Marbled Lemon-Blueberry Cake

The lemon and blueberry flavor of this cake is incredible! The cake has a tender texture, but it is still sturdy enough to stack. I increased the yield of the cake for my purposes, but you can just half the recipe to make a triple layer cake or only make a third of the recipe to make a two-layer cake. I combined a few recipes to come up with this version. I filled the cake with blueberry buttercream that I made using my favorite buttercream recipe with blueberry preserves mixed in. The recipe for homemade blueberry preserves is great--the fresh ginger really adds some "zing" to the preserves. The cake was frosted with lemon curd buttercream.

Lemon Cream Cake

1 pound unsalted butter (room temp)
1 pound 12 ounces sugar
6 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 pound 13 ½ ounces cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound 12 ounces sour cream (room temp)
4 ounces fresh lemon juice (room temp)

Prepare cake pans. Soak cake strips. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after adding each one. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk the dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and lemon juice.

For lemon-blueberry marble cake, set aside 2 cups. Add 5 tablespoons blueberry preserves to this batter.

Divide the plain batter among the prepared pans. Level the tops. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of blueberry mixture over batter in pans. Using a skewer or parking knife, swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in. and bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until the sides just begin to pull away from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 15 minutes, before running a dull knife around the edges of the layers and carefully flipping them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely before filling and frosting.

Source: KAF Baking Sheet Winter 2010 p. 2-3
1 recipe makes enough batter for about six 9-inch round pans.
Batter Wt: 1 pound 3 ounces per 9-inch round cake pan

Lemon-Blueberry Preserves (Makes about 3 cups)

2 pounds 13 ounces blueberries (fresh or frozen & thawed)
15 ¾ ounces granulated sugar
3 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Puree the blueberries with any juices they have exuded in a blender or food processor. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer or the medium disk of a food mill to remove the skins.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 20 minutes, until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 3 cups. To check for proper thickness, place 1 to 2 teaspoons on a small china or glass plate and put it in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through the thickened puree: a clear path should remain. If it’s not ready, cook 5 minutes longer and repeat the test. Let the preserves cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Recipe Source: Sky High Cakes

Lemon Curd (used in frosting)

8 large eggs (approximately 14 oz or 397 g)
2 egg yolks (approximately 1 oz)
1 ½ lb (680 g) granulated sugar
Grated zest of 10 lemons
Juice of 10 lemons (12 fl oz/355 ml or 340 g)
12 oz (340 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in a stainless-steel (or glass) bowl until well-combined. Add the zest, juice, and butter.

Cook in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly, until the curd starts to thicken, about 20 minutes. (Note: I like to check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer and cook it to 165°F.) The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Strain immediately and cool over an ice bath.

Store the curd in a plastic container with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. Will last for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Recipe source: Wedding Cake Art and Design by Toba Garrett

 
Lemon or Blueberry Buttercream

1 lb (454 g) unsalted butter
8 oz (230 g) white vegetable or hi-ratio shortening
1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) lemon extract
1 tsp (5 g) salt
3 lb (1.36 kg) confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp (24 g) meringue powder
4 ½ fl oz (128 g) lemon curd OR blueberry preserves

Cream the butter and shortening with the paddle attachment of a 5 or 6-quart mixer for 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Stop and scrape the bowl. Cream for another minute. Add the lemon extract and salt and mix until combined. Gradually add the sugar, then the meringue powder. The mixture will appear dry.

Add lemon curd and beat until light and fluffy, 5 to 8 minutes. Keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.

Store the icing in an airtight container for 2 weeks in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe source: Wedding Cake Art and Design by Toba Garrett