Vanilla Blueberry Cake

Oh mercy, the blueberries are delicious this year and I couldn’t help myself!  This classic vanilla cake is the perfect platform for showing off the berries.

The vanilla cake went together brilliantly – the recipe calls for buttermilk, but I found vanilla flavored buttermilk at the market.  Oh yes.  Please, I would love to bump up the vanilla-ness.

I filled the pans a little more than usual, which resulted in quite a bit of doming; that’s easily taken care of with a serrated knife.  No big deal.

I wasn’t sure about the filling – the bottom layer is a ring of buttercream with jam in the center.  The second layer is a ring of buttercream with a thin layer in the center.  Then, I added the jam and topped with additional buttercream.  After slicing the cake, I prefer the buttercream, jam, buttercream combination (less disintegration of the jam into the cake – I’ve included a picture that demonstrates this).

There was a bit of back/forth of the cake into the cake fridge due to the heat – but all in all, not so bad.

I loved stacking up my Fiesta Ware in blues and purples to highlight the blueberries – I’m just having too much fun for my own good.

The appearance of the cake – pretty good.  I’ve had smoother cakes – in cooler temperatures; I’m convinced it makes a difference.  I also need to try more creative way of using buttercream with cake decorating. 

The taste of this cake was delicious.  My favorite, go-to, buttercream recipe is too simple:  2 sticks salted butter, 1 lb. powdered sugar, 1T clear vanilla, 1T whole milk (use whisk attachment).  I’m so grateful I have a stand mixer and I’m grateful I know this recipe works.

We loved taking this cake to dinner and watching it get eaten completely!  Usually, that is not the case.  But it was great fun to share a wonderful evening together.  Despite the heat and humidity, this cake was a delightful dessert – it’s freshness just the thing we needed after a diner-style dinner enjoyed on the restaurant patio.

Cake crosses cultural boundaries…I like that.