Simply Suzanne's AT HOME: blueberry cake

You'll love this Summer-inspired cake!

I made it for my mom's birthday last week. She's a big fan of fruit desserts!

I wanted to make her something special, so I browsed through my personal cookbook and came across a hand-written recipe for blueberry cake.

What makes this cake extraordinary is that it's made with real blueberries . . . 4 cups of pureed blueberries. Yes, 4 cups!

The pureed blueberries give this cake its gorgeous dark blueish purple color.

What makes it so special, besides the blueberries, is that I spread lemon curd on each layer before I frost it, brightening each and every layer with lemon.

And the frosting . . . it's a light and luxurious whipped cream that's flavored with lemon curd.

When I was planning this cake, I wanted to make something that was light and flavorful, since rich desserts can taste too heavy during hot Summer months.

What goes great with the subtle flavor or blueberries . . . lemons, of course! So I paired this wonderfully light blueberry cake with a lemon curd whipped cream.

And the result . . . a Summer-inspired cake that is so light and delicious, that you'll find yourself going back for seconds (and maybe even thirds)!

Happy Summer!

blueberry cake
makes 1 (9-inch) 3 layer cake or 2 (6-inch) 2 layer cakes

. . . . . . .

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

4 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups frozen blueberries, thawed and pureed
*the longer you blend the blueberries, the darker the puree

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
mint leaves for garnish, optional

lemon whipped cream frosting (ingredients & recipe follows)

. . . . . . .

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 3 9-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, blueberry puree, and vanilla.

In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with blueberry puree/sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until well combined.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

** For an extra moist and delicious cake, I always slice each layer in half (horizontally), as seen in the photo. Thinner layers of cake mean more frosting between each layer, making every bite that much more delicious, especially when you spread something like lemon curd on top of each layer!

Spread 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Curd on the top of each layer of cake, set aside. Prepare frosting.

Spread Lemon Curd Whipped Cream frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Adorn with fresh blueberries and sprigs of fresh mint leaves.

Keep refrigerated until you serve.