Blueberry Layer Cake
A tender blueberry layer cake featuring moist crumb, blueberry compote, and creamy frosting with a hint of tangy blueberry flavor.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 200 grams All-Purpose Flour (I use Gold Medal)
- 200 grams Sugar
- 43 grams Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (see Note #1)
- 1.5 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 0.75 teaspoon Salt
- 2 large Eggs
- 0.75 cup Buttermilk
- 1.5 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 0.25 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Natural Blueberry Emulsion (I recommend Olive Nation Blueberry Emulsion. See Note #2)
- 0.125 teaspoon liquid red food coloring (see Note #3)
- 170 grams frozen blueberries
- 3 ounces salted butter, melted (3/4 stick)
For the Frosting
- 715 grams powdered sugar (you may add additional as described in step 5)
- 2 tablespoons instant clearjel (optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 10 ounces Salted Butter (soft to the touch, 2.5 sticks)
- 1.5 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 0.5 teaspoon Natural Blueberry Emulsion
- reserved blueberry puree (use to color and flavor the frosting)
- prepared White Chocolate Ganache Drip
- Fresh Blueberries for decoration
For the Blueberry Filling
- 1 batch prepared Easy Blueberry Filling (please note the batch size)
Instructions
Preparation
- Prepare the blueberry compote and reserved puree. In a small saucepan, combine frozen blueberries, a little sugar, and a splash of water; simmer until thickened. Remove half to reserve as puree. Chill both.
Making the Cake Batter
- Whisk together flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, blueberry emulsion, and liquid red food coloring until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the frozen blueberries and melted butter, then divide batter between prepared cake pans.
Baking
- Bake the layers until the tops are golden and spring back lightly, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans for a few minutes before transferring to racks.
Making the Blueberry Buttercream
- Beat softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, then mix in vanilla, blueberry emulsion, and reserved puree until you achieve desired consistency.
Assembly
- Level the cooled layers if necessary. Spread buttercream on the bottom layer, add blueberry filling, and top with the next layer. Repeat with the final layer.
- Apply a crumb coat and chill until firm.
- Apply final buttercream layer and pour the white chocolate ganache drip around the edges. Top with additional compote and fresh blueberries.
Serving
- Chill briefly to set the ganache. For clean slices, chill for 20-30 minutes before slicing with a hot knife.
Notes
Keep the blueberries cold when folding them into the batter. Storing solutions for leftovers are also included, either refrigerated or frozen. Make-ahead tips provided to save time.