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Very blueberry layer cake

blueberry layer cake
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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Recipe makes one 9-inch creamy blueberry layer cake, that is wonderfully rich and moist. It can be easily cut into 8 pieces, or more.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 375g (13.2 oz or 2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 225g (1 cup or 2 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 385g (13.5 oz or 1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) whole or part skimmed milk
  • 220g (7.8 oz or 3/4 cup) sour cream

Blueberry sauce

  • 60ml (1/4 cup) water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 small lemon)
  • 75g (about 1/2 cup) frozen blueberries

Filling

  • 500ml (2 cups + 1 tablespoon) heavy cream, cold
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 130g (4.5 oz) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 400g (14 oz) frozen blueberries, thawed

Frosting + decorations

  • 60g (2 oz) frozen blueberries, thawed
  • 250ml (1 cup + almost 1 TBSP) heavy cream, cold
  • 70g (2.5 oz) white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
  • daisies or similar flowers (optional)

Instructions

Cake

  1. Butter two 23×5-cm (9×2-inch) cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper and sprinkle the sides with flour. Set aside. (Look at notes if using just one pan.) Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and sour cream and set that aside too.
  3. In a large bowl (or in your mixer) beat butter until creamy and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lastly whisk in the vanilla paste.
  4. With the mixer set on low, or by hand, alternately add the flour and milk mixtures, starting and ending with flour (so you add flour – milk – F – M – F). Divide the batter and pour it into the prepared pans. Smooth the surface with a spatula and bake each cake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Cool cake for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan (run a knife around the edges, invert cake onto a plate, remove parchment paper and then invert again on a large plate). Cool completely.

As the cakes bake make the blueberry sauce

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for a few minutes. The water will become purple just as the blueberries, it’ll thicken a bit and the blueberries will be soft.
  2. Remove from heat, set aside and cool completely.

Filling

  1. In a large bowl cream together the mascarpone and lemon zest. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream with sugar on low-medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla paste and whisk until incorporated. Slowly fold the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture just until incorporated. Then fold in the blueberries (use a small whisk to gently stir them in).

ASSEMBLY:

  1. First level each cake (if needed) and split each cake layer in two, so you get 4 equal layers.
  2. Put the first layer on a large plate and brush some blueberry sauce over it. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the cake. Repeat with two more layers. Cover with the last, 4th, layer. Transfer the cake to the fridge and let the filling set, while you make the frosting. TIP: Use a 9-inch cake baking ring when filling the cake to prevent the filling from coming out the sides. Remove the ring before your frost the cake.

Make the frosting as the cake chills:

  1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the melted chocolate and blueberries, gently whisk until incorporated. Spread the frosting over the cake, starting at the top and then brushing it down the sides. This is done easily with a frosting spatula.
  2. Chill cake in the fridge until frosting sets, then decorate and chill until you are ready to serve. Cake keeps, covered in the fridge, for up to 3 days.

Notes

I’m using wild blueberries for this recipes. They’re smaller, with a deeper color. If you can’t get wild blueberries, use cultivated instead, but crush them a bit before using, so they release some of their color. Recipe for cake layers adapted from Joy of baking. ON CAKE LAYERS If you only have one pan, divide the batter, pour 1/2 into a pan and bake that cake first. When the first cake bakes, remove it from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes then remove it from the pan. Wash the pan and prepare it like you did the first time (butter, line bottom with parchment paper, flour the sides). As the first cake bakes, keep the second half of cake batter in the bowl, covered with foil, at room temperature. MAKE AHEAD When the cakes are baked, cool them completely, then wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Keep cakes on the counter, at room temperature, overnight, and split into layers + assemble the cake the next day. The cake stays wonderfully moist. For longer storage, keep the uncut cakes well wrapped in the freezer. Blueberry sauce can be made ahead too. Once cooked, put it in an airtight container or a covered glass jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. 

Find it online: https://www.sugarsalted.com/very-blueberry-layer-cake/