Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

You know how we love to celebrate a half birthday around here. Well, here's a half-birthday cake I made for a friend last week. 


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is perfect for summer because it feels...fresh. There's a little zip from the lemon and blueberries bursting throughout. The cake is soft and tender. Oh, and there's frosting. A cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting is welcome any time of year. 


First, let's talk about preparing a Bundt pan. Y'all. There is no rushing or doing this halfway. If you don't do it right, you'll be scraping cake out of your pan and wishing you could go back in time. 


The Bundt pan I used here is the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan. Any Bundt pan that holds 10-12 cups will work. A 6-cup Bundt pan will be too small. (This particular pan comes in both sizes.)

how to prepare a bundt pan

To prepare a Bundt pan, grease it with shortening. Shortening works better than butter. Don't get mad at me - I'm just the messenger. Use a paper towel and a basting/pastry brush to get the entire surface, including crevasses. 


Then, you'll spoon flour into the pan, and tap it all the way around, making sure to coat all of the shortening. If you notice a bare spot, use your finger to strategically add more shortening in that area. Then flour it. 


Tap the excess flour out. It's better to do this over the trashcan than in the sink. Flour plus water in the sink will leave a sticky mess. 


Now we're ready to make our Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake!

Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

The cake recipe is straightforward. It's your typical creaming butter with sugar, adding eggs, then alternating the liquid and dry ingredients. 


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

I use buttermilk in this recipe for that tangy flavor that goes so well with the lemon. 


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Here's a trick to keeping the blueberries from sinking straight to the bottom. Pour the cake batter into the pan, then add the blueberries, using an icing spatula to gently swirl them in.


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Once the cake is baked (see how the blueberries didn't sink?), let it rest in the pan for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. 


pure lemon paste

Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

While the cake is cooling, brush it with Pure Lemon Paste if you have it. It's not essential but just adds a bit more lemon flavor. (If you do have it or purchase it for this recipe, be sure to make these Lemon Sweet Rolls!) 


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Make the frosting, then spoon it into a large piping bag. Snip the tip, leaving a large opening. Pipe onto the cake, using the shape of your Bundt pan to guide where you add frosting. 


Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

I like to let this set up in the fridge before serving...or cutting in half for a half birthday celebration.


half birthday Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Oh, and these little containers are PERFECT for half birthday cakes - or if you just want to send half of a cake to your neighbor. They're also good for transporting cookies and all sorts of goodies!





Frosted Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake 

for the cake:
2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
zest of large lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons lemon paste, such as Nielsen-Massey, optional

for the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch kosher salt


[NOTE: shake the buttermilk well before measuring.]

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Use shortening to grease and a pastry brush to get every bit of the pan.

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Stir zest and juice into the buttermilk.

Add the flour in three additions, alternating with buttermilk. Mix just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan. Use a cake spatula to gently stir in blueberries. Bake for about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.

After 5 minutes, invert a wire cooling rack on the top of the cake. Use oven mitts to flip the pan onto the rack. Wait one minute, then remove the pan. The cake should come out cleanly. If not, run a knife along the edge and try again.

Brush with lemon paste. Let cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and butter together until well combined. On low speed, add powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Once combined, increase speed to medium/medium-high and beat until combined and thick. Adjust consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed.

Spoon mixture into a piping bag or large ziptop bag. Snip off corner or tip, and pipe over cooled cake. Refrigerate to set the frosting. The cake can then be stored at room temp or kept in the fridge. 


more bundt cake recipes to try

Here are a few more favorite Bundt cake recipes to try:

SHARE:
Blogger Template by pipdig