This blueberry cake gets its natural violet color from freeze dried blueberries. This cake is sure to wow even your most jaded guest
Once upon a time, I made these blueberry-blackberry cupcakes. Three years later, these cupcakes remain a popular post on my blog that continues to bring in comments, likes, and emails.
It’s the first post I wrote where I felt that people (besides my mom, Alex’s mom, and my best friends) were looking at my work.
Asides from my rainbow cake, those blueberry cupcakes have generated the most interaction between me and you.
I received many emails regarding those cupcakes. My favorite came from a mother that sent me photos of the hundred or so blueberry cupcakes she made for her daughter’s wedding.
It’s moments like that, that keep me sharing recipes.
Blueberry Cake
With berry season upon us, I can’t help but take advantage of all fresh berries available. I redid those popular blueberry cakes into a layered cake.
I used the same blueberry cream cheese frosting that is oh so addicting. If I didn’t use all the frosting on the cake, I would totally smear this stuff all over my morning bagel.
Freeze Dried Blueberries:
The secret to this cake is the use of freeze dried blueberries. It provides the frosting with that natural blue-violet hue that is hard to replicate with imitation food coloring.
I used a combination of fresh blueberries and freeze dried blueberries to create the very flavorful blueberry cake.
I love, love, love this cake. I can’t find the words to explain how delicious it tastes. After photographing the cake, I had to wrap up 2/3’s of it to give away.
If left alone with this blueberry cake, who knows how much of it I’ll eat in one sitting. It’s much safer for Alex and me to have only a small amount around.
Less cake means less exercise and cardio- which makes me a whole lot happier.
Blueberry Cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Blueberry Cake:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.2 oz package freeze dried blueberries, unsweetened, ground*
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspon finely grated lemon zest
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 6 oz buttermilk
- 7 oz blueberries, pureed and strained
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or pure vanilla extract
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room temp
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla paste, or pure vanilla extract
- 1.2 oz package freeze dried blueberries, unsweetened, ground*
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Blueberry Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line four 6-inch cake rounds with parchment paper. Lightly butter cake rounds and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and blueberry powder. Set aside.
- Cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.
- In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, blueberry puree, and vanilla paste.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into creamed butter. Mix until just incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Divide batter into prepared cake rounds. Level batter using a mini offset spatula or the back of spoon. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Blueberry Frosting:
- Cream together butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Scrape down bowl as necessary to ensure mixture is smooth.
- Add vanilla paste, blueberry powder, powdered sugar and salt. Mix until throughly blended and smooth.
Notes
- Use a food processor to grind freeze dried blueberries into a fine powder.
- I used four 6-inch cake pans and sliced each cake into two layers. I didn’t use all the layers. You can also use this recipe to bake in four 8-inch cake pans.
Beautiful photographs. Loving the black back ground! And can’t get over the color of this cake!
Thank you, Liz! You can also used freeze dried strawberries to give strawberries frosting a nice pink hue :)
Seeing beautiful cakes like yours make me wish we had berries in the east… Or that I was in North America during spring and summer to enjoy them.
Hi Joy! You have better fruits over there…like rambutan and santol. I really miss those fruits!
To clarify – you ended up with 8 layers of cake but threw away 3? Are the ingredients for the filling/frosting measured out for a 5 layer or 8 layer cake?
Could I use two 6″ cake tins and split the batter between the two? It seems silly to use 4 tins if I’m discarding 1.5 of the cakes I end up with.
wow another delicious (and stunning) post, i can imagine how good this cake tastes! i am SO craving a slice right now.
Thank you Thalia! I wish I still had more cake leftover!
This cake looks stunning, Maryanne. I love the freeze-dried berries idea – going to try that for my next berry cake. Yum!
Thank you Sarah! Can’t wait for you to try the freeze dried berries trick! :)
(Sidenote: I can’t seem to comment on your blog. After I type out my blurb and hit submit, it just refreshes the page.)
Goodness, I can’t stop gawking at this beautiful cake!!!!! All I want to do right now is cut myself a large slice and just sink my teeth into these delicious layers!!!!! Pinning! :D
Aw, thank you SO much Samina! I wish I could serve you a slice over the internet!
wow amazing pictures! lovely cake.
Thank you Amallia! :)
The dark photos with the purple icing is awesome!
Thank you! :)
This cake looks absolutely beautiful and the frosting is the perfect eye catching color. Pinning the cake and cupcakes and will try them soon!
Hi… The cake looks delicious. Would like to know for how many days this cake would stay good if stored in the refrigerator.
Thanks.
Hi Maryanne, Can you use fresh blueberries instead of freeze dried blueberries?
