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Blueberry Custard Cake
5 from 86 votes

Blueberry Custard Cake

Blueberry Custard Cake combines a moist cake batter enriched with yogurt and lemon zest with a smooth, vanilla-infused custard baked together and topped with fresh blueberries. The custard thickens gently on the stovetop before being folded into the cake batter. This dual texture cake balances tender crumb with creamy custard pockets and fruit bursts.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Cooling & refrigeration
15 hrs
Servings: 12
Calories: 220 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Custard:
  • 1 1/2 cups milk , full fat
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  • 1/3 cup superfine sugar Note 1, caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup / 60 g egg Note 2, yolks, about 4 large eggs
  • 3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or cornflour
  • 30 g / 2 tbsp butter cold, cut into 1 cm / 1/2" cubes, unsalted
Cake - wet:
  • 1/2 cup superfine sugar Note 1, caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 1 egg Note 3, large
  • 1/2 cup PLAIN yogurt (Note 4)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp lemon finely grated (1 large lemon, zest
Cake - Dry:
  • 1 cup flour , plain / all-purpose
  • 2 tsp baking powder (if old, check it's still active)
  • Pinch salt
Blueberries:
  • 250 g / 8 oz blueberries , fresh or frozen (do not thaw)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) with the shelf in the middle of the oven.
  2. Grease a 20 cm / 8" springform pan with butter. Line the base and sides with paper.
Custard:
  1. Heat milk: Heat the milk with vanilla and half the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot.
  2. Whisk egg: Whisk yolks with remaining sugar, then whisk in the cornflour.
  3. Milk into egg: Slowly pour about 1/2 cup hot milk into the eggs while whisking. Once incorporated, pour in remaining milk and whisk to combine.
  4. Thicken: Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook on medium, whisking constantly until you feel it starting to thicken then immediately turn down to low (2 - 3 minutes). Keep whisking then when you see a lazy bubble appear and burst on the surface, whisk for 30 seconds longer.
  5. Enrichen with butter: Take off the stove. Whisk in butter until smooth. Scrape into a bowl then cover with cling wrap touching surface. Leave to cool while making the batter (Note 5 for custard tips)
Cake:
  1. Batter: Whisk Wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the Dry ingredients then whisk until smooth. Remove 1/3 cup of the batter (Note 5) then pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. (Bake the 1/3 cup batter in a separate greased ramekin for 25 minutes).
  2. Custard topping: Whisk custard until smooth. Dollop half around the edges of the cake surface then spread inwards with offset knife. Smooth the surface, then scatter with half the blueberries. Mix remaining blueberries into remaining custard, then spread across the cake surface, pressing blueberries in to flatten the surface.
  3. Bake 45 minutes: Place the cake in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove, then use 2 small paring knives to burst some of the blueberries on the surface (1 knife to stop blueberry spinning, the other to burst). Limit bursting time to 1 minute, no longer! Then bake for a further 10 minutes.
  4. Cool: Remove cake from the oven. Fully cool in the cake pan (around 3 hours). Then refrigerate for 12 hours, still in the pan.
  5. Serve! Remove cake from the pan then cut into slices. Best served at room temperature rather than fridge cold!

Notes

  • Superfine (caster) sugar dissolves more evenly though regular granulated sugar can be substituted if needed.
  • Measure egg yolks carefully as their proportion affects custard texture; large eggs weigh about 55g each.
  • Plain yogurt adds moisture and tenderness to the cake; full fat variety is preferred.
  • Whisk custard constantly to avoid lumps and scrambled eggs; strain if lumps form.
  • Cake stores refrigerated for 4 to 5 days and is best served at room temperature for creamy custard texture.

Nutrition Information

Calories 220cal (11%) Carbohydrates 30g (10%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 78mg (26%) Sodium 26mg (1%) Potassium 168mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 18g (36%) Vitamin A 226IU (5%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 91mg (9%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 220

% Daily Value*

Calories 220cal 11%
Carbohydrates 30g 10%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 26mg 1%
Potassium 168mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 18g 36%
Vitamin A 226IU 5%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 91mg 9%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.