Blueberry Lemon cake with vanilla buttercream frosting

or: Madisons first birthday cake!

First birthdays only come around once a lifetime so i figured what better way to celebrate than to make one from scratch here at home. After all, the store bought ones are so impersonal right? Plus i had been dying to break in my new stand mixer!

How did this lovely piece of heaven come to be you ask? 

Ingredients needed:

3-1/3 cups all purpose flour

.5 teaspoons of kosher salt

.5 teaspoons baking powder

.5 teaspoons baking soda

1.5 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter

2 cups sugar 

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest 

4 eggs

1 cup + of buttermilk

2.5 cups of blueberries

Frosting

2 sticks unsalted room temp butter

1 lb confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk room temperature

.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Start by sifting 3-1/3 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into a bowl.

Set aside and in a separate bowl cream together 1.5 sticks (3/4 cups) of room temperature unsalted butter and 2 cups of sugar. You'll know its done once it looks light and fluffy and you cant see granules of sugar. 

Grate 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and add to the mixture. Beware, lemon graters and thumbs dont play well together....

Add in 1/3 cup of lemon juice to the wet mixture. To that beat in 4 eggs one at a time, it should be nice and yellow when you're done.

With your mixer set to a very low speed sift in your dry ingredients a bit at a time and 1 cup of buttermilk. Alternate adding in dry and wet about 1/4 of each at a time. 

After its all combined gently fold in (by hand using a spatula) 2 cups of blueberries. 

Next fill an three 8 inch round nonstick cake pans with 1/3 of the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until its done and a toothpick, inserted into the center comes out clean.I sifted flour on mine to help it come out clean but you can also use cooking spray or nothing at all if you fancy. 

Let cool completely then transfer to a wire rack until you are ready to ice and stack. 

Now, the FROSTING!!!

Cream 2 sticks of room temp unsalted butter in a large bowl then with the mixer on its lowest speed slowly add 1 lb of powdered confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of room temperature whole milk. 

Once done, place your first layer on a cake tray or plate, ice the top of it, then place the second tier on top. Repeat to the top then ice the sides. Be sure its cooled completely as it will make the icing thin out and drip. 

When done, decorate the top with remaining blueberries and if its your first birthday, oodles of sparkly candles. 

I would say it was a success.