The freeze dried blueberries give the cake that natural blue-purple color. Simply omit if you don’t have freeze dried blueberries. Do not substitute with additional fresh blueberries. It will make the cake battery watery.
Hi…I love the way this cake looks and itching to try it out for my niece’s bday day after. Can I use fresh blueberries instead of freeze dried ones? Will the quantity of blueberry remain the same. Do let me know please. Thanks in advance
Hi Ashwini, I’m sorry but you can’t substitute fresh blueberries for the freeze dried blueberries. The resulting frosting will be watery and it won’t have the same vibrant color.
Your cake is so beautiful my wife and I are trying to make it for our son’s first birthday. One question – how much straining of the blueberries should we be doing? After pureeing it’s proving hard to separate the liquids from the solids. It’s pretty well incorporated.
I puree the blueberries in a food processor until it’s like a thick juice. Perhaps my strainer isn’t as fine as yours. If straining is difficult, you could simply add the blueberry puree as it. It shouldn’t affect the recipe. It’s better to have enough juice and skin from the berries than not enough. I hope that helps. Happy birthday to your son!
Can you substitute dried blueberries for the freeze dried blueberries? Or just use more regular blueberries? I’m going to make this for a cake project I have due in culinary school, so I’m trying to make it as cost effective as possible!
No. Freeze dried berries are devoid of all moisture, which is makes them perfect for coloring cakes. “Dried” blueberries still have a ton of moisture. You’ll end up with a paste instead of a powder.
Also, I making this recipe in regular 9″ cake rounds it would probably make about 2?
Hi there! This cake looks amazing and very moist and delicious. I want to make this as one bigger birthday cake (for around 8 people). Will this recipe work if I pour the batter into a large cake pan? What do you suggest? :)
Thank-you in advance!!
This cake can easily serve 6-8 people. It’s a tall cake, so you don’t need large slices. You can bake the cake in a larger pan, you’ll just have thinner or fewer layers. You’ll also have to adjust baking time depending on the size of the cake. Hope that helps.
Yeah that helps a lot, thanks Marianne! Sorry for asking this, but do you have an idea about approx how long it’d take to bake if I poured the batter into a 9″ cake pan, that’s 3″ tall? I really love this recipe but live in a place where I can’t find the cake pans you used very easily.
Thank-you in advance and for answering my questions! Your last answer was very helpful :)
Hi There, Looks so yum! I’m making four different cakes for my daughters first birthday (spelling out her name), I was therefore hoping to bake and freeze the cakes I make over the next few weeks and get them out for icing etc the day before the party. Would this cake be ok to freeze do you think? Thanks so much
What a wonderful idea! I’m sure that’s going to look awesome!
I have never frozen this cake, but it should freeze fine. Let it cool to room temperature before you tightly wrap it. Make sure you freeze it on a sheet tray or something flat to ensure it stays level. Let the cake defrost at room temperature.
Hi, I just put this cake in the oven. Is the batter supposed to be like a paste? Maybe I did something wrong. Were the pureed fresh blueberries 7 oz whole, or 7 oz of puree? I can’t imagine what else I may have done wrong.
Hi Samantha, I weighed out 7 oz of fresh blueberries, then pureed and strained it. The batter should feel like another other cupcake/cake batter.
It’s the freeze dried berries. I just made a strawberry cake and had to throw away it away, it was like bread. Leave them out!
Hi! Can you use fresh blueberries instead? And if you don’t have vanilla paste, how much Extract should you use? Beautiful cake, thanks!
You cannot use fresh blueberries in the cream cheese frosting. It will be very wet and will not hold up well. If you don’t have vanilla paste, just substitute an equal amount of pure vanilla extract. I hope that helps!
Thanks for your response. I was making this for someone’s birthday the day of my previous comment. I ended up using a strawberry cake recipe and replacing the strawberry ingredients with the freeze dried blueberries and fresh pureed blueberries and it turned out great. Even though your cake didn’t turn out for me, the freeze dried, and pureed blueberry ideas turned out beautifully for me, since the person wanted blueberry cake, but not whole blueberries in it.
I just made this cake over the weekend. It tasted as good as it looked in the photos above.
That’s wonderful to hear Clifford! Glad you liked it!
My daughter will be turning 5 on the 26th of this month and has requested a blueberry cake. I have chosen to make this one since it is so beautiful and I know that she will love it. (It also helps since her favorite color is purple.) My question is where do you find your freeze dried blueberries? I live in south Texas and I might have trouble finding them. Thank you in advance.
Hi Ariana, I buy my freeze dried blueberries from Trader Joe’s. They are also readily available at Whole Foods market. I have seen them on occasion at Target. And if all else fails, it is also available online.
Happy early birthday to your daughter!
