Sometimes, when its springtime but there’s snow on the ground, and the wind howls outside and your winter gloves are falling to bits, but you still need them, you need a great big massive burst of sunshine in cake form to see you through until the real thing comes out to play. This Triple Layer Lemon Blueberry Sunshine Cake with Homemade Lemon Curd (and Lemon frosting) will do just that! I’m happy to report that three layers of lemon-blueberry cake, filled with lemon curd and topped with a light lemon frosting is an excellent alternative to sunshine!
I’m happy to report that three layers of light and zesty lemon and blueberry sponge, sandwiched together with homemade lemon curd and topped with a light lemon frosting is an excellent alternative to sunshine.
If you haven’t made lemon curd before (and I hadn’t before making this cake) don’t be alarmed – it’s really, ridiculously easy to make – so much so that I failed to follow the (laughably simple) recipe and it still turned out lovely.
Recipe adapted from this one by the ridiculously talented Sweetapolita
- 2.5 cups/300g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 cups/300g caster sugar
- 1 cup/230g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- level tsp salt
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 cup sour cream (can sub in natural yoghurt)
- 1/2 cup double cream (can sub in semi-skimmed or skimmed with mixed in natural yoghurt)
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsps lemon extract
- zest of two lemons and the juice of one
Let’s get started! Preheat your oven to 180C/gas 4/350F and sieve your flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Next, in another large bowl or stand mixer, cream together your soft butter and sugar until they’re fluffy and light in colour, before adding in your vanilla paste, lemon extract and zest and sour cream/double cream. Add your eggs one at a time, mixing in thoroughly with a quarter of the flour each time. Finally, drop in your blueberries, and then divide between three baking tins – I only had two 9 inch baking tins, so I baked my third layer once the first two were done. They’ll need between 12-15 minutes to bake per layer.
Remove from the oven and cool well, and in the meantime, make your lemon curd and frosting!
For the lemon curd –
- juice and zest of 4 lemons
- 2 eggs plus 4 egg yolks (bag the whites up and freeze for a future meringue or macaron making session!)
- 1 cup/200g sugar
- 4 tbsp/60g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Don’t worry – if as I was, you’re a little apprehensive about making homemade fruit curd – I’m here to tell you that its the simplest thing in the world. I got the steps all mixed up when I made this, and it still turned out awesome! To cook, set up a double boiler (a saucepan with a small amount of water with a heatproof bowl on top – don’t let the bowl on top touch the water) – and then combine your lemon juice and zest with the cup of sugar and whisk in the eggs and egg yolks. Stir together, then add the butter cubes and simmer the water gently. Cook your mixture, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, until the curd mixture is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, then set aside to cool.
For the frosting –
- 1 cup/227g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 4 cups sifted icing sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- pinch salt
Frosting time! Mix your soft butter with your cream cheese in a mixer or by hand, until soft and fluffy, then add in your lemon zest, juice and extract and salt. Sieve in your icing sugar gradually, mixing all the time, until its incorporated. I added a little Sugarflair gel food colouring in yellow (melon) to enhance the yellowness of the cake!
Time to assemble your cake! Using a round nozzle of you have one, or just a sandwich bag with a corner snipped off, pipe a barrier around the edge of your first layer of cake. This is where your lemon curd will go, and the frosting is the barrier to keep it in place! Fill the centre with cooled lemon curd, and then pop into the fridge for at least fifteen minutes to firm up before adding the second layer and repeating the process. Finally, pop on the top of your cake, and then use the rest of the frosting to cover the whole cake, either all at once, or if you’re worried about presentation, start with a thin crumb layer, let that set, and then apply a second, much thicker layer of frosting.
The lemon frosting is really easy to work with and looks great!
Enjoy your burst of blueberry lemony happiness!
x Kerry
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Hi Kerry, I’m finally giving this one a go, how long do you cook the cakes for? Thank you xxx
Hi Lizzie, it will depend what shelf of the oven they’re on, definitely check them after 12-15 minutes
Thank you muchly, I think they might be ok π xxx
Wow this cake looks amazing! Could probably be one of my favourite combinations for a cake! Im going to have to give this a try soon. π
Thanks Emma! It’s definitely a fantastic combo, very showstopping!
Hi Kerry,
I’m rubbish at converting ‘cups’ to any recognisable amount, especially for liquids – how much sour cream/double cream/cream cheese do you estimate 1 cup is?
Can’t wait to make this one – going to have a go for my sister’s birthday next week.
Hi Tracy – I have conversions on my baking cheat sheets page, so I go by those – 1 cup = 230g
I have a set of cup measures from Ikea that were very cheap and they come in very handy!
Wow it looks amazing – I can only imagine how good it tastes *drools* x
Thanks Nic! It is very tasty, I would definitely recommend making it! The tartness of the lemon curd and blueberries really cuts through the sweetness (so you can eat more!)
This look beautiful and so reflects the lovely weather I’m having in Leicester at the minute π It put a smile on my face seeing this, so thank you ^_^
Xx
Thanks so much Ellie! I’m loving the sunshine too!
I think I may have been a lemon in another life because anything that remotely resembles one or squeezes itself in all that is sweet sends me into a sugary swoon. I love lemon frosting…even the cheap kind right out of the can. Your recipe of course is stellar in comparison, but sometimes a girl just needs a quick lemony fix π
Thanks Susannah! I’m right there with you on quick fixes! And sometimes the stuff from the shops really is as good as homemade.. (sometimes)
Sometimes…bet yours is the best π
With lemon juice, zest and extract, it better be, or I’m wasting my life! π
This is the prettiest cake I’ve seen in quite some time…love it! It actually makes me happy looking at it π I have a real thing for anything lemony at the moment so I’ve bookmarked this recipe and will try it very soon!
Thanks so much Nickki! I hope you like it π
It’s on my to do list π Such a perfect cake for Spring!
And Summer… I want to make it again!
I love how you kept the curd in and the look of the blueberries through the layers! The pictures caught my eye with their sunshineyness! Can’t wait to try this one x
Thank you! It is a very pretty cake… and I love how the zesty combo of the curd and blueberries mean you can just keep on eating it hehe!