Lemon Layer Cake with Blueberry Filling Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

8 ounces unsalted butter 2 sticks at room temperature
2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 ½ tsp lemon extract
7 egg whites
3 cups cake flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups milk

Blueberry Filling

3 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice fresh squeezed
1 ½ tsp. grated lemon zest

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 eggs
12 ounces unsalted butter 3 sticks at room temperature
2 tbsp. lemon juice fresh squeezed

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper and butter the paper or use cooking spray.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract {or emulsion} until light and fluffy.
8 ounces unsalted butter, 2 cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract, 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7 egg whites
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to aerate the batter.
3 cups cake flour, 4 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ cups milk
Reserve 1 cup of the batter in a small bowl.
Divide the remaining batter equally among the 3 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. This gives you a smooth surface to work with.
Add 2½ tbsp. of the lemon blueberry jam {recipe below} to the reserved batter and blend well.
Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture from step above over the batter in the pans. Use a skewer to swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer stuck in the center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely.

Blueberry Filling

Puree the blueberries with any juices that have exuded in a blender. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer to remove the skins.
3 cups blueberries
In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring often for 20 minutes, or until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 1 cup.
¾ cup sugar, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp. grated lemon zest
To check the proper thickness place a small amount on a saucer and put in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through it. If a clear path is made through the preserve then it is ready. Let the preserves cool before using. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance).

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238° F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat.
1 cup sugar, ¼ cup water
In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs briefly. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl; be careful to avoid hitting the beaters or the syrup may splatter. When all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temperature. This can take 15-20 minutes.
2 eggs
Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the softened butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well between additions.
12 ounces unsalted butter
After adding the second set of two tablespoons of butter the mixture appeared to break down {I panicked a bit} but with a bit more beating it fluffed right back up.
Beat in the lemon juice and the frosting is ready to use.
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Assemble the Cake

To assemble the cake, place a layer, flat side up, on a cake stand. Spread half of the lemon blueberry jam over the top. Place a second layer on top of the first and spread the remaining jam over it. Finally place the third layer on top and frost the top and sides with the lemon buttercream. Decorate with fresh blueberries and serve.

As with any of my recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish.

Nutrition

Servings: servings

Calories: 563kcal

Author: Mary Beth

Cost: $12.00