Hello…the cake is gorgeous, and it looks very delicious! I am on a crazy hunt for the best way to make a pink cake for my daughter’s birthday. I don’t want to use any dye. I’ve had MANY failed attempts, please visit my blog if you like to see disasters. :) Do you think freeze dried strawberries or raspberries could add enough color to make the cake pink? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Amanda at luckynumber3.com
Hi Amanda, thanks so much! I suggest using freeze dried raspberries. They have a darker, richer color than freeze dried strawberries. You’ll need to use a lot to make the cake pink. To make the color really pop in the cake, you should use a recipe that doesn’t use egg yolks. The yolks will turn the cake tan/brownish. I think your best bet would be to use freeze dried raspberries in a light sponge cake recipe that uses all egg whites. I hope that helps.
What if I used dehydrated blueberries. Would be easier to use my dehydrator then to order freeze dried off amazon.
Hi Sequoia. Freeze dried blueberries have 99% percent of the moisture removed. Dehydrated blueberries have a bit more moisture in them. I’ve never tried it in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it will turn out.
Hi. When you mean freeze dried blueberries do you mean the ones that are actually whole or the powder version? Cause when I look up freeze dried blueberries it just looks like whole blueberries dried up.
I purchase whole freeze dried blueberries and then grind them in a food processor to a fine powder.
Hello! I have plans to make this lovely cake for an event on Saturday. As far as the pan sizes, do you just use (4) 6×2 cake pans? The picture looks like your cake has 5 layers. Thanks so much!
Hi Ellen, yes I used four 6-inch cake pans. I ended up slicing the cakes into two layers each. I didn’t use all the layers. You can also use this recipe to bake in four 8-inch cake pans.
Hi,
I love the idea of your cake so much but couldn’t get my hands on tried blueberries.Will it taste the same if I use blackberries? i hope you can reply before Aug 17th,it’s my husband’s b’day.
This recipes works with any freeze dried fruits. You may have to adjust the amount of sugar if you use blackberries.
Hi, I love this blueberries cake so much.. the color is so nice. Would like to make this cake for my son 2 years old birthday in this February. It is a bit hard for me to get the freeze dried blueberries at my area. Is it ok to replace with dried blueberries? Thanks a lot.
No, you cannot substitute dried blueberries. Freeze dried blueberries are devoid of moisture. Dried blueberries still have a ton of moisture. You can simply omit the dried blueberries in the recipe, however the cake/frosting won’t be same color as the photos. I hope that helps!
Looks beautiful! Can you freeze the baked cake layers? Also, could you make as a standard 2-layer cake in 9″ cake pans? I don’t have the smaller versions. Thanks!
Hi Kristin, I have not tested freezing this cake. Yes, you can bake this in a 9″ cake pan- however, the layers will be rather short.
HI! I just found this recipe this morning looking for a 1st birthday cake for my son who loves. . .blueberries! I have only two 6-inch cake pans on hand. Would you recommend I bake shorter layers in two batches or do you think I can bake two layers and cut them with a serrated knife? what a lovely recipe and I would never have known to use freeze dried blueberries.
Hi i was wondering if you can use cake flour instead of AP for a even more tender cake?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tested this recipe using cake flour. I’m not sure how it will turn out.
Hi! Should this cake be refrigerated before serving?
You can keep the cake refrigerated until you are ready to serve. Allow the cake to warm up to room temperature before serving.
Beautiful cake! I am planning on making this for my daughter’s birthday, can I make it a day before the party? How do you suggest storing it?
Yes, you can make it the day before. Keep it in the fridge overnight. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving. (A few notes about keeping cake in the fridge: make sure the fridge is free from any strong odors from other foods (leftovers, open containers, garlic, pickles, etc.). The frosting WILL pick up and absorb all those flavors. You could protect the cake by keeping in a cardboard cake box.)
I made the cake and used an alternate frosting recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and I am an experienced baker, but I was disappointed. The flavor of the cake was good, but I disliked the texture. It was dense and kind of gummy. I have had the same experience trying to adapt a cake recipe to incorporate powdered freeze-dried strawberries and I can never seem to get a cake with a nice texture.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve made this cake several times with consistent results. I have found that it makes a difference whether you use freshly ground freeze dried berries versus freeze dried berries that have been ground into a powder earlier. As the ground freeze dried berries sit out, it does absorb moisture and humidity- which could lead to the gummy texture.
Can this be adapted for a sheet cake? Not nearly as lovely but I have to feed 30 people.
Sorry, I haven’t tried using this recipe for a sheet cake. I’m not sure how it will turn out.
