If you’re looking for the perfect summer cake, this is it!
The fresh blueberries work perfectly with the hint of cardamom in the cake as well as the fig jam topping. And who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?! I could eat cream cheese frosting on just about anything, but the creaminess and tanginess goes especially well with the other flavors in this cake.
I hope you enjoy this cake! Let me know in the comments below how it turned out or share a photo on Instagram and tag @homecourtbakes!
XO,
Coco
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30-35 minutes plus ~1 hour for cooling
Total time: 2 hours
Yields: 1 quarter sheet pan (9-by-13 inches) or 2 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients for the Blueberry Cardamom Cake:
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 250 grams (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 60 grams (1/4 cup + 1 tsp) light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 110 grams (1/2 cup) buttermilk
- 75 grams (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
- 8 grams (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 185 grams (1 1/2 cups scooped and leveled) cake flour
- 4 grams (1 tsp) baking powder
- 4 grams (1 tsp) kosher salt
- 2 grams (1/2 tsp) ground cardamom
- 2 cups (about 1 pint) fresh blueberries
Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature (use a block, not the spreadable kind)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 5-6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Milk (if needed)
Fig Jam:
- Since I’m not an expert at making jams, I recommend following someone else’s recipe. Here’s the one I’ve used. I’ve also made this cake with store-bought jam and it still tasted great.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Spray the bottom of your pan(s) with baking spray, line the bottom with parchment and spray the top of the parchment and up the sides of your pan.
- Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on high for 2-3 minutes (until light and fluffy). Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through and at the end.
- Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. After adding the last egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on high for another 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If there are any streaks of ingredients that aren’t fully incorporated, cream for another 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl or container (I like to use a measuring cup), combine the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Slowly stream the mixture into the bowl while on low. When finished, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another 2-3 minutes on high. When done, the mixture should double in size and be completely homogenous.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Add the dry ingredients into the wet all at once and mix on the lowest speed for 45 to 60 seconds. Add the blueberries and mix the dough by hand to ensure the batter is fully mixed.
- Pour the batter into your pan(s) and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, making sure to rotate the pan(s) at 15 minutes to ensure an even bake. At 30 minutes, use your finger to gently poke around the outside and center of the cake. It should bounce back very slightly and not be jiggly at all.
- When baked through, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. If using a quarter sheet pan, you can cool the cake in the pan completely. If using round cake pans, I recommend cooling the cakes in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then removing them from the pan to continue to cool.
- Depending on your pan, you can use an offset spatula or bench scraper to cut around the sides of the cake to loosen the edges and invert it onto a plate. Then remove the parchment paper and invert again onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting by adding the butter, cream cheese and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy. If the frosting is feeling too thick, you can add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- To assemble this cake, I did a base layer of cake topped with a layer of fig jam and then a layer of frosting. Then I added the top layer of cake (making sure to invert it so the bottom of this layer becomes the top of the cake), another layer of fig jam and frosting. I chose not to frost the sides of the cake as I like a more rustic look, but you should have enough frosting to frost the entire cake if you want.
- Then it’s time to decorate! I ran out of fresh blueberries, so I used dried blueberries and thyme (which was removed before eating), but you can do whatever you want.
- Storage: I recommend storing this cake in the fridge as I think it tastes better chilled and will last longer.
Home Court Bakes 