Lemons. Blueberries. Summer.

It's time again for The Cake Slice Bakers to reveal their sky high creations! And this months cake is Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake--a highly delicious, moist and flavorful cake. A must make this summer.

I was skeptical about this cake, though I'm not sure why. I love lemon and blueberries. Heck, I even love cake so I'm not sure why I was so apprehensive. Maybe because when it comes to cake, I tend to veer towards chocolate because that's what my husband craves. Don't know, but I should have never questioned the integrity of this cake. It was beyond good!

This recipe comes from the very impressive Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. As a member of The Cake Slice Bakers, we are working our way though this book and it has been a treat. I've said it once (or twice) and I'll say it again. Go get this book, or at least stop by your local bookstore or library and check it out. You'll drool, I promise.

Back to the cake. Lemons and blueberries are a perfect pairing. Both great representatives of summer. The cake was light and moist almost like a breakfast cake swirled throughout with homemade blueberry lemon jam. I didn't think the jam was exceptional on it own, but as a filling it was perfect. The frosting was equally wonderful. A lot of buttercreams I've had in the past were greasy and overly sweet. This was not--it was creamy and thick, sweet with a subtle lemon pucker. The only adaptation I made to the frosting was to add grated lemon zest for more punch of flavor. I halved the recipe to make a smaller 6-inch cake and I regret it. I should have made the whole thing and not shared. It was sublime sublemon!

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake from Sky High Printable Version

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1½ tsp lemon extract
• 7 egg whites
• 3 cups cake flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1¼ cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

Scoop 1 cup* of the batter into a small bowl. Divide the remaining equally among the 3 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. This gives you a smooth surface to work with. Add 2½ tbsp of the lemon blueberry jam to the reserved batter and blend well. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture over the batter in the pans. Use a skewer to swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer stuck in the center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely.

NOTE: *I used more than a cup of blueberry jam/cake batter to marble in the cakes because I wanted more of a marble effect, rather than a "drizzle".

Blueberry Lemon Jam

• 3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (I omitted this)

Puree the blueberries with any juices that have exuded in a blender. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer to remove the skins.

In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, zest and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring often for 20 minutes, or until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 1 cup.

To check the proper thickness place a small amount of a saucer and put in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through it. If a clear path is made through the preserve then it is ready. Let the preserves cool before using. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance).

NOTE: I didn't read the recipe til after I had added the blueberries, zest and sugar in a pot. So I went ahead and cooked it down halfway, then pureed and strained it. It worked out fine-Oops!

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 eggs
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest (my addition)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat.

In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs briefly. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl; be careful to avoid hitting the beaters or the syrup may splatter. When all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temperature. This can take 15-20 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the softened butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well between additions. As you’re adding the last few tablespoons of butter, the frosting will appear to break, then suddenly come together like whipped butter.

Beat in the lemon juice and zest (if using), and the frosting is ready to use.

Assembly: To assemble the cake, place a layer, flat side up, on a cake stand. Spread half of the lemon blueberry jam over the top. Place a second layer on top of the first and spread the remaining jam over it. Finally place the third layer on top and frost the top and sides with the lemon buttercream. Decorate with fresh blueberries and serve.

Makes one 8 inch triple layered cake.

WAIT! ...Before you leave! Please go by and wish Debby from A Feast For The Eyes a very Happy Birthday! Deb, I hope you have a wonderful day. This slice is for you sweetie!