Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake
I wanted to bake you guys a healthy blueberry snack this week.

As you might have guessed from the lengthy post title that mentions “cream cheese” twice, this is not it.

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That healthy snack actually ended up in the garbage. I do plan on reworking the recipe, because I liked the idea of it (chewy banana oat blueberry bars), but I think this cake is better for this week, don’t you? Not that I have any reason to bake a cake; It isn’t anyone’s birthday, there aren’t any holidays this week, and I don’t have my own blueberry bush that provides an unlimited supply of fresh berries. Sometimes I just need to bake a cake, and Monday was one of those days.

Plain old Mondays are just so blah. Even once you get through the day (which is guaranteed to move like molasses) you still have 4 MORE DAYS until the weekend. To make the struggle easier to handle, I think every Monday should be deemed “Cake Monday.” Just think of how happy people would be. It would be like the year’s first 60-degree day in Minnesota, when everyone walks around smiling and greeting each other, with casual comments like “How about this day?” to strangers on the street (Note that Minnesotans may always be nice, but they’re not always friendly. You should have seen us during this year’s May 3rd blizzard).

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake | Veggie and the Beast

And and and!!!…if every Monday was “Cake Monday” then we’d probably have leftover cake for the remainder of the week. See how I plan ahead? You’re welcome.

Although my love for this cake may seem unusual at first, since it doesn’t include chocolate, peanut butter, OR coconut, you need only to look at the amount of cream cheese and brown butter to understand my feelings.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake | Veggie and the Beast

You see, this cake batter starts with butter and cream cheese, both softened, and then whipped together until totally smooth and creamy. Then we add both white and light brown sugars, vanilla, a touch of cinnamon, and buttermilk. After folding in some cornstarch-coated blueberries, the cake bakes up all airy, light, and golden. As if that’s not enough yumminess for one cake, I added brown butter cream cheese frosting, which is wonderfully creamy, yet with a hint of caramel from the brown butter. The sprinkling of blueberries on top gives a lightly sweet and tart flavor, and highlights the blueberries hidden in the cake…and to be honest, they’re just pretty, and I like pretty.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Super moist and flavorful blueberry cream cheese cake topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting! The perfect summer treat.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert, Cake, Summer Recipes
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
Blueberry Cream Cheese Layer Cake
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 8-ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 1½ cups blueberries, tossed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Extra blueberries for garnish
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 8-ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, cut into chunks
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. After they come together, whip them on high for a couple minutes.
  4. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix until combined.
  5. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then pour in ⅓ of the buttermilk. Repeat this twice until all of the flour and buttermilk is incorporated in the batter.
  6. Toss the blueberries and cornstarch in a separate bowl, and then gently fold into the batter.
  7. Cut out 2 circles of parchment paper to fit the bottom of 9-inch circle pan. Liberally grease the pans and then add the parchment on the bottom.
  8. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. While the cakes are baking, brown the butter. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it melts whisk it constantly. Eventually bubbles will form, and you will smell a nutty aroma, and you will see brown specks form at the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds. Pour the brown butter into another bowl, then cover it with saran wrap and place it in the fridge for about an hour so that it becomes the consistency of softened butter.
  10. Transfer to a cooling rack, keeping the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Top the pan with a cooling rack, then grab the cooling rack and the pan, and gently flip it to make the cake pop out of the pan right onto the cooling rack. Let it cool completely.
  11. While the cakes are cooling, get the frosting together. In a large bowl combine the brown butter and cream cheese, and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Gradually add the vanilla and powdered sugar until both are fully incorporated. Pour in the whipped cream, and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until super fluffy.
  12. Once the cakes are cooled, top one of the cakes with half of the frosting, then top with the other cake and spread with the remaining frosting. I used the back of a spoon to make attractive waves. Top with additional fresh blueberries.
Notes
Adapted from Evil Shenanigans.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake | Veggie and the Beast

Summery, decadent, and downright pretty – plan your “Cake Monday” accordingly. It’s going to be a thing.

   

27 Responses to “Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting”

  1. Irina @ wandercrush — June 13, 2013 @ 10:34 am (#)

    That cloud of cream cheese frosting is begging to be eaten by the spoonful. Such lovely pops of blue from the berries, too!

  2. Kitt Crescendo — June 13, 2013 @ 10:54 am (#)

    This sounds decadently delicious!

  3. KT — June 15, 2013 @ 3:57 pm (#)

    this cake looks magnificent! Can you tell me how I could adapt this into cupcakes?

