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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.
I loved the cake and so did the family! Can you add lemon flavor to the frosting recipe?
Hey Kelli,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! Sure, you could totally do that! xTieghan
Decided to make this cake for my boyfriends birthday but unfortunately it was a flop and ended up being thrown out. I followed the instructions to a T and it turned out very very dense and had the consistency of cookie dough. Not sure what went wrong.
Hi Ewa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it did not turn out for you!! Unfortunately, it sounds like you may have missed a step or an ingredient in the recipe based on the cookie dough description, that definitely should not be the texture. Were your eggs at room temp or is it possible the batter was over mixed? Let me know how I can help! xT
Delicious! I made this for hubby’s birthday a couple days ago. I used three 6” pans because that’s what I had. Cooked a little longer. Way better the second day. Will make muffins/cupcakes next time. Final product was too tall. So easy, so pretty, so delicious!
Hey Terah,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! I love to hear that it was a hit:) Have the best weekend?
Can’t wait to make this cake for my dad’s birthday on Saturday! If I only have a 9 inch cake pan, what adjustments should I make to cooking time?
Hi Meg,
Follow the recipe as is, just keep any eye on them towards the end:) I hope you love the recipe! Happy Birthday to your dad! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. This is my family’s favourite cake ever! In efforts to try and make this cake a tad smaller, how would you adjust this recipe to either be a single layer cake or a loaf cake?
Hey Nikki,
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe for often, I am so glad it is always enjoyed:) I would cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 inch cake pan! xx
I made this for my mom’s 80th birthday and it turned out to be as delicious as it looks! I really love the amount of fruit in the cake. I made your blackberry lavender cake at least 3 times in the Spring so I knew this one was going to be amazing too!
Hey Kara,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out and sharing your review:)
Made it and liked it a great deal. Has a “breakfast cake” – is that a thing? – character likely due to the blueberries, jam, buttermilk, and (for me, anyway) coconut oil. I used only two shades/colors of frosting, instead of three, to save on bowls to clean. But otherwise followed the recipe. The only reason this isn’t a five star is because it lacks some sweetness and so doesn’t have a lot of punch. Still, it was a big hit with ages 4 through 49.
Hey David,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! I hope you had a great holiday weekend!?
I agree the cake is not fluffy. More dense, but the frosting is amazing and I use this recipe in a lot of different cakes.
If I make the cake the night before and plan to add buttercream the next day, do I need to refrigerate the cake?
Hey Samantha,
Nope, you can keep the cake in an airtight container at room temp. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi, I’ve been asked to make this cake in August.
Going to make it a 9×13, 2 layers.
Planning to use a white cake mix?
Any tips or suggestions?
TIA
Hi Angi,
So sorry, I am not clear on what you are doing. What do you plan to do with the white cake mix? That isn’t part of the recipe:) I would stick with round cake pans for doing a layer cake. If you want to use the 9×13 pans I would just keep them as 2 separate cakes. Please let me know how I can help. xTieghan
OOOps! My bad, I commented on the wrong thread!
I got two different recipe threads mixed up.
Sorry for the confusion.
I am making the Bursting Blueberry Lemon cake,
as a 9 x 13 cake, period. No layers. No cake mix!!
This cake is delicious!! Made with help from my 6yo and 21 month old. We cut the sugar by 3/4C and still plenty sweet for our liking. Ended up making 2 12” rounds and only frosted one. Going to eat the “plain” one for breakfast. Thanks T!
Hey Lisette,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback!! 🙂
This is an awesome cake?? I’ve made this cake 3 times and it’s turned out perfectly every time. I made it last night as a sheet cake and 6 large muffins. It’s going to be 90* today and I have to transport it to a birthday party. I already know it’ll be wonderful no matter what form it comes in! The large muffins are for my husband and his morning coffee. The cake is so moist I won’t even frost the muffins. Super recipe!
Hey Lisa,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your review:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xx
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it! I’m wondering if you’ve ever frozen a cake after baking and decorating? Wanted to make this ahead of time and take it on a road trip while frozen to eat on a trip later.
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so much!! I think the best way to freeze a cake is to just make the layers and freeze those. The frosting is best made fresh:) I hope this helps! xTieghan
Hey Teigan, I am in Colorado too, at 6,500 feet. Does this recipe need any adjustments for success at altitude? Thanks!
Tieghan! * (Apologies, I spelled it wrong the first time)
Hey Julie,
No changes need to be made, you can follow the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love the cake!! xx
I made into cupcakes to take camping. Baked for 25 mins.
Thanks for trying the recipe Megan!!
Question, looks delicious but any suggestions for making it diary free?
Thanks
Hi Evelyn,
So sorry, I’ve not tested this with dairy free products which would require quite a few. You could certainly give it a try! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Tieghan, that is such a great tip to “cook until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the centre”. I used to cook until a toothpick came out clean, and sometimes that dried things out. Because of course they keep cooking for a bit when out of the oven. Thank you!
Made your Coconut Cake with Chocolate Frosting for our last party, and one of the guests said, “I’m fifty years old, and this is the best cake I’ve ever tasted!” Made my day 🙂
Hey Pauline,
Happy Monday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback!! Have the best week:) xx