This Blueberry Shortcake is the perfectly light dessert for summer. Layers of vanilla cake, whipped cream, blueberry sauce, and fresh blueberries.
Summer is officially in full swing, though you’d never know it if you were living in Vancouver. We had a pretty intense heat wave a few weeks ago, but since then it’s felt more like fall than summer.
I’m actually not complaining. Summer is my least favourite season *gasp*. Ryan thinks I’m legitimately crazy, but I find that summer has no redeeming qualities. If I lived somewhere where I had easy access to a pool or some crystal clean ocean water, then I’d be ALL over the hot weather. Otherwise, I’ll take my mild temps and overcast days. Crazy? Probably.
If you’ve been following along with last week’s post, I’m unhappy to report there have been no new developments on the housing front. We went to an open house on Wednesday night thinking it would be less busy than the weekend ones….
SO. MANY. PEOPLE.
We were at one yesterday that was less than an hour in, and there had already been 60+ people through it. It’s a huge turn off to see throngs of people at these things. Like, why even bother getting your hopes up on a place if you know you’re going to be competing with so many people. So unappealing.
ANYhow, I’m sure you’re all just dying to know if we manage to get a place or end up homeless, so I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’ll try to distract myself from the stress that is house-hunting with this dreamy Blueberry Shortcake.
I don’t know if Blueberry Shortcake is actually a thing, but I feel like it should be. Same basic concept as a Strawberry Shortcake, except with blueberries. Seems reasonable to me.
This Blueberry Shortcake is one of the easiest layer cakes you can make. It doesn’t take much time, and it tastes delicious. I used my standard vanilla cake recipe rather than doing the traditional sponge cake. Mostly due to laziness and the fact that I hate making sponge cakes. So much work! That means, though, that this cake is a bit heavier than a typical light shortcake. I don’t mind it, but if you’re a purist you’ll want to stick with a sponge.
The blueberry sauce literally takes minutes to make — the longest part here is probably waiting for the sauce to cool so you can use it on the cake.
I made my own whipped cream, but if you’re ultra lazy (no judgement), you can just use store bought or even Cool Whip (gasp!). I added some fresh blueberries as well, because I like the contrast of them with the blueberry sauce — not just for color, but for texture too.
I made this cake for my dad for Father’s Day, and it did not last long. Four of us polished off half of it in one sitting and I’m sure the leftovers were gone before the evening was done!
Notes & tips for this Blueberry Shortcake:
- Due to the whipped cream, this cake will not keep very well. Ideally serve same day.
- You can use Cool Whip instead of whipped cream if you prefer.
- This should work just as well with any other kind of berries.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my tips here.
Blueberry Shortcake
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
Blueberry Sauce:
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2Tbsp cold water
Whipped Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
Assembly:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
INSTRUCTIONS
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 6" cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
- Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-30mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Blueberry Sauce:
- Combine blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Cook foe 2 minutes, stirring occasionally being careful not to break the blueberries. Slowly add cornstarch slurry while stirring blueberries. Bring back to a boil and cook until thickened (30 - 60 seconds). Cool completely before using. If too thick, add some water to thin out.
Whipped Cream:
- Place mixer bowl and whisk into the fridge to chill. Pour cold whipping cream and sugar into mixer bowl. Whip on high until stiff.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or serving dish. Top with 1/3rd of the whipped cream then 1/3rd of the blueberry sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup fresh blueberries. Repeat for remaining layers. Serve immediately or place in the fridge. Serve same day.
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
Maria says
Hello! I´m a huge fan of your cakes and will finally come around to make one… I decided to bake this for my sisters birthday… WIll there be any problem if I bake the cakes on friday night and build it with the toppings on saturday?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Maria! No problem at all, just cover them with a dish towel or plastic wrap :). Please let me know how you like it!
Maria says
Came back to tell you this was amazing! People kept saying it was the best cake they´ve ever had. We put it on the fridge and the next day it was almost better than it was fresh. Thank you! Definetely will keep on trying your recipes
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you! 🙂
Xing Ying says
I’m Glad I’ve found this! Just started on my baking journey and would love to try out this cake base!! May I know if I were to use an 8inch round pan, how much amount of time would I have to use?:)
Olivia says
Hi Xing! If you use two 8″ pans the baking time should still be around 25-30 mins or so :).
Kristin Ross says
Hi Liv! I made this on Saturday and it was awesome and so beautiful! It was fairly easy and so delicious! You’ve inspired me to bake more cakes! I’m pinning more of your recipes and can’t wait to try another one!
Olivia says
Hi Kristin! I’m so glad you liked this cake and found it easy! You have to let me know what else you try 🙂
Sam says
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to give this a try. Love anything blueberry. Couple silly/stupid questions. I always get confused with the sifting parts, most bloggers write it different ways. I sift after or before I measure cake flour? I have a small kitchen so I don’t really have room to buy 2 or more cake pans in all sizes. If I make this in a 10×3 do you have a appox time and temp? Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Sam! Not stupid at all! This actually confused me when I first started baking too. For my recipes, always sift after you measure the cake flour. Typically this is how recipes should be written:
1 cup cake flour (sifted) – sift after measuring
1 cup sifted cake flour – sift before measuring
For changing the pan size, still keep it at the same temperature. By 10×3, do you mean a 10″ round cake pan?
Tracie says
Definitely trying this now that blueberries are so abundant here in the lower mainland. One question, where is that lovely green cake stand from?
Olivia says
Hi Tracie! I actually got it at Homesense. It was a steal! That’s where I get most of my cake stuff :).
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says
This is so gorgeous! If blueberry shortcake wasn’t a thing already, you’ve definitely made it one. And good luck house hunting–I am feeling sympathetic stress for you!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Elizabeth!! <3
Quin @ Butter Be Ready says
Such a gorgeous cake and it sounds so yummy! This cake is definitely on my next baking to do list 🙂
Olivia says
Thanks so much Quin! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Christina @ The Blissful Balance says
This is so gorgeous!! I’m traveling this weekend but would love to have been able to make this for 4th of July. Definitely trying when I get back, looks so light and sweet and YUM!!
Olivia says
Hi Christina! It’s super easy to make so I hope you find time to squeeze it in! 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Totally dreamy blueberry shortcake Olivia! This is my kind of cake, since I am a terrible cake froster! I think I can definitely manage this one. And with all the gorgeous blueberries at the market, I just can’t wait to try! Perfect for the 4th!
Olivia says
It is SUCH an easy frosting method and I love the rustic look :). Thanks Mary Ann! xo
Renee says
This is amazing! I seriously need this cake in my life (on my plate in my kitchen) very soon! I love fresh blueberries!
Olivia says
Haha, thanks so much Renee! I wish I could send some your way!
RaShell @ Mommy's Apron says
That looks so wonderful! Yum! I am pinning this one to come back to it again. Thank you for sharing. And yes, it’s totally a thing! 🙂
Olivia says
Thanks so much RaShell!!