High Altitude Blueberry Vanilla Cake

This high altitude blueberry vanilla cake has three layers of soft, fluffy and tender vanilla cake, filled with sweet blueberry jam, and frosted with blueberry buttercream. Each bite is bursting with blueberry flavor in this delicious cake!

Looking for more blueberry recipes? Be sure to check out my brown butter blueberry crumb bars, the best blueberry crumb muffins, and blueberry buckle coffee cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

The Best Vanilla Cake. I started this recipe with my favorite high altitude vanilla cake recipe. It always turns out perfectly, and is so moist, soft and tender. I just love it as a base for so many cake flavors.

Versatile and Adaptable. I used blueberry jam as a filling between the cake layers, and freeze dried blueberry powder in the buttercream. The blueberry powder adds vibrant color and an intense blueberry flavor, but you can also use jam in the buttercream if you’re not able to find the powder. And if you want to use another fruit, you absolutely can! A strawberry or raspberry version of this blueberry vanilla cake would be fantastic.

Easy to Make. The cake batter is quick and easy to whisk up in a bowl. And the buttercream whips up in minutes with a stand mixer.

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

Dry Ingredients: Sugar, Cake Flour, Baking Powder and Salt

Liquid Ingredients: Eggs, Egg Whites, Buttermilk, Unsalted Butter, Vegetable Oil, Vanilla Extract

Be sure to get all my tips on making the best vanilla cake in this post!

Filling

For the filling, all you’ll need is some good quality blueberry jam. You can even make your own with my wild blueberry preserves recipe.

Blueberry Buttercream

For almost all my cake recipes, I frost them with my Perfect American Buttercream. The ratio of butter to powdered sugar ensures a buttercream that’s flavorful, fluffy and not too sweet. Meringue powder adds stability and improves the texture, salt balances the sweetness, and vanilla extract adds flavor. For the blueberry flavor and lovely color, I used freeze dried blueberry powder, although you can also use more of the jam if you like.

Instructions

Cake

• Prepare one recipe Vanilla Cake as instructed.
• Cool the cakes in the pans before frosting. If making the cakes in advance, wrap the cooled cakes individually in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature overnight, or freeze for up to 3-6 months.

Buttercream

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth. Beat in the blueberry powder or blueberry jam.
• In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls, mixing just until combined; the frosty will be clumpy.
• Add the vanilla, and whip the buttercream on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, adding milk as needed for desired consistency, and scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. If you used jam, you will most likely not need to add any milk.

Assembly

• Place one of the cakes on a cake board or cake pedestal. Frost the top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Use an icing spatula to create a “dam” of buttercream around the edge that’s higher than the middle.
• Spread a layer of jam over the buttercream, stopping at the edge next to the dam. Use about 1/4-1/3 cup of jam.
• Stack the next cake layer on top, and repeat with another layer of buttercream and jam. Stack the last cake layer on top.
• Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the crumb coat. Keep the bowl of buttercream covered, so it doesn’t crust over.
• Frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream. If you like, dab a little jam onto the buttercream and swirl it in.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add fresh blueberries to the cake batter?

Yes, fresh blueberries are delicious in this vanilla cake. I’d suggest pouring the batter into the pans first, then sprinkling the blueberries over the top of the batter. This will ensure they’re evenly distributed and helps them not to sink down to the bottom of the pans.

What piping tip did you use for the buttercream?

Tip 6B.

Where can I find freeze dried blueberry powder?

You might be able to find freeze dried blueberries at your local Target or major grocery store, which you can easily crush into powder. You can also find the powder here.

Can I use blueberry jam to flavor the buttercream instead of freeze dried blueberry powder?

An alternative to using blueberry powder is to use blueberry jam. About 1/4 cup of blueberry jam will give you beautiful color and flavor in your buttercream. If your jam is chunky, like preserves tend to be, I’d suggest blitzing it in a food processor to get it nice and smooth, before adding to your buttercream. The jam can be added to the buttercream in place of the milk, although you may still need a little milk for desired consistency.

What other flavors can I use instead of blueberry?

Anything you like! I can substitute any flavor of jam for the blueberry, and it will be wonderful.

Will this cake recipe work as cupcakes?

Yes, this vanilla cake recipe works well as cupcakes, and will make about 30-36 cupcakes.

If I cut the recipe in half, what size cake pans should I use?

To make a smaller cake, make 1/2 the cake recipe and bake it in three 6-inch pans. If you want enough buttercream for the decorative piping, you should make 3/4 of the buttercream recipe for a smaller cake.

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