Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake

Make spring come to life with this Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake. An extremely soft, zesty, and sweet cake, bursting with all the favorite flavors of spring. Layers of lemon custard, lemon blueberry cake, and mascarpone lemon frosting pair together to make one of the most satisfying cakes you’ll ever try.

Lemon curd for cake, or for any dessert recipe for that matter, began in the early 1800’s in England. Of course, back then, it wasn’t quite what we’re used to today. Our lemon curd these days is more of a smooth and creamy custard-like consistency while the original was definitely more “curdy.” Personally, from what I’ve read, I definitely much prefer the lemon curd we have these days.

I’m a little obsessed with fruit curd in general and I’m always using up extra fruit just to make a new curd to use. I also love including it in many recipes and using it in unique ways as often as possible. Of course, I found a new delicious way to use it, which is why I’m currently telling you about this lemon custard cake!

Why We Love this Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe

• Soft cake studded with sweet blueberries that's filled with a tangy lemon curd is hard not to love!
• It's the perfect spring dessert and perfect for lemon lovers!
• Because it's filled with fresh berries, we can pretend its a healthier dessert recipe...I'm kidding.
• Ir's one of my favorite lemon desserts that's always a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients/Shopping List

• Eggs, you'll need lots of eggs here! Whole eggs, egg yolks, and egg whites
• Lemons
• Lemon juice
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
• Vegetable oil
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour-for an even lighter cake, use cake flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Buttermilk- sour cream or lemon yogurt would make for a good replacement, however always make sure they are at room temp.
• Blueberries-fresh or frozen
• Heavy cream 
• Powdered sugar- aka confectioners' sugar
• Mascarpone Cheese, cream cheese can be substituted as well however it will be slightly more dense cream cheese frosting
• Lemon slices and fresh blueberries for garnish

How to Make Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake

1. Make the lemon cake curd - Fill a small boiling part with about 4 inches of water and bring it to a boil. In a heat-proof bowl, combine all the ingredients for the curd, except the butter. Whisk until the mixture is well-combined. Add the butter and continue to whisk for about five minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Place in a container, cover, and chill until cold.
2. Make the cake - Preheat the oven and grease your round cake pans. Using a mixer (hand or electric), beat together butter, sugar, and oil until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each one. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to the wet ingredients; stir well. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl, and alternate adding it in a bit at a time while also adding the buttermilk. Mix well before adding the blueberries. Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared baking pans and bake until a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack. If not using right away, separately wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 24 hours).
3. Make the mascarpone frosting - Beat all of the ingredients for the frosting, except the cheese, until soft peaks start to form. Add in the mascarpone cheese and beat again until stiff peaks start to form. Chill for 10-15 minutes or until firmed up.
4. Assemble the blueberry lemon cake - Cut off cake domes if need be. Place one layer of cake on a stand or the platform of your choice and pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the top of the cake. Fill in the border using the lemon custard. Repeat with the next layer on top of the first. Use the replacement frosting to frost the rest of the cake.
5. Garnish and serve - Garnish with some fresh blueberries, serve, and enjoy!

Tips and Variations

• Three layers - If desired, you can do three layers for 8-inch pans and only two layers for 9-inch cake pans. This is totally up to you.
• Make the curd in advance - If you’re looking to make this dessert a quicker process, you can make the lemon curd up to 4 days in advance. Simply keep it in the fridge covered properly. 
• Make a naked cake- instead of covering the entire cake with frosting, add a layer of curd and frosting to the tops of the cake layers and keep the sides bare.
• Make Blueberry Buttercream- add a bit of blueberry jam or pulverized dehydrated blueberries to the frosting for a delicious and vibrant frosting.
• Add Poppy Seeds- make this a blueberry poppyseed lemon cake by adding 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to this cake recipes.
• Storage - This cake does best if stored, covered, in a cool dry place. It will also do well in the fridge. This cake can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. Let it come to room temperature on its own for the best thawing results.

Common Questions About Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake

Can Lemon Curd Be Frozen Successfully?

Yes, lemon curd can be frozen successfully. Get this, it can be frozen for up to a year without any changes to its consistency and other attributes. Crazy, right? Be sure to freeze it in an airtight container. This is great for having lemon curd on hand for recipes like this, if desired.

If you gave this Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake a try, please share your experience in the comments below or on social media! 

Other Lemon Recipes You’ll Love:

• Double Crust Lemon Raspberry Pie
• Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
• Blackberry Lemon Curd Cake
• Lemon Curd Cake
• Meyer Lemon Tart

Print

Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

 

An extremely soft, zesty, and sweet cake, bursting with all the favorite flavors of spring. Layers of lemon custard, lemon blueberry cake, and mascarpone lemon frosting pair together to make one of the most satisfying cakes you’ll ever try.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry layer cake, lemon cake

Servings: 10

Author: Jackie

Ingredients

Lemon Custard

• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice about 3 lemons
• 1 tablespoon butter

Lemon Blueberry Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
• 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen, plus more for the top of the cake

Mascarpone Lemon Frosting

• 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream cold
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 16 oz mascarpone cheese cold

Instructions

Lemon Custard

1. Bring a small saucepan with 4 inches of water to a boil.
2. Combine eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Place on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
3. Whisk the lemon mixture for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent clumping, until the mixture becomes well combined and light yellow.
4. Add the butter and continue whisking and cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
5. Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate until cold. Can be made up to 4 days in advance.

Blueberry Lemon Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch or two 9-inch cake pans.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, beat together butter, oil, and sugar until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly before each addition. Stir in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients.
4. Gradually alternate adding the dry mixture and the buttermilk to the butter/egg mixture (3 flour additions, 2 buttermilk additions), mixing only until just combined. After all the ingredients have been added, stir in the blueberries.
5. Evenly spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Lemon Mascarpone Frosting

1. Beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and lemon zest on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add the cold mascarpone cheese whip the mixture until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the frosting for about 10-15 minutes to firm up before using.

Assembly

1. If necessary, cut off cake domes using a serrated knife to level.
2. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate.
3. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake. Fill in the border with lemon custard. Top with the next layer and repeat.
4. With remaining frosting, frost the outsides of the cake.
5. Garnish with fresh blueberries, slice, and serve!