Lemon and Blueberry Layer Cake
A real eye-catcher, this cake is perfect for Sunday lunches, birthdays and all the get-togethers of spring and summer. You bake the cake with The Old Mill White Unbleached Plain Flour and you assemble it with an easy lemon frosting and a jar of our Mountain Blueberry Preserves. Not only are the blueberry preserves a natural flavor partner to lemon, but preserves keep the cake moist and even more delicious.
Yield: 12-16 Servings
LEMON AND BLUEBERRY LAYER CAKE
Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 32 MinTotal time: 1 H & 17 M
Ingredients
Cake
- Solid vegetable shortening and flour for greasing the pans
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup whole milk, divided use
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups sifted The Old Mill Plain Flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoons
- 1 medium lemon, zest and juice
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 small lemon, zest and juice
- Milk as needed, about 3 tablespoons
Garnish
- 1 jar (10.5 ounces) The Old Mill Mountain Blueberry Preserves
- Fresh blueberries and lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening and flour, and set aside.
- Place the egg yolks, ¼ cup of the milk, and the vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low just to blend, 15 seconds. Add the soft butter, the remaining ¾ cup milk, and the grated zest and juice of the lemon. Mix on low until the ingredients are moistened, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat about 1 ½ minutes or until batter is stiff. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture to the batter in three batches, beating between additions until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter between the two pans, and place in the oven. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center, about 25 to 32 minutes. Let the cake layers cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes, then invert onto the racks to cool completely before icing.
- For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting, place the butter in a large bowl of the electric mixer, and mix until the butter is soft, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and the pinch of salt and mix on low to incorporate, about 15 seconds. Add half of the lemon juice and zest along with 1 tablespoon milk and mix until smooth. Add a second cup of confectioners’ sugar, and mix to combine, then add the rest of the lemon juice and zest, and combine. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to pull the frosting together to be spreadable. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
- To assemble the cake, place one cooled cake layer on a cake stand. Spread with about ½ cup of the frosting. Top with about ½ cup of the blueberry preserves. Place the second layer on top. Spread the tops and sides with the remaining frosting. Spoon the remaining (or as much as you like) blueberry preserves over the top. Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, if desired. Slice and serve.