Blueberry Rose Layer Cake

One of the best things about summer in my opinion is the abundance of fresh berries.  They taste fantastic at this time of year; sweet, juicy and the beautiful colours look so inviting.  Blueberries were on offer at my local supermarket when I did the weekly shop so I decided to incorporate some into a layer cake this weekend.  Rather than baking them into the sponge as I've done before I wanted to try something a bit different.

The blueberries were cooked down in a little water, pureed until smooth then made into a smooth tangy curd to fill the layers of vanilla sponge.  This recipe makes quite a lot so you'll have leftovers to spread on toast or stir into yoghurt (or just eat with a spoon!)  It's not as sweet as blueberry jam so provides a nice sharpness and keeps the cake tasting zingy and fresh, perfect for summer!  It's also the most incredible deep violet colour which looks great against the golden sponge.

For the sponge :

225g soft unsalted butter or margarine

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

200g plain flour

25g cornflour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.  Grease and line 2x20cm round tins then wrap tin foil around the sides.  (the lower oven temp and foil ensure you get nice even sponges rather than those annoying domes in the middle that have to be sliced off!)

Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time adding 1 tbsp flour after each addition to prevent any curdling.

Sift together the remaining flour, cornflour and baking powder then gently fold in.

Mix the vanilla extract and milk together then fold in to get a smooth batter.

Divide between the tins, smooth with a spatula and bake for 25 - 30 mins until risen, pale golden and springy.

Cool in the tins for 10 mins before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the blueberry curd:

150g blueberries

2 tbsp water (omit if using frozen berries)

75g caster sugar

50g unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 tsp cornflour

2 tsp lemon juice

Heat the berries and water in a saucepan until they break down.  Take off the heat and puree using a hand blender or food processor.  You can sieve the puree if you want to remove the skins but I didn't bother.

Return to the pan and add the sugar and butter.  Heat gently until melted.

Crack the 2 eggs into a large bowl and whisk together well.

Mix the cornflour and lemon juice to a smooth paste.

Pour the blueberry mixture over the eggs, whisking all the time then quickly pour back into the pan.

Heat very gently, whisking all the time until it begins to thicken.  Whisk in the cornflour paste and continue to cook for 3 - 4 minutes.  

The curd should be fairly thick by now but will also firm up as it cools to a spreadable texture.  Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover the surface directly with clingfilm and leave to cool.  Store in the fridge once completely cold.

For the buttercream:

150g soft unsalted butter

300g sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp blueberry curd

purple gel food colour

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir through the curd and continue to mix for 5 - 10 mins until the buttercream becomes mousse like.

Fit a Wilton 1M nozzle into a piping bag and paint a stripe of purple gel down one side.  Fill with blueberry buttercream.

To Assemble :

Place one layer of cake onto a stand / plate.

Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge.  Fill with a good layer of blueberry curd.

Place the second sponge on top.

Pipe buttercream roses over the top and fill in any gaps with little swirls.

I'm entering this cake into Tea Time Treats as I'm a big fan of the hosts What Kate Baked and Lavender and Lovage and the theme this month is layer cakes.  As I'm fairly new to blogging this is my first ever entry but I hope join in each month now!
Blueberry Rose Layer Cake