Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

A gorgeously gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Cake with ultra lemony layered cake sponges bursting with fresh blueberries and filled with a fresh blueberry compote. Covered with an irresistibly zesty sour cream lemon buttercream.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Cooling time2

Total Time4

Course: Cake

Cuisine: British

Servings: servings

Calories: 683kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

320 g caster sugar
2 lemons zest only
240 g unsalted butter room temperature
6 eggs medium
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
180 g gluten-free plain flour see notes
180 g ground almonds
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
75 g sour cream
175 g blueberries

Blueberry Compote

200 g blueberries
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornflour cornstarch

Lemon Sour Cream Buttercream

400 g unsalted butter
600 g icing sugar
120 g sour cream
zest 3 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
200 g blueberries to decorate

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C/gas mark 4 and line and grease 2 x 8 inch round cake tins.
Beat the sugar with the lemon zest and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.
Add the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt then beat into the rest of the ingredients.
Add the sour cream and mix in until completely incorporated.
Coat the blueberries in a teaspoon or two of gluten-free flour then stir into the cake batter.
Divide the cake batter between the two tins and bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted cocktail stick is removed cleanly.
Remove the sponges from the oven. Allow the sponges to rest for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the tins to cool completely on wire racks.

Blueberry Compote

Stir the lemon juice with cornflour in a small bowl until the cornflour has dissolved.
Pour the blueberries into a small saucepan with the caster sugar (and a tablespoon of water if you are using fresh blueberries) and heat gently for 5-8 minutes until the blueberries have softened and got very juicy.
Stir in the cornflour / lemon juice mixture until the blueberries have thickened.
Mash slightly so some of the blueberries become pulpy, you do want to leave some blueberries whole.
Pour out of the saucepan into a small bowl and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Lemon Sour Cream Buttercream

Cream the butter with the icing sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer. Mix for about 5 minutes until very light, pale and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl down every so often to ensure even mixing.
Add the lemon zest, sour cream, salt and vanilla and mix again until smooth and just combined.

Assembly

Place one of the cake sponges onto a cake board.
Pipe the buttercream around the outer edge of the surface of the sponge to create a ‘dam’ then fill the dam with the blueberry compote.
Place the second sponge carefully on top then pipe the buttercream around the sides and across the top of the cake.
Use a palette knife to smooth the buttercream or swirl into patterns.
Scatter extra blueberries over the top and a dusting of icing sugar.

Video

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour

This recipe was tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour but you can use any brand of gluten-free flour blend.

Cake tips

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before using so they mix together more evenly. Cold ingredients can contribute to a dense cake.
To achieve sponges with a lovely height and a fluffy texture you need to beat your butter and sugar for a good 5 minutes. The texture and colour will change and become light, pale and very creamy. A stand mixer or a hand held mixer is fine.
To avoid your batter curdling when you add the eggs, make sure your eggs are at room temperature and also that you add them one at a time so they are mixed in well before the next egg is added.
Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes in the mixing bowl before baking. This allows the flours in your flour blend to fully absorb the liquid ingredients. This is particularly important if your blend includes rice flour.
For even sponge layers place your first cake tin on a set of digital scales and weigh out the cake batter as you pour it into the cake tin. Remove the filled cake tin and place the second cake tin onto the scales (don’t re-set to zero). Fill the second cake tin with the same weight of cake batter. Adjust the amount in each tin so they weigh equally. Then smooth the cake batter evenly to the edges of the tins.
Bake your sponges on the same oven rack in the centre of a pre-heated oven. Try not to open the oven door before the 30 minutes baking time is up or air will get into the oven and cause your cake to fall.
Also try not to overbake your cake which might lead to dry sponges.
Test the doneness of the sponges by inserting a metal skewer or cocktail stick. It should come out of the sponge clean with no wet crumbs.

Compote tips

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you are using fresh then add a small splash of water to the pan when heating the blueberries so they don’t burn. Not necessary with frozen.
Mash some of the blueberries after you have added the cornflour but leave some whole so you have a compote with great texture.
The finished compote should be thick but should drop off a spoon easily.

Buttercream tips

Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Slightly soft when touched – not melty and not hard.
Sift your icing sugar for more even mixing.
Place a tea towel over the bowl, draping around your mixer when you initially begin beating the icing sugar and butter to avoid a sugar cloudstorm.
Begin beating very slowly and speed the mixer up as the icing sugar gets mixed in. Scrape the sides of the bowl down every so often. You will be beating the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes. This will create the smoothest fluffiest and most cloudlike buttercream.
Make the buttercream just before assembling the cake.
This is a very soft buttercream and you don’t want it out of the fridge for too long or it will de-stabilise.
If your kitchen is very warm then your buttercream may become too runny. In this instance add more icing sugar to stabilise it a bit more.

How to make ahead

Whole cake

The whole cake can be made up to 2 days before serving. Store in the fridge and bring out about an hour before serving as long as it stands in a moderate temperature.

In stages

You could also just make the cake sponges and the compote ahead of time. Wrap the cake sponges up well in cling film and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Make up the compote and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend making the buttercream ahead of time.

How to freeze

You can freeze the individual sponges prior to assembly. Wrap up well in cling film and aluminium foil and you can store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and allow to defrost overnight at room temperature before unwrapping.

You can also freeze the whole cake. Flash freeze it uncovered for 4 hours so the cake is hard then wrap very well with cling film and aluminium foil so it is completely airtight. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before unwrapping and bring to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

Nutrition