    • Veggie — June 16, 2013 @ 9:35 pm (#)

      I think that these would make great cupcakes! I haven’t made them as cupcakes yet, so I can’t say for certain if you’d need to make any adaptations. I would start out by making the cake batter as-is, filling the cupcake liners slightly less than 3/4 full, and baking for 15-20 minutes. These would be divine if you piped some of the frosting into the center too. Let me know if you give it a try!

  4. Christy@SweetandSavoring — June 15, 2013 @ 11:38 pm (#)

    I love pretty, and you definitely accomplished that with this blueberry cake! I blended some blueberries into my Dutch Baby mixture this morning, and I love how the whole thing wound up with blue speckles :) Yay for berry season!

    • Veggie — June 16, 2013 @ 9:36 pm (#)

      Sounds delicious!

  5. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — June 16, 2013 @ 9:22 am (#)

    I am sooo happy you used your fresh blueberries this way!! Yum!

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  8. Mel — November 22, 2013 @ 5:33 am (#)

    As a non cake baker, how do I convert this recipe for an eight inch circle pan??? Grandmother duties….HELP

    • Veggie — November 22, 2013 @ 9:14 am (#)

      Are you wanting to make just one 8-inch circle cake, or are you replacing the two 9-inch circle pans that the recipe calls for with 8-inch circle pans?

  9. Rachael — April 7, 2014 @ 4:04 am (#)

    This cake, OMG, it’s amazing! I’ve made it twice now, once for a dinner party and once for work. Everyone went nuts about it. I’m so in love with it, I want to eat it every day! Alas, I live in the Southern Hemisphere and summer is over, so no more blueberries. :( I’ll have to try making it with some winter fruit!

    • Katie — April 7, 2014 @ 8:56 am (#)

      Thank you for your comment! I’m so glad it’s a hit! I can’t wait for berries to be in season again where I live. This is going to be one of the first summer desserts I make :)

  10. Cassy — July 7, 2014 @ 8:34 am (#)

    How far in advance can I make this? I was going to make it today for a friend’s birthday in 2 days. Would I just leave it in the fridge?

    • Katie — July 7, 2014 @ 8:50 am (#)

      Making it the night before should be fine, but 2 days in the fridge would dry it out a bit. It would still taste good, but the texture of the frosting and cake would not be as good as it is when fresh. If possible, I would make the cake the night before, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then frost it the day you’re serving it.

      • Cassy — July 7, 2014 @ 8:53 am (#)

        Awesome! Thanks so much!

  11. Sarah — October 1, 2015 @ 6:22 pm (#)

    Would frozen blueberries work? Would you thaw them first or mix in frozen? Thanks!

    • Katie — October 2, 2015 @ 10:20 am (#)

      I think frozen would work! No need to thaw. Just very gently fold in, because if you mix them in too much your batter will become a dingy green color.

  12. Jana — October 31, 2015 @ 8:07 pm (#)

    What do you mean by “1 stick of butter” (in the ingredients for the frosting)- is that 1/2 cup? Just wanted to make sure, since in the cake ingredients the butter is listed in cups, but here it’s not! Thank you. This recipe looks delicious, I’m making it for a birthday tomorrow!

    • Katie — November 1, 2015 @ 8:17 am (#)

      Yes, 1/2 cup! Hope you love the cake!

  13. Lee — March 7, 2016 @ 1:50 pm (#)

    Would I be able to make this cake in advance and freeze it? (obviously without the frosting!) if so, how would you freeze it? Thanks!

    • Katie — March 7, 2016 @ 4:05 pm (#)

      I have never frozen cake, so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!

  14. Toral — May 23, 2016 @ 10:39 am (#)

    I made yesterday for a dinner party and not only is it beautiful,  it tasted INCREDIBLE. A great way to use fresh blueberries! 

    • Katie — May 24, 2016 @ 11:03 am (#)

      Awesome! That’s so great to hear!

  15. Kristin Cha — May 27, 2016 @ 8:37 pm (#)

    Made this for a brunch! lovely and delicious! Definitely making this many more time! Thank you!

  16. Leanna Placido 🌸 — December 26, 2016 @ 6:54 am (#)

    How many 8 inch round pans can i replace with this recipe?

    • Katie — December 27, 2016 @ 10:07 am (#)

      I haven’t tried it myself, but I would still just use two pans. You may need to bake the cakes for a little longer.