Moist Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

What do blueberries, lemons and poppy seeds have in common? They're all in this impossibly delicious cake! This blueberry lemon cake combines three layers of ultra-moist blueberry poppy seed cake with a dash of creamy lemon curd and a generous helping of silky cream cheese frosting.

If ever there was a cake that tasted like summer and liquid sunshine, it would be this cake.

And if that doesn't have you sprinting towards your kitchen and/or local grocery store, consider this:
-- Three ultra-moist layers of almond cake dappled with poppy seeds and oozing fresh blueberries
-- Tart, silky lemon curd you're going to want to eat straight from the jar
-- Velvety smooth cream cheese frosting

So..... is your jacket on yet?

Here's how to make this cake

First, make the lemon curd filling.

In a bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks for lemon curd. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water and cook, whisking occasionally, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency (about 10 minutes).

Remove the bowl from the pot of boiling water and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Whisk in the cubes of butter until smooth. Cover and allow to cool completely in the refrigerator.

Second, make the blueberry poppy seed cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the eggs and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). It’s important to give the egg/sugar mixture the benefit of a full whipping here as this is part of what will help your cake rise and give it that fluffy texture.

Whisk together the wet ingredients (vegetable oil, milk, sour cream and almond extract) in one bowl and the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and poppy seeds) in another.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture, and whip on low until just combined. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the batter and whip until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whip until just combined and the batter is lump-free.

Fold the blueberries into the batter. Pro tip: Crush a ½ cup of the blueberries to release some of the juices into the cake for extra flavor and moisture.

Divide the batter between three greased and parchment paper-lined 6" round cake pans. The best way to ensure your cake layers are even is to measure out your batter. For this recipe, each layer should take about 14oz of batter.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Third, make the cream cheese frosting.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese and almond extract until smooth (about 2-3 minutes on a medium speed).

Reduce your mixer's speed to low and slowly begin to add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar has mixed into the butter/cream cheese, increase the speed to high and beat until smooth.

Fourth, assemble the cake.

If you're cake layers didn't bake up completely flat, use a bread knife to level the tops.

Spread a ½" of frosting over your first layer of cake. Using the side of an offset spatula, carve about half of the frosting out of the center and fill it with the cooled lemon curd. Repeat for the second layer.

Add the final layer and cover the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (a crumb coat). Refrigerate until set (about 10 minutes).

Once the crumb coat has set, frost the top and sides of your cake with ⅓" of frosting. For tips on how to get a smooth frosting finish, check out my comprehensive post on how to frost a cake.

Finally, decorate your cake.

Below I'm going to share how I decorated this cake to look like it does in the photos. But if cake decorating isn't your jam, you can create a similar feel by pressing blueberries into the frosting. Just know that this frosting crusts so you'll want to add the blueberries before it sets.

To create this look, divide the remaining frosting between three bowls. Tint one yellow, one green (I used cypress and yellow to create this shade) and one dark blue (I used black and blue food coloring for this one).

Using a butter knife or offset spatula, dapple the sides and top of the cake with the yellow.

Dip the back of a palette knife into the green frosting. Press the frosting gently into the cake and pull away from the tip of the palette knife to create a leaf. Repeat as desired.

Spoon the dark blue into a piping bag with a small, round tip (like a Wilton 11 or 12). Pipe the blueberries onto the ends of the leaves. Allow the frosting to set until it forms a crust (about 10 minutes).

Use the handle end of a small brush or utensil to create an indent in the center of each blueberry. Spoon the remaining blue frosting into a bag with a smaller round tip (like a Wilton 3) and pipe small strings of frosting around the indent.

Expert tips

• Measure your batter: Making even layers of cake start with measuring your batter. For this recipe, that means about roughly 14oz of batter per pan.
• Testing for doneness: Although tempting to wait until the toothpick comes out clean, doing so will likely lead to over-baking your cake. Instead, you want your toothpick to come out without any raw batter and with some cooked crumbs still clinging to it.
• Chill your cake: Cool cake is easier to cut and handle, so chilling your cake for a short while before use will make this process easier.
• The trick to bubble-free frosting: Although this frosting whips up relatively smooth, you can beat out any air bubbles that might have worked their way in by beating the frosting on low for about 5 minutes.
• Crumb coating: Crumb coating a cake means spreading a thin amount of frosting over the sides and top of an otherwise unfrosted cake in order to lock in the crumbs so they don’t get into the outer layers of the frosting. I recommend doing that for this cake.
• The trick for smooth frosting: You’ll need a rotating cake stand and a bench scraper. Place the small end of the bench scraper on the cake stand, long end against the frosting and turn the table. Once excess frosting is removed, heat the scraper in hot water, wipe and drag around the outside of the cake.
• Storage: This cake will keep in the refrigerator, uncut, for 2-3 days.
• Storing cut cake: Once your cake is cut, you’ll want to protect the exposed cake area. The easiest way to do this is with a piece of plastic wrap or two.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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If you liked this recipe, you might also like...

• The best lemon poppy seed cake
• Almond poppy seed apricot cake
• Orange blossom bundt cake

Update Notes: This post was originally published in February of 2018 but was republished with an updated format, photos and tips in June of 2022.