Blueberry Velvet Cake

I did not dye the blueberry cake blue. Is it color saturation that makes a velvet cake or the hint of cocoa in the batter? I decided it was the latter. The blue didn’t seem right, like the red does. Red velvet cake is sacrosanct, somehow. And blue just seemed a little creepy. I thought the plump, bold blueberries would be gorgeous studding a dark yellow, dense and homey cake. It looks like America to me, like something made by Puritans or pioneers, like a cake Hannah would bake for the March girls. It would be perfect for Independence Day, which is quickly coming up – next week. We’ll be attending the town parade and sharing cake for breakfast with the neighbors. Let them eat freedom.

Blueberry Velvet Cake
Adapted from a recipe on I Heart Chocolate Milk

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 pints blueberries

For the frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and a light dusting of flour. In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter, then beat in the sugar until fluffy and light. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, then add in the vanilla. Incorporate the dry ingredients in small batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Finally, gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.

For the frosting:

In a mixer combine butter and cream cheese, then add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar.

Tagged as: cake, cream cheese, dessert, fruit

About the Author: Jillian Bedell

Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.