Lemon-Blueberry Leo Cake
A bright lemon-blueberry layer cake with cream cheese frosting and tangy homemade lemon curd. Bold enough for a Leo birthday, easy enough for a Tuesday. Tastes like the sun feels.
Equipment
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Parchment Paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Medium Saucepan
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Offset Spatula
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- zest of 2 lemons lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (tossed in 1 tbsp flour)
Lemon Curd
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
- 1 pinch salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line bottoms with parchment circles, grease again, and flour lightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and lemon-scented sugar (rub lemon zest into sugar first) on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Batter may look curdled – that's normal.
- With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions alternating with buttermilk in two additions, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- Gently fold floured blueberries into batter with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make lemon curd: In a small saucepan whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened (coats back of spoon), about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill at least 30 minutes.
- Make cream cheese frosting: Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Assemble cake: Place one layer on serving plate. Spread chilled lemon curd over top, leaving 1/2-inch border. Top with second layer. Frost top and sides with cream cheese frosting. Decorate with fresh blueberries, lemon slices, or edible flowers.
Notes
Storage: Assembled cake keeps 3-4 days in fridge in airtight container. Bring to room temp 30 minutes before serving. Unfrosted layers can be wrapped and frozen up to 3 months. Lemon curd freezes 2 months.
Dairy-Free: Use vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese. Replace buttermilk with oat milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten-free flour blend plus 1 tsp xanthan gum if needed.
Tip: Don't overmix once flour is added. Room temp ingredients are key. If frosting is too soft, chill 15 minutes before spreading.