Lemon Blueberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and Blueberry Sauce Recipe
This incredibly moist lemon & blueberry cake, topped with whipped cream frosting and a lemony blueberry sauce is delicious and easy to make. The lemony blueberry sauce is bursting with flavor and is so incredibly delicious on top of the ricotta-based cake. Each component can be made ahead in little time and can be easily put together right before serving.
Equipment
- 1 deep 9×9 baking cake pan
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand-held Mixer Recommended
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cake Batter
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon flour (to coat the blueberries)
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
Lemony Blueberry Sauce
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons rosé wine
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar granulated white sugar is fine too, just make sure it’s fully integrated
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For Assembly
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries optional
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Cake Batter
- Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature: Fill two containers with hot water from your tap. Submerge the whole milk ricotta in its original container (still sealed) in one container and the three eggs in the other. Leave them in the hot water for about 10-15 minutes.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it with butter for easy removal of the cake.
- Mix Sugar and Lemon Zest: In a stand mixer (or large bowl and using an electric mixer or whisk), mix 1 and 1/2 cups sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon zest for two minutes to help release the lemon aroma into the sugar.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Combine 15 ounces whole milk ricotta, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (see note below). Mix until fully combined. Add 3 room temperature eggs, one at a time, and whisk together until smooth. Do not overmix once the eggs are fully combined into the batter.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt for about a minute until evenly mixed.
- Mix Together: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients, whisking until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Once you can no longer see specs of flour or big lumps in the batter, that’s when you know you’re done mixing.
- Add Blueberries: In a separate bowl, coat 1 cup of fresh blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix carefully to fully coat the blueberries while keeping them whole. Gently fold the blueberries into the cake batter using a spatula.
- Bake: Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it. Oven temperatures can vary, so it's good to check on the cake a bit before the 40-minute mark, too. When ready, the cake will have browned edges and will have a light yellow, lightly golden color on top. Once the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, don't wait for the cake to turn fully golden brown – it may be ready before then. You may store the cake in the fridge until ready to assemble with the whipped cream frosting and lemony blueberry sauce.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- Combine: Add 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir together until well combined.
- Whip: Add 2 cups heavy cream and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to frost the cake.
Lemony Blueberry Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients, except the lemon juice, in a saucepan and mix together.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when some blueberries have begun to burst open, but some blueberries are still whole.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice. We add the lemon juice after we remove the sauce from the heat, so it doesn’t get bitter.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour or until it cools to room temperature at the very least.
Assemble and serve:
- Cool, frost & serve: Once the cake has cooled completely, generously spread the whipped cream frosting over the top. Pour some of the blueberry sauce on top along with a 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries (optional) as shown in the images here. Leave some sauce in the bowl too, because people who will want to have extra can always pour more on top.
Notes
This lemon blueberry cake recipe, the whipped cream frosting, and blueberry sauce are all designed to complement each other. I highly recommend having them all together. If you’d like to have the lemon blueberry cake without the blueberry sauce, you may need to add more lemon extract, as it will need an extra boost of flavor that currently lives in the sauce.
The texture of this cake changes after a day in the fridge. It will be even more moist and flavorful the next day, so this is a great cake to make ahead!
While there are three components to this recipe, they’re all easy and quick to create. I love being able to make them all ahead of time so there’s less pressure on the day the cake is being served. All components can be cooled in the fridge until ready to assemble and serve.
Enjoy!
