Blueberry Layer Cake

Blueberry Layer Cake

from buttermilkbysam.com
1 servings

Two layers of tender blueberry cake flavored with both freeze dried berries and fresh blueberries cooked into a compote. A reverse creaming method gives this an excellent tender crumb. Blueberry compote in between the cake layers and a blueberry buttercream, naturally flavored and colored turn this into a very blueberry cake.

Ingredients

  • 2.4 oz or 108g freeze dried blueberries (processed into a powder and sifted to remove seeds.)
  • 226g or 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 360g or 3 cups organic powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon blueberry powder* (from above )
  • milk (as needed to make a smooth buttercream)
  • 200g or 1 heaping cup blueberries
  • 50g or ¼ cup sugar
  • Zest of half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 125g or ½ cup reduced blueberry puree*
  • 300g or 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 170g or ¾ cup butter (softened)
  • 300g or 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 360g or ¾ cup lowfat kefir or buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons blueberry powder (from above )
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Directions

  1. 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, salt, vanilla and blueberry powder. Add the powdered sugar (sift it in if it’s lumpy) and beat to combine, at least 3 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides as needed. Add milk or heavy cream to the mix until you have a smooth buttercream. Place it in an airtight container and leave it at cool room temperature. The color will darken as the blueberry bits dissolve, after a few hours, stir it to get the color to smooth and intensify.

  2. 2

    In a small pot, cook over medium heat all the ingredients together for about 15 minutes, until the blueberries soften and burst. Place in a container in the fridge. It will thicken as it cools.

  3. 3

    Using a blender or food processor, puree 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries. Sieve the mixture to remove seeds and then cook it in a pot over medium heat, until it’s reduced, thickened and much of the water has evaporated. You can also cook the berries before pureeing. You’ll need ½ cup for the cake. Let it cool fully before adding to the cake batter.

  4. 4

    Stir the buttercream really well with a rubber spatula, you’ll see the color change as you do. Put it into a large piping bag (this will help you create ‘walls’ so that the filling doesn’t leak).