marbled lemon-blueberry butter cake
Blueberries and lemon make a sublime pairing, and here the two are doubly matched. An easy, homemade blueberry preserve is flavored with both lemon juice and lemon zest, as well as a touch of fresh ginger to enliven the mix. Then the preserve is used twice: swirled through a lemon-flavored batter, for a gorgeous lavender-and-yellow marbled cake, and used to fill the layers. Be sure to make the preserves before you begin the cake.
MAKES AN 8-INCH TRIPLE-LAYER CAKE; SERVES 16 TO 20
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract
- 7 egg whites
- 3 cups cake flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- Lemon-Blueberry Preserves (page 110)
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting (page 111)
- Fresh blueberries, for decoration
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
- In a mixer bowl, cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.
- Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl. Divide the remainder equally among the 3 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with a rubber spatula. This gives you a “clean canvas” to work with. Add 2 ½ tablespoons of the Lemon-Blueberry Preserves to the reserved batter and blend well. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture over the batter in the pans. Using a skewer or paring knife, swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool in their pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
- To assemble the cake, place a layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread half of the Lemon-Blueberry Preserves over the top. Place a second layer on top of the first and spread the remaining preserves over it. Finally, place the third layer on top of the second and frost the sides and top of the cake with the Lemon Buttercream Frosting. Decorate with fresh blueberries.
