by Nancy Meeks, editorial director, Bake from Scratch
In my family, we have a dessert that’s known simply as Easter cake, and we all immediately know what it is and how good it tastes. In 1975, my dad was working as the choir director of West End Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama, and the congregation loved to have year-round ice cream socials after church. A choir member named Ruth Ellison-Moore brought the cake to a social, and my mom loved it. Ruth was a hairdresser, so Mom made an appointment at her salon, and Ruth, who called the recipe blueberry cake and knew it by heart, dictated the recipe to Mom while she got her hair cut.
When my sister and I were growing up, Mom would make Ruth’s blueberry cake—always decorated with edible pansies in shades of purple, yellow, and white to echo the cake—for our big family lunch after church every Easter, but the cake often showed up in summertime, too. Yet no matter the occasion or time of year the cake was made, we always called it the Easter cake—and nearly 50 years later, we still do.
Like a lot of recipes from the ’70s, a few of the cake’s original ingredients are convenience products, but I didn’t let that stop me in creating a fully from-scratch version. I had a lot of fun sharing my iterations with my family and making sure everyone gave their approval of this new take on it.
My mom recently reconnected with Ruth through her daughter, who said Ruth is now retired, doing well, and is still well known among church members and friends for her cakes, peach bread, and pies. I’ll be sharing my version of her cake with her, and I hope it has a legacy as long and loved as the original.
The batter of this Easter Cake is a hybrid of a traditional butter cake and a sponge cake, which re-creates the light and airy crumb of a boxed cake mix but is tall and sturdy enough to hold a fruit filling and a generous layer of frosting. Plus, the cake gets better and better after it’s made.
Easter Cake
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (313 grams) cake flour*
- 1¾ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1¼ teaspoons (6.25 grams) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking soda
- 10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup (56 grams) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (18 grams) or vanilla extract (12 grams)
- ¾ cup (180 grams) whole buttermilk, room temperature
- 6 large egg yolks (112 grams), room temperature
- 3 large egg whites (90 grams), room temperature
- â…› teaspoon cream of tartar
- Whipped Cream Frosting (recipe follows)
- Blueberry Filling (recipe follows)
- Garnish: fresh blueberries, edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; lightly spray parchment.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, 1½ cups (300 grams) sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, and vanilla paste or extract until well combined. Whisk in buttermilk and egg yolks until well combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-low speed until foamy. Increase mixer speed to medium-high; gradually add remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar, beating until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until stiff, shiny peaks form, about 1 minute. (Do not overbeat.) Transfer egg white mixture to another medium bowl; return bowl to stand mixer.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. Add flour mixture to mixer bowl; with mixer on low speed, gradually add butter mixture, beating just until combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bottom and sides of bowl and paddle. Beat at medium speed until thick, smooth, and well combined, about 30 seconds. Fold in one-third of egg white mixture until almost combined. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture until no white streaks remain. Divide batter between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Tap pans on a kitchen towel-lined counter 6 to 8 times to release air bubbles.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, gently remove parchment, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Level cooled cake layers, if desired. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate.
- Transfer 1½ cups (265 grams) Whipped Cream Frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip. Pipe a border of frosting around edge of cake layer. Spread half of Blueberry Filling within frosting border. Pipe remaining frosting in bag onto filling; gently spread smooth with an offset spatula. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake, creating a slight border on top of cake. Spoon remaining Blueberry Filling on top of cake within border. Loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving or up to overnight. Just before serving, garnish with blueberries and flowers, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package (226 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2½ cups (600 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (3 grams) or vanilla extract (2 grams)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, and salt at medium speed until thick, smooth, and creamy, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl and paddle. With mixer on medium-low speed, add cold cream in a slow, steady stream, beating just until combined. Thoroughly scrape bottom and sides of bowl and paddle.
- Switch to the whisk attachment. Add vanilla paste or extract, and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Gradually increase mixer speed to high, beating until thick, fluffy, stiff peaks form. Use immediately.
Blueberry Filling
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (333 grams) fresh blueberries, divided
- 6 tablespoons (72 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring 1¾ cups (259 grams) blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to soften and liquid begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water until dissolved and smooth; stir into blueberry mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ½ cup (74 grams) blueberries. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally.
