Lemon Blueberry Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

You have heard me talk incessantly about the cake decorating classes that I have been attending over the past few months, and sadly you’re going to have to bear with me for one more day as I discuss how much these classes have changed my life. I’ve lost so much confidence in my abilities and myself over the past few years, due to the issues that I’ve been facing at work. It’s difficult to not be able to do what you do best, and having no idea how to move on in the future. I know that I won’t be making cakes for a living for the rest of my life, but the fact that I took a small step to learn something that I’ve only been dreaming about for years, has given me a great sense of accomplishment. Never would I have expected that my final cake would have turned out so spectacular. A week ago, as I was making the royal icing flowers to decorate the cake with, I was absolutely positive that I would have the most hideous cake ever made, so imagine my utter surprise and bewilderment at the final outcome. It seems that all of my OCD issues are finally serving me well, especially when it comes to basket weave; sometimes being super meticulous has its advantages.

I’m looking forward to participating in the next two courses, but am taking a small break due to other obligations. Easter is my chance to put all that I’ve learned into practice, so get ready to see what I come up with. I’m having a hard time deciding which designs and techniques I want to use, because I like so many of them. As of now I’m thinking of creating some form of carrot cake and perhaps homemade individual peanut butter eggs. I also have a funny idea for an Easter cookie, whose recipe is something along the lines of this. It may seem a bit weird, but I think it will be cute and funny once finished and properly packaged. Hopefully my grand plans will become a reality and you’ll be able to see the end results here over the next month.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
Zest and Juice of 3 Lemons
1 1/2 Cups Unthawed Frozen Blueberries
1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour

Buttercream:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans; set aside.
Cream the butter on medium speed for 1 minute.
Add sugars; mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients on low speed, just until incorporated.
Add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the bowl; stir lightly with a spatula until everything is just combined.
Toss the blueberries in the tablespoon of flour, and then fold into the batter gently.
Spoon the batter evenly into the cake pans.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, before removing them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Buttercream:

Cream the butter in a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed, just until the sugar has been incorporated into the butter.
Add the salt, vanilla, and cream; mix on low speed for 1 minute.
Increase the speed to medium-high; mix for 8 minutes.

Suggestions:

If you forget to leave your eggs out to come to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
Use a measuring cup to evenly distribute the batter between the two cake pans.
There is no need to sift the powdered sugar, before adding it to the butter for the buttercream.
You can replace the heavy whipping cream with milk.
There will be just enough buttercream to apply a 1/4-inch layer between each cake level, as well as frost the entire outside of the cake. If you want to add any further decoration, I suggest making two batches of buttercream.
If you make an extra batch of buttercream to decorate your cake with, you may want to add 1/2 cup to 1 cup additional powdered sugar, so that it has a thicker consistency.