It's my Birthday! Let's Eat Cake!!

One of my favorite places to visit in St. Louis, is the London Tea Room. They just moved locations, and once I moved back, I was eager to visit their new place. Of course, I had to order my favorite lemon and blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting. I LOVE this cake!! So after a few Pinterest inquiries, I found a recipe that seemed close if not a duplicate. I tweaked it a little bit and it looked and tasted amazing!!


Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

Thank you to sallysbakingaddiction.com for this recipe!!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total: 3 hours
Bake time: 21-26 minutes at 350 degrees
 * I water bathed my cake layers so it took about 30 minutes at 325 degrees

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (Do not overmeasure)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• zest + juice of 3 medium lemons ( 1 TBS zest, 1-2 TBS juice PER lemon)
• 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh (258g) or non-thawed frozen (275g)
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces (224g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners' sugar
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• *I added a tsp of Lemon Extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray three 9x2 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Make the cake. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy - about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
In a large sized bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.Overmixing will lend a tough, dense textured crumb.
Remove from the mixer and stir lightly until everything is just combined. Toss the blueberries in 1 Tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. Do not overmix at any point.
Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. Bake for about 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took 21 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired. (*I added a little lemon extract to my frosting)
Assemble and frost. First, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn't make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
 

Helpful notes:
*This batter will fit into a 9×13 pan. Fill 2/3 full. If there’s extra batter, you can make a few cupcakes. I’m unsure of the baking time since I only typically make it as a layer cake.
*VERY careful not to overmeasure your flour. This will result in a heavy, dense crumb. You want a precise 375g.
*Please use buttermilk in this recipe. See note in post about how to make your own at home. 
*1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest = 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
*Room temperature eggs preferred for even distribution among batter. Simply set into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using or set out when you set out your cream cheese/butter for the recipe. 
*Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat preferred in frosting for creamiest texture. For a less creamy texture, milk would be fine.

Enjoy!!!