Blueberry Lemon Cake

Mid-May and everything is happening at once in the pleasantly overwhelming way that spring sometimes arrives. Tyler is coming to Prattville most weekends now. DeAnna and I are meeting for dinner next week. At the daycare we are in the final weeks of the program year and the parents are already pre-grieving that their children are moving up to the next age group as if they are leaving for college rather than walking to a room fifteen feet away. I love their feeling. I understand it. Children in that room are mine in a specific way and moving on is a particular small grief every time.

I have been baking more with Tyler around, which I did not expect. He sits at my kitchen table while I cook and asks questions and it turns out he has a genuine interest in understanding the how of things, which is the mechanic in him, the same impulse that takes engines apart to understand how they work applied to a cake batter. On Saturday I made a lane cake for the first time, an Alabama layer cake with white layers and a cooked filling of egg yolks, sugar, butter, coconut, raisins, pecans, and bourbon. He watched the whole process and asked questions at every step and when I was done he said okay, that is a remarkable amount of work for a cake and I said yes but also no because the work is the point. He tasted it and said: I understand now. That is what I wanted him to say.

The lane cake Tyler watched me make that Saturday lives in my memory as one of those afternoons I’ll keep — the questions, the patience, the moment when he finally understood. But the spirit of it, that willingness to do the layered, careful thing because the process matters, shows up every time I make this blueberry lemon cake too. It is not a quick recipe, but it is a generous one, the kind that fills a kitchen with something worth paying attention to, and I think that is exactly what he would appreciate.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon reserved
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare the pans. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment. Set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light, pale, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs and flavorings. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
Alternate dry and wet. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition until just combined — do not overmix.
Coat and fold in the blueberries. Toss the blueberries with the reserved 1 tablespoon of flour, then gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula so they distribute without sinking.
Bake the layers. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter together on medium-high until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar one cup at a time, then add lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Increase speed and beat until light and spreadable.
Assemble the cake. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Set the second layer on top, then frost the top and sides evenly. Garnish with fresh blueberries and a little extra lemon zest if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Blueberry Lemon Cake — The Work Is the Point