Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake (Dairy-Free)

Calling all blueberry lovers! Perhaps the bluest of cakes I’ve ever made, this berrylicious gluten-free blueberry cake is made up of 100% real blueberries. From cake layers to frosting, it’s practically bursting with blueberry yum in each and every bite. 

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The Best Real Blueberry Cake

Soft layers of tender blueberry cake, blueberry reduction filling, and covered in the most glorious whipped blueberry buttercream frosting. With the perfect amount of sweet summer berries, this fresh gluten-free and dairy-free blueberry layer cake recipe is pure sunshine in every scrumptious spoonful.

An easy recipe, these simple straightforward steps will have you coming back for blueberry cake over and over again. I wouldn’t even blame you if you licked your plate clean.

What Makes Up A Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake

With a refreshingly sweet flavor palette of blueberry layers, filling, and frosting, each element brings a scrumptious berry addition to this cake.

Cake Layers – super soft and packed full of real blueberry flavor. No fake extracts or emulsions here!

Reduction Filling – slightly tart and 100% genuine blueberry, this blueberry filling adds a bit of zest.

Buttercream Frosting – fluffy as can be, this blueberry frosting complements the blueberry cake layers perfectly. Not to mention the gorgeous color it is from the blueberry reduction.

Blueberry Cake Ingredients & Substitutions

As always this recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. That said, I do test each recipe with “regular” ingredients and make notes of alternatives or swaps to ensure everyone can enjoy it.

Here are a few key ingredients for this cake but make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom recipe card for the complete ingredient list.

Gluten-Free Flour: I made this cake with Kinnikinnick all-purpose baking mix. If you are not gluten-free, swap the flour with regular cake flour. Note that gluten-free flour blends can vary in weight so I recommend measuring by the cup.

Dairy-Free Butter: Becel plant-based bricks are my personal favorite for baking but any dairy-free butter substitute will work. You can also use regular butter if you are not dairy-free.

Non-Dairy Milk: I love to bake with unsweetened almond milk but this recipe will work with any type of non-dairy, lactose-free, vegan, or regular dairy milk.

Oil: Use canola or vegetable oil for best results.

Blueberries: Fresh or frozen will work. If you use frozen, thaw the blueberries for the reduction.

100% Real Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake Layers

As flavorful as they come, these sweet blueberry cake layers require no artificial extract. Yep, you read that right. Nothing fake here, just real genuine blueberry flavor in each and every bite.

Bursting full of fresh bonafide berry taste, they are created by using an easy blueberry reduction. Packing a punch of summer berry yum, this reduction also colors the cake batter a deep purple/blue as an added bonus.

How To Make Blueberry Reduction

Start this blueberry reduction by placing the blueberries in a blender or food processor and pureeing them until smooth. If you aren’t crazy for blueberry seeds, sieve the puree into a medium heavy-bottomed pot or skip this step and pour it right in.

Begin to heat the blueberry puree, stirring occasionally, and allow it to come to a gentle simmer. The blueberry puree needs to continue to simmer until it reduces by half. Depending on how juicy the berries are, the process can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes.

Remove the reduction from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before using it in the cake batter and frosting.

Bakers Tip: you can make the reduction the day before baking the cake. 

How To Make Dairy-Free Blueberry Frosting

Dairy-free (it’s actually secretly vegan) frosting, while so darn tasty, is notorious for being a bit softer than its “regular” buttercream counterpart. It’s a fine balance between making a frosting that has pipeable/stackable consistency but isn’t too sweet.

Here are a few tricks to ensure vegan blueberry frosting success:

Cream the Butter – first, and most important step is creaming the butter until it is light and fluffy. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the butter, this critical first step can take up to 10 minutes.

No Additional Liquid – that means we aren’t adding milk or vanilla extract, only blueberry reduction and lemon juice.

Push out Air Bubbles – smooth buttercream frosting is all about consistency. Before you are ready to frost the cake, with a spatula, give the buttercream a mix for a few minutes by hand. Push the blueberry frosting up against the sides of the bowl with the spatula to work out all the trapped air bubbles. 

These tips will help you create not just a delicious dairy-free/vegan blueberry frosting, but one that will stack and pipe gorgeously.

Blueberry Cake: Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the blueberry reduction and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Beat the butter, sugar, and oil together on high speed until smooth and fully creamed.

Step 3: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix together until combined

Step 4: Add in all the dry ingredients and begin to mix on low.

Step 5: With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the milk and blueberry reduction and mix until just combined.

