This heavenly blueberry chocolate cake is made with fresh blueberries. A simple, yet impressive cake that will wow your family and friends!
This chocolate blueberry cake is one of my family's favorite cakes. Blueberries pair so well with chocolate!
This is an easy layer cake recipe made with fresh blueberries, blueberry cream cheese frosting, and a delicious homemade blueberry sauce!
Love desserts with fruit? Try my Easy Strawberry and Apple Crumble, my Fresh Fig Crumble Tart, or my Fresh Peach Upside-down Cake.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this blueberry chocolate cake recipe:
- Do blueberries go with chocolate cake?
- What does this blueberry chocolate cake taste like?
- WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Ingredients for blueberry chocolate cake
- Ingredients for the homemade blueberry sauce
- Ingredients for the blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Equipment you'll need
- HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Step-by-step Instructions
- DECORATING THE CAKE
- Recipe Notes
- Variations
- EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- MAKE-AHEAD OPTIONS
- FAQs
- MORE CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
- Recipe
Why you’ll love this blueberry chocolate cake recipe:
- Perfect for beginner bakers. This cake is so easy that you don't need any special decorating skills for this recipe.
- It has easy-to-find ingredients. You probably have most of them in your pantry.
- Perfect for entertaining. It's such a gorgeous, delicious chocolate and blueberry cake, it would be great for special occasions.
- It has a wonderful flavor. This moist blueberry cake recipe tastes amazing!
Do blueberries go with chocolate cake?
OMG, yes! Chocolate cake with berries is phenomenal! The fresh, tart blueberries with chocolate definitely make an amazing flavor combo.
What does this blueberry chocolate cake taste like?
The super moist buttermilk chocolate cake balances the tartness of the blueberries in the homemade blueberry sauce. The blueberry cream cheese frosting is light, creamy and tangy. It's not overly sweet and it really compliments the rich chocolate cake.
This recipe is divided into 4 different parts:
1) making the chocolate cake layers
2) making the blueberry sauce
3) making the blueberry cream cheese frosting
4) assembling the cake
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Ingredients for blueberry chocolate cake
- Blueberries: I use fresh blueberries for this recipe, but you could also use frozen. Wild blueberries would also be amazing for this cake.
- Flour & leaveners: I use all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Sugar: I use a combination of regular granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Cocoa: I use unsweetened cocoa powder. I always use Dutch process cocoa, but you can use natural cocoa powder, too. You can read about the differences here, for more information.
- Coffee: I use a bit to boost the chocolate flavor of the cake. You can't taste the coffee in the cake, but you can use hot water, instead.
- Eggs: I use 2 medium organic eggs.
- Buttermilk: I usually make my own homemade buttermilk by adding some vinegar to milk.
- Oil: I use light vegetable oil which helps make the cake moist.
- Salt: A bit of salt brings out all the flavors.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.
Ingredients for the homemade blueberry sauce
- Blueberries: I use fresh blueberries, but you could use frozen.
- Sugar: I use regular granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice & water: I use freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little water.
- Cornstarch: I use a bit to thicken the sauce.
Ingredients for the blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Blueberry sauce: I make a simple blueberry sauce and use a few tablespoons of it for the frosting.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Cream cheese: I use full fat cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar: I use powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar).
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract.
Equipment you'll need
- large mixing bowls
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- two 8 inch cake pans (20X20 cm)
- parchment paper
HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE
Step-by-step Instructions
Part 1: Make the cake layers
First, grease the sides and bottoms of your cake pans and dust them with some cocoa powder. Then line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the hot coffee and the cocoa powder. It should be a bit thick, like frosting. Set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder and salt).
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, oil and cooled cocoa mixture. Whisk until everything is thoroughly combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture all at once, and whisk until just combined.
Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack.
TOP TIP
For even layers, I like to weigh the batter first and then divide the number by 2. The total amount of cake batter was about 945g (2 lbs 1.3oz) so I distributed around 472 g (16.6 oz) of batter per pan.
Let the cakes cool completely before frosting them.
These cakes don't dome that much, but I still like to trim the tops so they get perfectly flat.
Part 2: Make the blueberry sauce
In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.
Gradually add the water while whisking continuously until it's smooth.
Add the blueberries and lemon juice and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. I like to smash a few blueberries as they cook.
Cook and stir the sauce until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Set it aside to cool or put it in the refrigerator.
TOP TIP
Whisking together the sugar and cornstarch first helps to prevent any lumps in the blueberry sauce.
Part 3: Make the blueberry cream cheese frosting
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high speed for about 5 minutes, until it's creamy. I like to cut it into small cubes first because it makes it easier to beat.
Stop mixing and add the salt, vanilla, and half of the powdered sugar. Start beating again on low speed. Gradually increase to high speed.
Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until everything is well-combined. Then add the cream cheese and beat until it's fully incorporated.
Finally, add the COOLED blueberry sauce and mix until just combined.
