Blueberry Curd Cake

I’ve given you so many things you can do with lemon curd, so I thought it high time we show the versatility of another curd: blueberry. This is an easy, basic lemon butter cake with some almond flour mixed in to give it a really soft, moist crumb. Into the cake batter we’ll dollop some blueberry curd. It looks simple but delivers sophistication with the creaminess of the curd contrasting the buttery cake. 

Recipe origins 

This recipe is adapted from nyt cooking’s “lemon almond butter cake”. Besides the obvious swapping of lemon curd for my homemade blueberry curd, I’ve also changed the mixing method to avoid the cake developing any toughness. I also use blanched almond meal instead of ground toasted almonds and I’ve added some lemon zest to the cake batter to give it some flavor. For the topping, it’s mostly covered in that beautiful purple blueberry curd but I’ve added a sprinkle of sugar for a bit of a crispy topping. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Blueberry curd: you can use this recipe or this blueberry curd recipe without lemon. Make it ahead of time so it has time to chill before adding it to the cake. 

Sugar: fine granulated. Coarse is great for the topping but you can also just use more of the fine if that’s all you have. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount added as it tastes saltier. 

Lemons: one or two fresh lemons to zest into the cake batter. 

Butter: softened to room temperature. Salted or unsalted but if using salted, reduce the amount of added salt to the batter. 

Eggs: whole large eggs, they should be at room temperature or the batter will split. 

Flour: all purpose flour, of a low or medium protein content. 

Almond flour/meal: I use blanched but unblanched will work too, though the cake will have a bit more grit to it. 

Baking powder: to leaven the cake. 

How to make a Blueberry Curd Cake 

Have your blueberry curd ready before starting the cake. Use this recipe. You can make the curd up to a week ahead of time. 

Get your butter and eggs to room temperature: for the eggs you can place them in a bowl of hot water. The butter should be soft before starting the cake. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and prep an 8 inch circle or square metal pan by greasing and flouring it. Parchment paper works too (you won’t need to flour the pan if you use parchment). 

Zest the lemons over the sugar and rub: this releases the flavor from the zest. 

Beat in the butter: the goal is to get to a “creamed” stage, you’ll want to stop the mixer and scrape down every few minutes. 

Beat in the eggs: scrape the bowl as needed. 

Add the dry ingredients and stir to just combine. Don’t overwork this batter. 

Spread the batter, it will be thick, into the prepared pan. 

Heavily dollop blueberry curd into the batter and use the back of a spoon to smooth it so it covers most of the cake: but leave the outer rim (the curd will burn here) and the middle of the cake without curd. 

Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean of wet crumbs: it will take at least half an hour to bake. 

Let the cake cool then gently lift the cake out and place on a plate. 

Store this cake in the fridge. I like to take it out to serve at room temperature. 

Blueberry Curd Cake Recipe

Blueberry Curd Cake

Moist lemon butter cake with a thick swirl of homemade blueberry curd baked in. Easy to make, and blends lemon and blueberry in every bite.

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Yields: 1 8 inch cake

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Ingredients

• Blueberry Curd this recipe (you’ll need about ⅓ cup of it)
• 200g or 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for topping
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Zest of 1-2 lemons
• 113g or ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 130g or 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g or ½ cup blanched almond flour

Method

• Have the blueberry curd made and cooled before starting the cake batter. The curd can be made up to a week ahead of time.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8 inch round baking pan (8 inch square works too).
• Set the sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer (or use a hand mixer) and zest the lemon over it. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release its oils.
• Add the butter and beat (using the paddle attachment) until the mixture is creamed, about 3-5 minutes - stopping to scrape the bowl halfway to ensure an even mix.
• Add the eggs and beat until airy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the flour, baking powder and almond meal and mix to just combine - don’t overmix the batter.
• Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing it out.
• Dollop 4-5 heaped tablespoons of blueberry curd over the batter and spread them so they cover most of the cake batter but avoid the outer rim/edge of the cake. I leave a small circle of batter uncovered with curd so I can use a cake tester to know when it’s done baking. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the bits of exposed cake batter.
• Bake the cake until a cake tester comes out clean of wet crumbs (test in the center of the cake), about 30-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan then transfer to a plate. Note: This cake will sink due to the weight of the thick, liquid curd. Store the cake in the fridge, serve cold or at room temperature.

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