I decided to create this recipe when I had A LOT of blueberries in my fridge that I knew I wasn't going to use up before they went bad, so I decided - blueberry cake it is! I really like this sponge recipe, it is a Japanese vanilla sponge cake, super light and airy. The key is to whip the eggs and sugar until they have almost doubled in size, creating a ton of air, making the cake nice and light. It pairs well with the blueberry lavender jam, I prefer a lavender flavor that is more subtle than strong, it gets too perfume-y for me. This jam recipe is just that, a strong blueberry flavor with a subtle hint of lavender at the end. This cake pairs nicely with a cup of tea or coffee for a nice afternoon snack or dessert.
There are a few steps to creating this cake so lets get into it!
First you want to start the cake batter. For this, like I said above, the key to an airy sponge is to whip the eggs and sugar till they have almost doubled in size as well as lightened to a very pale yellow. Eventually folding in your dries to create a light and airy batter. Over mixing will cause the cake to become dense.
Once you have created the batter, you will then bake it in an oven at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. BEFORE putting your cake tins in to bake the cake, tap the tins on the counter three or so times to release any air bubbles.
While the cake is baking and cooling you can start on the blueberry lavender jam as well as the blueberry buttercream.
**Before icing the cake, let completely cool to room temperature or tightly wrap it in plastic and let sit in the fridge over night before assembling the cake. Letting the cake completely cool will make assembly a lot easier. You avoid the risk of the buttercream starting to melt from the heat of the cake. I like to trim my cakes to make them as even as possible. Set in the fridge over night and then assemble and frost my cakes!***
Now let's get to the recipe!
To decorate the cake, I trimmed off the tops of the sponge once cooled to get nice and even layers. Once it was completely cooled I began to assemble it by starting with one of the cakes, piping a border around the end of it and then spooning on the lavender jam in the middle so it doesn't seep out when the top layer of the cake is added. I then added the other cake onto and began to pipe the blueberry frosting all around it and smoothing it with a bench scraper and an offset spatula to get a nice smooth look. I then decorated it with clusters of blueberries and small mint leaves all around it. Enjoyed it with a nice cup of coffee and it was to die for!
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