This frosting is a bit soft, but you can add more powdered sugar if you want it thicker.
Part 4: Assemble the cake
Place a cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and spread about about half of the frosting on top.
Then place the second cake layer on top with the bottom side facing up. Spread the remaining frosting on top and then spoon some blueberry sauce over it and swirl it into the frosting.
TOP TIP
I like reserving some of the blueberry suace so I can drizzle extra on each cake slice. I keep it in a jar in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days. Also, you could add some sauce on top of the frosting of the first cake, too.
DECORATING THE CAKE
I wanted a minimal, rustic look, so I just filled and topped the cake with frosting and swirled the blueberry sauce in it. Then I added a few fresh blueberries on top. Simple and pretty.
Recipe Notes
Storage Tips
You can store this cake in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
This cake freezes well frosted. I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then place them in freezer bags. They can be frozen for up to about 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about an hour or overnight before serving.
Variations
- If you don't want to make blueberry sauce, you can use blueberry jam, instead. I would thin it out a bit to make runnier.
- This blueberry and chocolate cake would also be fantastic with chocolate frosting AND chocolate ganache on top! You can use my recipe from my chocolate drip cake. You'll need chocolate and heavy cream for the ganache.
- You can also make chocolate blueberry cupcakes. This recipe will make about 24 cupcakes.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Wash the blueberries and pat them dry before beginning.
- Like I've said many times in just about all my posts, I highly suggest using a digital scale to accurately weigh all the ingredients. This will give you the best results.
- Chilling the cake layers for at least half an hour makes it a lot easier to trim and then frost.
- Keep in mind that since every oven is different, the baking times may vary.
MAKE-AHEAD OPTIONS
You can save a lot of time by making the cake layers and the blueberry sauce 1 or 2 days in advance and keeping them in the refrigerator.
FAQs
I like dark chocolate, but milk chocolate or even white chocolate are good, too.
Absolutely! This cake freezes well. I always freeze individual slices in plastic wrap.
I hope you enjoy this cake!
Happy Baking!
MORE CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Let me know how this Blueberry Chocolate Cake turns out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!
Recipe
Blueberry Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- two 8-inch (20 cm) pans
- hand mixer
- mixing bowls
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the cake
- ½ cup (60 g / 2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (125ml / 4 fl oz) hot strong coffee (or hot water)
- 1½ cups (200g /7 oz) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk (125ml) (or use regular milk mixed with ½ tablespoon of vinegar)
- ¼ cup (60ml) light vegetable oil
For the blueberry sauce
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (150g/5.3oz) + a few extra to decorate, washed and patted dry
- ¼ cup (50 g / 1.8 oz) sugar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
For the blueberry cream cheese frosting
- 17.6 oz (500g) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2-2½ cups (300 g / 10.5 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup (about 45g) blueberry sauce (from above)
Instructions
Make the cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃. Butter two 8 inch pans and dust with cocoa powder. Then line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and the coffee (or hot water) together. Set it aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, the salt, the baking powder, and the baking soda.
- In another bowl, whisk together the cooled cocoa/coffee mixture, the buttermilk, the eggs and the oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture all at once, and whisk to combine. The batter will be thin (see the pictures in the post).
- Distribute the batter evenly among the pans and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- When the cakes are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about half an hour. Then run a knife around the edges and flip the pans over to release the cakes.
- Remove the parchment paper and let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- If you want to trim the tops of the cakes, put them in the refrigerator for at least half an hour first. The colder they are, the easier they'll be to trim.
Make the blueberry sauce
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch (this will help remove any lumps).
- Add the water and whisk together until it's smooth.
- Add the blueberries and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a boil and smash a few blueberries as they become softer. Cook the sauce until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. You can also put it in the refrigerator to cool it down faster.
Make the blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Beat the butter on high speed until it's light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar in 3 batches. Beat on high for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add the cream cheese and vanilla and beat until it's just combined and smooth.
- Add ¼ cup of the blueberry sauce from above and beat until it's just combined. Don't overmix it or it could get runny. Reserve the remaining blueberry sauce to decorate the cake.
- This frosting is softish, but if you want it a bit thicker, you can add more powdered sugar.
Assemble and decorate the cake
- Place a cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Add half of the frosting on top and smooth it out. (If you want, you could add some blueberry sauce on top.)
- Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Add the remaining frosting on top and smooth it out evenly.
- Add the remaining blueberry sauce on top and swirl it into the frosting using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Add some more fresh blueberries on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
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- I suggest using a digital scale to accurately weigh all the ingredients for the best results.
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- Chilling the cake layers for at least half an hour makes it a lot easier to trim and then frost.
-
- Please keep in mind that every oven is different and baking times may vary.
- You can store this cake in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days.
- To freeze, wrap individual slices (with the frosting and blueberry sauce) with plastic wrap and then place in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Store in the freezer for up to about 2 months.
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think: