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Blueberry Custard Cake Recipe

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4 from 13 reviews

A luscious Blueberry Custard Cake featuring a moist, tender cake base topped with a creamy, rich custard embedded with fresh blueberries. This delightful dessert combines a smooth vanilla custard with a lightly lemon-zested cake, baked to perfection and chilled to enhance flavors. Perfect for celebratory occasions or a special treat.

Ingredients

Custard:

  • 1 1/2 cups full fat milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  • 1/3 cup superfine/caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup / 60 g egg yolks (~4 large eggs)
  • 3 1/2 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
  • 30 g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1 cm / 1/2″ cubes

Cake – Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup superfine/caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (full fat preferred)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated (1 large lemon)

Cake – Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder (fresh and active)
  • Pinch of salt

Blueberries:

  • 250 g / 8 oz blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) with the oven rack placed in the middle position.
  2. Prepare Pan: Grease a 20 cm / 8 inch springform pan with butter, then line the base and sides with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
  3. Make Custard – Heat Milk: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla and half the superfine sugar over medium heat until it’s hot but not boiling.
  4. Whisk Egg Yolks: In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until well combined, then whisk in the cornstarch until smooth and no lumps remain.
  5. Temper Egg Mixture: Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent curdling. Once combined, pour in the remaining milk and whisk to incorporate all ingredients.
  6. Cook Custard: Return the entire mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken. Immediately reduce heat to low and continue whisking for 2 to 3 minutes until a lazy bubble appears and bursts on the surface. Whisk for 30 seconds more to ensure smooth texture.
  7. Add Butter: Remove from heat and whisk in the cold butter cubes until the custard is smooth and glossy. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature while preparing batter.
  8. Make Cake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients: superfine sugar, canola oil, egg, plain yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until smooth.
  9. Add Dry Ingredients: Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk or gently stir until just combined and smooth, taking care not to overmix.
  10. Reserve Batter: Remove 1/3 cup of the batter and set aside in a small greased ramekin to bake separately. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface.
  11. Apply Custard and Blueberries: Whisk the cooled custard until smooth. Dollop half of the custard mixture around the edges of the cake surface and spread evenly toward the center using an offset knife. Scatter half of the blueberries over the custard layer. Mix the remaining blueberries into the remaining custard, then spread this blueberry-custard mixture evenly over the cake, pressing gently to flatten the surface.
  12. Bake Cake and Mini Ramekin: Place the springform pan and the ramekin with reserved batter into the oven. Bake cake for 35 minutes initially.
  13. Burst Blueberries: Remove the cake from the oven carefully. Using two small paring knives, hold one blueberry steady with one knife and burst blueberries on the surface gently with the other. Do this only for 1 minute to avoid overworking the batter.
  14. Final Bake: Return the cake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cake is fully set and golden on top.
  15. Cool and Chill: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan (about 3 hours). Once cooled, refrigerate the cake in the pan for at least 12 hours to allow the custard to set perfectly.
  16. Serve: When ready to serve, remove the sides of the springform pan. Slice the cake and serve best at room temperature to enjoy the creamy, tender custard texture.

Notes

  • Use superfine/caster sugar for better dissolving; regular sugar can substitute but may affect texture.
  • Measure egg yolks by weight rather than count for accuracy in custard consistency.
  • Large eggs standard weight is 55g; ensures correct batter balance.
  • Full-fat plain yogurt keeps the cake moist with a tender crumb; low-fat can be used but texture may vary.
  • While cooking custard, whisk gently but constantly to avoid lumps or scrambled bits; straining custard can ensure smoothness if needed.
  • Removing 1/3 cup batter for separate baking maintains the perfect cake-to-custard ratio and consistent baking times.
  • Store the cake refrigerated for up to 4-5 days; always best served at room temperature for ideal custard softness.
  • You can repurpose leftover egg whites in other recipes to avoid waste.

Find it online: https://marthatasty.com/blueberry-custard-cake-recipe/