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What’s my favorite thing to do with blueberries? Take a giant handful and stuff them in my mouth. What’s my second favorite thing to do with them? This cake!
This summer, we did something we’ve been wanting to do for years. We took part in Coastal Mountain Land Trust’s annual free wild blueberry pick at Beech Hill Preserve.
It was a perfect sunny day, not too hot, and with a stunning vista of the bay, we joined the many enthusiastic pickers on the hill.
For four hours, you’re allowed to pick as many blueberries as you like. We filled our berry boxes (and our bellies!) and headed home with bright blue tongues and lips.
We ate blueberries for breakfast for days, but I also couldn’t resist making this blueberry lime layer cake, which I’ve been dreaming about for some time.
It’s a moist lime-infused cake, with a thick whipped cream cheese frosting, and a blueberry filling that has an optional splash of gin. It’s a wonderful August cake bursting with fresh summer flavours, quite decadent, but not too sweet. Ideally, it should be made with fresh wild blueberries, but frozen or high bush blueberries will be just as delicious. Enjoy!
Blueberry Lime Layer Cake With Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
This moist blueberry lime layer cake recipe features whipped cream cheese frosting and a blueberry filling that can be splashed with gin. (Recipe Courtesy of Aube Giroux of the Kitchen Vignettes blog)
- For the Lime Cake:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp organic lime zest (2 large limes)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (2 large limes, use the same ones you grated)
- 1 cup full-fat whole milk yoghurt
- For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 packages 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
- For the Blueberry Filling:
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour (or flour - for frozen berries, add an additional tablespoon)
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 2 Tbsp gin (optional)
- For Decorating (optional):
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Fresh lime slices
Ingredients
- Begin by preparing the blueberry filling as it will need time to cool. In a small saucepan, whisk together the tapioca flour, lime juice, and sugar and then add the blueberries. Simmer on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly so the tapioca flour doesn't clump as t thickens. Once the sauce is thick and has turned translucent, remove from heat and cool completely. If you wish, add the gin and stir well.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking power, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, lime juice, and lime zest.
- Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, fold in gently until combined. Follow with one-third of the yoghurt mixture and gently fold, being careful not to overmix. Continue adding the dry ingredients and yoghurt mixture into the batter this way, in amounts of one-third at a time, mixing gently until the batter is homogeneous.
- Divide the batter evenly into 2 buttered and floured 7 to 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto wire racks and cool completely.
- To prepare the cream cheese frosting, whip the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and silky. Gradually add the cream in 2 additions, whipping until the frosting has a very thick, spreadable consistency. Purée 1/3 cup of blueberry filling with a hand blender or in the food processor, and add it to the frosting mixture, beating well. If you want a darker color, you can add one more tablespoonful, but don't add too much or your frosting won't be thick enough to spread well.
- To assemble the cake: Once the cakes and blueberry filling are completely cooled, slice each cake carefully into two equal layers, using a sharp, serrated bread knife. Spread about 1/2 cup of cream cheese frosting on top of the first layer. Then add one third of your blueberry sauce on top of the frosting and spread it out evenly. Repeat until you reach the final cake layer. Now you can cover your entire cake with the rest of your frosting. Top with fresh blueberries, lime slices, and some purple edible flowers from your garden, such as lavender or oregano flowers.
Directions
Aube Giroux is a food writer and filmmaker who shares her love of cooking on her farm-to-table blog, Kitchen Vignettes.
Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series was nominated for a 2014 James Beard Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine’s Best Food Blog award in the video category.