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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.
Hello!
What is the size of the round cake pans you used?
Thanks!
Hey Karen,
I used 3 (8 inch) round cake pans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy! xTieghan
I made this for my daughters first birthday! Everyone absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Hey Alissa,
Happy Sunday! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you taking the time to make it! xTieghan
This cake was SO TASTY! Not too sweet, perfect lemon flavor, berries in every bite, and super moist.
I used a 9×13″ pan and it took a bit longer to bake, about 45 minutes. I took the suggestion of using blackberry jam instead and it was super yummy. I plopped the jam on top of the batter once it was already in the pan and swirled it in that way and it retained the swirls well. Lastly, I made a simple cream cheese frosting (cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla) and it was excellent. My whole family was exclaiming how amazing it was! Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Alison,
Happy Wednesday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi, looks heavenly! Is there any ingredient you’d suggest as a substitute for Greek yogurt?
Hey Ella,
You could use sour cream in place of the greek yogurt. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
How tall is the cake?
Hey Samantha,
Sorry, not totally sure about that! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m so excited for this cake! I’ve baked the cake part and plan to frost it tomorrow. I don’t want the cake drying out in the fridge. Do you think it’s okay to leave covered at room temperature for a day?
Hey Julianna,
Yes, that is just fine to do! Thanks for giving the recipe a try:) xTieghan
I made this cake yesterday and it is dense. Do you know what would cause this? Otherwise, it turned out beautiful and is delicious!
Hey Kayla,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Sorry to hear it was dense, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can we make this cake eggless?
Hey there,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe without the egg. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is hands down, the most BEAUTIFUL and DELICIOUS cake EVER!!! It is moist, not overly sweet, and light and fluffy. I will be making this for company and on repeat. Had your sheet pan salmon last night which is also AMAZING!!! Thank you for bringing delicious and beautiful food into our home.
Hey Anna,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
I have previously made lemon cakes,any of which were overly sweet. This cake is perfect! I read that some people had issues with the coconut oil seizing, so I mixed over a bowl of warm water. I also used gluten free cup-for-cup, it came out perfect. A must try for summer berry season.
Hey Kim,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend☀️ xTieghan
Planning to make this cake it looks amazing
Would liquid coconut oil work?
And would regular plain yogurt work?
Hey Amanda,
Yes, you will want to use 1 cup of melted coconut oil and plain yogurt will be just fine to use in place of the sour cream. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Sounds wonderful … I am about to make it. Just wanted to verify 1 TBL of vanilla? Not 1 tsp.? Thanks.
Hey Jackie,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I’m going to make this for my daughter’s birthday this weekend. I just picked up blueberry preserves at the farmers market. Can preserves be used instead of jam? I wondered if it would make a difference.
Thank you!!
Hey Dawn,
I’m sure that would also work well! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can this be converted to cupcakes? Thank you
Hey Vanessa,
Yes, that should work well for you, I would start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I made this yesterday for today’s 4th of July celebration. I’m not much of a cake baker or decorator but it turned out so good! Would post a picture of mine but don’t see that I can do that.
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
I made this yesterday for today’s 4th of July celebration. I’m not much of a cake baker or decorator but it turned out so good! Would post a picture of mine but don’t see that I can do that.
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Am I able to freeze this if I made them up as cupcakes?
Hey Whitney,
I’m sure that would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this for my mother-in-laws birthday and it was delicious. The flavors were perfect for summer. My in-laws are not sweat lovers, but they absolutely loved this cake. I ended up using blueberry and blackberry jam and I loved the combo. The lemon juice and lemon zest were the perfect compliment. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Hey Lindsay,
I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy 4th of July!?? xTieghan