Step 6: Divide the cake batter into two 8-inch cake pans that have been prepared with baking spray and parchment paper and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Cool cakes on a cooling rack.

Step 7: With the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth and fluffy.

Step 8: Add in the icing sugar, salt, and blueberry reduction and mix until combined. Turn up to high and allow to cream until fluffy and smooth.

Step 9: Stack, fill and frost the cake. Enjoy!

Cake Assembly Tips

Stacking a layer cake can feel a bit scary. But, as they say, slow and steady wins the race. Let’s set you up for cake success with a few tips and tricks.

Here are a few assembly tips:

Fully Cooled Cake Layers: even if a tiny bit warm, layers will slip when warm. Ensure that each cake layer is fully cooled if not even a bit chilled. I will even work with semi-frozen cake layers if I had to bake them a few days before stacking.

Leveled Cake Layers: flat and level cake layers will sit far easier than crooked ones. I use this super easy cake tool to ensure each cake layer is perfectly level.

Create a Frosting Border: pipe a frosting border between the cake layers. It acts as a dam to keep that delicious blueberry reduction in.

Keep the Cake Chilled: if at any point you begin to feel the cake slip or the frosting is too soft to work with, pop the cake and the frosting back into the fridge to chill. Remember, don’t rush it. Take your time.

How To Decorate A Blueberry Cake

“As you desire” is often how I refer to cake decoration. It’s not that I don’t want you to make the exact same cake as I did, it’s simply that I don’t want you to feel like you *have* to make the exact same cake.

We all have an inner cake artist and I always want to encourage you to let it shine. That said, I quickly break down this gluten-free and dairy-free blueberry cake decor for you.

Step 1: Crumb-coat the cake and allow it to chill for 20 minutes. See the above section for stacking tips and tricks.

Step 2: Put a final “beauty” coat of frosting on the cake and roughly smooth the sides of the cake smoother. Leave the top edge of the cake rough.

Step 3: With the tip of an offset spatula or butter knife, gently drag it around and up as you turn the cake. I highly recommend a cake turntable for this.

Step 4: Top with flowers and fresh blueberries.

Step 5: Chill the cake until ready to serve. *Allow the cake to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

This cake can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

If you want to bake these layers a few days in advance, you most certainly can. Allow the cake layers to cool, cover them tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze until you a ready to stack and decorate the cake. Remove the cake layers from the freezer approximately 1 hour before you plan to stack and decorate and allow them to thaw slightly at room temperature.

Better yet, this cake can be frozen fully made, and decorated. However, I do recommend placing the flowers and blueberries on top on the day of serving.

Bakers Tip: Special occasions are often busy and I will sometimes freeze an entire finished cake a few days in advance to save time and stress.

The night before you plan to serve the cake, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to slowly thaw overnight. Do not take it straight from the freezer to room temperature. Doing so will cause condensation and you will risk the cake toppling.

FAQ’s

Can this be made into cupcakes?

Yes, it absolutely can. The full recipe will make approximately 24 cupcakes or you could half it for 12 cupcakes.

What other pans can I use?

This can be baked in a 9×13 cake pan (it won’t need as much frosting though), three 6-inch rounds, or two 9-inch pans. Note that the baking time will change.

Always look for light golden edges that are pulling away from the pan, the top should bounce bake to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with a few moist crumbs.

Can I Add Fresh Blueberries To The Filling?

Fresh blueberries would be delicious with the blueberry reduction filling. If you do this, I don’t recommend freezing the cake as fresh berries, when frozen and then thawed, will create moisture and make the cake gummy.

The Yummiest Gluten-Free Blueberry Layer Cake

A slice of blueberry joy, this fresh gluten-free dairy-free blueberry cake is a delicious combo of sweet and slightly tart in every yummy bite. Soft fluffy real blueberry cake layers with blueberry reduction filling and gorgeous whipped blueberry frosting. This beautiful blueberry cake is a summer delight in every scrumptious morsel.

Make sure you tag me on social media @cakedbykatie and leave me a star rating and review below if you make it. Can’t wait to see it!

More Summer Dessert Recipes

Here are a few other fresh summer-inspired sweet treats that I know you’ll enjoy:

• Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (GF & DF)
• Chantilly Cake (GF & DF)
• Strawberry Almond Cake (GF & DF)
• Raspberry Cake (GF & DF)
• Pina Colada Cake (DF)
• Raspberry Blondies (GF & DF)
• Lemon Cheesecake (GF & V)
• Peach Cake (GF & DF)

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