! x
Hi Quick question – can you freeze the sponge and then fill and decorate once defrosted or is that risky given the high moisture content?
Thanks for your help!
I’ve never personally tried it with this sponge, but I’ve had people tell me they’ve frozen it successfully! X
Hi Jane
Instead of using lemon zest (on cake) and lemon juice (on buttercream) how much of the lemon extract shall I use?
Thanks x
Use two teaspoons for each x
Made this last weekend and everyone absolutely loved it!
Your recipes are the best! xx
Ahh yay! Thank you! X
I cant see the recipe for the 2 layer cake? Where can i find it please?
It’s in the notes section.
This recipe won me first place in a work bake off! Thanks so much!
Cake looks great! Would like to make this cake and cover it in fondant for a communion cake . If I was to leave out the 300g of blueberries would the cake recipe need to be adjusted?
Thanks for your time, Jane
It might take a couple of minutes less time to bake but otherwise it should be the same! x
Hi Jane, I want to make this a 4 layer cake, do you recommend I do another half recipe along with the 3 layer recipe ? Many thanks
Hi Jane I can’t seem to find any blueberry jam (our local supermarket doesn’t stock it) is there any thing else you would recommend? Thanks xxx
You can try blackberry jam perhaps? xx
Made it for the family yesterday and everyone loved it!! Thank you!! Xxx
Hello,
Quick question, if I make the smaller two layer cake using 300g of the ingredients do I still use 300g of the blueberrys ? Can’t wait to make it ! x
Hiya! No I would use a little less, but its up to you. Probably 200g. x
I’m thinking of using this recipe for my wedding cake. Once covered in fondant, how long would the sponges last?
As long as its covered in fondant correctly and sealed in, a good few days! It has got a high moisture level though so that’s something to be wary of if covering in the fondant. x
This looks gorgeous Jane. Lemon and blueberry is one of my favourite flavour combinations x
Thank you, Victoria!! I utterly love the combination, so so yummy! X
Hi Jane
What brand of Blueberry Jam do you recommend?
Any really, but I used Hartleys as I had some already!