It’s blueberry season here in the south and what better thing to make than a Lemon Blueberry Cake. The tartness from the blueberries and lemons make this cake so delicious. It has just the right amount. It is sweetened just slightly and has a lemon butter cream cheese frosting. This would be a great dessert to the end your Mother’s Day meal with or perfect for any Spring/Summer BBQ.
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Blueberries – Fresh or Frozen
With this recipe, I would recommend using fresh blueberries. When frozen blueberries come to room temperature, they release a lot of water and become a little soggy. They can also make the cake splotchy with blue instead of evenly spaced within the layers. I love to freeze blueberries myself for later use. They are perfect in these homemade blueberry muffins or in a smoothie.
Where to Buy Fresh Blueberries
I always aim for organic blueberries. We have an organic blueberry farm close by so that makes it really convenient. Check out local markets instead of the big box grocery stores. They are more prone to seek out quality fruits and vegetables. Find a local farm near you at a pick your own.
Key Ingredients
- Organic Fresh Blueberries – low in calories and high in nutrients, providing about 84 calories per cup, along with significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fiber. They are also rich in antioxidants, which can help protect your body from damage caused by free radicals.
- Organic Lemons – rich in vitamin C, providing about 30-35 mg per lemon, which is over half of the daily recommended intake. They also contain dietary fiber, primarily pectin, which can aid in digestion and help you feel full.
- Freshly-Milled Flour – kernels of wheat, straight from the field has the bran and the germ still intact. When milled, this allows all the nutrition to absorb into our bodies.
- Coconut Sugar – a healthier, sweetener option than the majority of other sugars that are commercially available. It even has a low glycemic index, where blood sugars will not spike.
- Organic Buttermilk – It contains high levels of calcium, B vitamins, proteins, and certain probiotics, thanks to the fermentation process. It also contains vitamin D and vitamin A, as well as a relatively low level of calories and fats.
- Grass-Fed Butter – is a dairy product created by churning fresh or fermented cream to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It’s about 80 percent fat and contains around 400 different fatty acids and a nice dose fat-soluble vitamins too.
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
1. Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour your cake pans, or line with parchment paper.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Wet Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
4. Combine: Slowly, add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add buttermilk, mixing until well blended.
5. Add Blueberries: Toss blueberries with 1 tbsp flour. Gently fold into batter with a spatula to avoid crushing.
6. Bake: Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 1 hour, then transfer to a rack.
7. Frosting: Using the whisk attachment, blend the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Sift the confectioner’s sugar so lumps have disappeared. Slowly add the sugar to the butter cream cheese mixture. Mix on low-to-medium speed, until soft and creamy. Add the heavy cream in between parts of the sugar distribution. Finally, add the lemon zest/juice, salt and vanilla bean powder. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Frost and decorate the cake to your liking. Enjoy!
Why Use Freshly-Milled Flour
Whole grains straight from the field are a near perfect food. They contain vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and lots of phytochemicals. They give complex carbohydrates, as well as, soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber is very important for our bodies. It allows our body to alleviate constipation, provides great gut bacteria, supports weight loss, protects from heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Why is the Cake Dark?
Freshly milled flour has the bran and the germ intact that contributes to the cake being darker than what you might normally see. The bran and the germ hold a lot of the nutrition in the flour. Commercially processed flour has removed the bran and the germ leaving no nutrition. Most flours at the stores have been bleached as well. This is why the flour is white. Coconut sugar also plays a part in the darkness of the cake. Nevertheless, this cake is very moist.
Vitamin E Importance
Every cell in our body requires vitamin E. It is a powerful antioxidant that we need on a daily basis. Vitamin E helps us balance our cholesterol, balances hormones, improves vision, improves muscle strength and may or may not lower both cancer risk and cognitive decline. Phytic acid is found in the bran and is also a powerful antioxidant that binds to heavy metals, preventing the formation of damaging free radicals.
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Tips
- Most sweeteners are a 1:1 ratio for substitution.
- Store in an airtight container at room temp for 1 day or refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can freeze the cake for up to 2 months.
- Use fresh blueberries for best results; frozen may bleed slightly. Add a handful of white chocolate chips for extra sweetness, if desired.
- If you freeze your baked cakes for about 30 minutes, it will be easier to spread the frosting. Sometimes, you’ll get crumbs from the cake mixed in with the frosting if the cake is still slightly warm.
- If using all-purpose flour, just add 3 cups of flour. Freshly milled flour tends to have high-moisture contents, depending on which grain you use. That just means you’ll need to use extra flour in a recipe.
Tools I Used
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 3/4 cups Soft White Wheat flour (I use freshly milled)
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 8 oz Grass-Fed Butter (unsalted, softened)
- 1 3/4 cup Sugar (I’m using Coconut Sugar)
- 4 Eggs
- Lemon Zest (use 2 lemons)
- Juice from Lemon (Use 1 lemon)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups Fresh Blueberries
Frosting
- 8 oz Grass-Fed Butter
- 7 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1-2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- Juice from Lemon (1/2 a lemon)
- pinch Salt (optional)
- pinch Vanilla Bean Powder (optional)
Notes
- Flour: If using all-purpose flour, use 3 cups of flour.
- Sugar: Most sweeteners are a 1:1 ratio for substitution
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temp for 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Use fresh blueberries for best results; frozen may bleed slightly. Add a handful of white chocolate chips for extra sweetness if desired.
Sources:
Denkova-Kostova R, Teneva D, Tomova T, Goranov B, Denkova Z, Shopska V, Slavchev A, Hristova-Ivanova Y. Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from tangerine (Citrus reticulata L.), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi L.), lemon (Citrus lemon L.) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume). Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2020 Nov 23;76(5-6):175-185. doi: 10.1515/znc-2020-0126. PMID: 33909955.
Saraiva A, Carrascosa C, Ramos F, Raheem D, Lopes M, Raposo A. Coconut Sugar: Chemical Analysis and Nutritional Profile; Health Impacts; Safety and Quality Control; Food Industry Applications. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 19;20(4):3671. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043671. PMID: 36834366; PMCID: PMC9964017.
Organic facts.net – The Nutrition of Buttermilk:by John Staughton (BASc, BFA)
Pimpin L, Wu JH, Haskelberg H, Del Gobbo L, Mozaffarian D. Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality. PLoS One. 2016 Jun 29;11(6):e0158118. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158118. PMID: 27355649; PMCID: PMC4927102.
Månsson HL. Fatty acids in bovine milk fat. Food Nutr Res. 2008;52. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v52i0.1821. Epub 2008 Jun 11. PMID: 19109654; PMCID: PMC2596709.
Dr. Josh Axe, Grass-Fed Butter Benefits: by By Annie Price, CHHC
Wendy Lea Walker, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
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