My Grandson has requested blueberry cupcakes for his 6th birthday party. There are going to be 60 attending. How many cupcakes does your recipe make? I’m trying to figure out if I should triple it????? Let me know what you think. It looks & sounds delicious & I’m sure will be a hit!!
The cupcake version of this blueberry cake can be found here: https://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2011/08/blueberry-blackberry-cupcake-with.html
The cupcake recipe makes 1 dozen. For 60 guests, I suggest making at least 6 dozen cupcakes.
Maryanne,
Thank you for the cupcake recipe referral. I made them for my Grandson’s birthday & they were spectacular. Not only did they look beautiful, they were scrumptious. Everyone wanted to know how I made them. Thank you. I will definitely use this recipe again.
Katy
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I made it for my blueberry-mad son’s 4th birthday party today.. with gluten-free baking mix (Pamela’s) and it turned out GREAT! One dad said it was the yummiest cake he’d ever had.
Thank you for this awesome recipe! Though the flavor was great it turned out quite dry. The only thing I could think that might have been wrong was the amount of blueberry puree. Is it 7oz before or after pureed??? I will be trying this again.
The recipe says to use 4 cake pans in the picture there looks to be five layers. Should 5 pans be used or did you cut a layer in half? I am making this for a party of 20 people so I’m trying to figure out how much to increase the recipe.
Hi Allison, I baked the cake using four 6-inch cake pans and then sliced each cake into two layers. However, I didn’t end up using all the cake layers (as photographed). You can also bake this recipe using four 8-inch cake pans.
I made this cake last month and it was incredible. Perfect recipe! I’m so happy I stumbled across your blog. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thank you for trying out the recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy baking! :)
I made this cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday this past Sunday(yes, her birthday fell on Mother’s Day lol) and it is DELICIOUS!!! Even my picky husband likes it!! Thank you for posting the recipe!!
Happy belated birthday to your daughter! I hope she had a wonderful celebration. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! :)
This is perfect. My son decided he wants a blueberry cake with blueberry frosting for his 4th birthday. I was thinking I’d have to create a recipe. I was even thinking a cream cheese frosting would be nice. Thanks for doing the work for me ;)
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy the recipe. And I hope your son has a wonderful birthday celebration!
I want to make a blueberry cake for my daughter’s 7th birthday. Regarding the puree, I am confused. Would I make the puree by cooking the berries in sugar, etc? Or, do I just blend the berries? Thank you.
Puree the blueberries in a food processor or blender and strain.
This cake looks beautiful! Will the layers freeze well to decorate at another time? Can it be made without fresh blueberries?
I have not tested freezing this cake. No, the recipe requires the use of fresh blueberries. It provides the cake with flavor and moisture.
For some reason I’m unable to print the blueberry cake with blueberry cream cheese frosting recipe. I get an error message. Thanks.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I have fixed it. It should be working now!
The frosting was amazing.
I replaced the lemon zest with 1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder, to make it more like a velvet cake.
It did not rise at all, I was really surprised, the flavor of the cake was good, but the consistency not so much.
I may try to again with the lemon zest, to see if it makes the difference.
Hi Kelly, I’m sure the cake didn’t rise. The recipe calls for one tablespoon of baking powder. Perhaps the baking powder is past its prime date?
I want this to be my signature summer cake, however, can you pls provide a variation that uses oil instead of butter? I would also like to cut the gluten with almond flour. The cake is beautiful and delicious but the ingredients are too heavy for my cake audience (yours truly included!). Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi. I made the cake today and it came out real good . The flavor is amazing so is the butter cream frosting . Only question I have is that mine came out dry and I want it to be more on the moist side. Any suggestions on what I can do to make that happen ? I did not mix it. Please let me know what I can do so for next time I can adjust the recipe .
For the cake batter, did you measure the 7oz blueberries before or after straining? It should be 7 oz after puree and straining.
Hello! What is blueberry powder? I don’t see it on the list of ingredients but you mention it in the instructions for both the blueberry cake and frosting. Am I overlooking something or reading it wrong? TIA!
The blueberry powder is the ground freeze dried blueberries. It is mentioned in the notes at the bottom. However, I will update with further explanation. Thanks for pointing that out!
Can you clarify for me regarding your responses about the blueberry purée? Your first response to a comment in 2015 says:
MARYANNE CABRERA says:
June 27, 2020
For the cake batter, did you measure the 7oz blueberries before or after straining?
‘It should be 7 oz after puree and straining.”
But a latter response (2020) to a comment you say:
MARYANNE CABRERA says:
August 31, 2015
Hi Samantha, I weighed out 7 oz of fresh blueberries, then pureed and strained it. The batter should feel like another other cupcake/cake batter.
Thanks! The cake looks beautiful!
I am a huge fan of blueberry jam cake myself and I love love it lol