You gaaaaiz! These cakes are so good, even better than I’d expected them to be. I’ve been dreaming of little lemon cakes for a while now, and they were to have a cream cheese frosting and blueberries on top. The frosting turned into more of an icing but I’m happy to report, it’s like a blueberry cheesecake and lemon cake had a baby and it’s just perrrrrfect!

The cakes themselves are ridiculously moist, super soft and bursting with citrusy flavour. Top that with a tangy, creamy icing and juicy blueberries and there’s no way this couldn’t be a winner. Let’s dive in!

When I made a non-chocolate version heart surprise cake, a bit of lemon zest in the batter tasted so good, I wanted to make it really shine and make the cake super lemony. So the very same batter, which is absolutely no-fail, buttery, tender and perfect, with a bit of lemon juice, zest and milk for extra moisture, turned out more divine than I expected. I can’t find more words to tell you just how flawless the texture is. A tight crumb but so pillowy, I was amazed.

Then came the frosting, but while I knew I wanted to make it with cream cheese, I also wanted a lighter one, that used less butter and sugar. The result was not a pipeable frosting, but more of a thick icing. It needed a little bit of chilling and I wasn’t sure it would work out at all, but it diiiiid! As the cakes rest in the fridge once you’ve drizzled it on, the icing takes on an airy, whipped-cream like texture. Not surprising because for extra fluffiness I added a few spoons of whipping cream while making it. The best decisions are often unplanned!

Then comes the blueberry compote. You can of course fold some blueberries into the cake batter itself, but there’s something so delicious about them sitting on top of the icing, purple juices running everywhere, making the perfect little accompaniment to the lemony cake.

The flavours work together better than I’d expected. The cream cheese icing tastes extra good once you swirl all the berry juices into it! I’m a little bit obsessed.

Mini Lemon Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing and Blueberry Compote

Moist lemon cakes with tangy cream cheese icing and blueberry compote

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Makes: 8 mini cakes

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Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
1/2 cup butter, at room temp (115 gms)
1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
1 tsp lemon zest, from 2 to 3 lemons
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whole milk (125 ml)

For the blueberry compote

200 gms fresh/frozen
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour

For the icing

200 gms cream cheese, softened but still a little cold (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup icing sugar (35 gms)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
3 tbsps whipping cream

Instructions

First, make the cakes. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line 8 muffin moulds with liners.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest till pale and fluffy, using a hand mixer for best results. Add the eggs and beat to combine till smooth.
Add the lemon juice with a tablespoon of the flour mixture, to stabilise the batter. Then add the remaining flour mixture fold or beat on low speed to combine.
Pour in the milk and beat again till the batter is smooth. The juice may cause the milk to split a bit, no harm done. It will smoothen out as soon as you stir it.
Divide the batter equally among the muffin moulds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. They don't dome very much, nor will the tops brown a lot, so the toothpick test is important to tell when the cakes are done. Let the cakes cool completely at room temperature.
In the meantime, make the blueberry compote.
In a small saucepan on low heat, combine the frozen blueberries and sugar. Stir often till the berries begin to release their juices and thaw. Continue to let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the liquid is very lightly simmering and the berries have softened, sprinkle the cornflour over it and stir it in thoroughly.
Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken and coat the back of the spoon. Take it off the heat and let it cool for 20 minutes at room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge until you're ready to assemble. It will thicken further as it chills.
Next, make the icing. In a mixing bowl or using a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the sugar and butter. Beat to combine, then pour in the whipping cream. Beat again on medium speed until the icing is smooth. It will be a little runny at this stage, so chill for about an hour.
Drizzle the icing over the cooled cakes (I prefer to remove the liners), making sure you're doing this on a wire rack placed on a tray to catch the drips. Pour the icing over each cake multiple times, coating them well and scooping up the icing that's on the tray as well. Any leftover icing will keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
Finally, spoon the blueberry compote onto each cake. I loved eating them fresh, but the icing sets and thickens to a whipped cream like consistency if you chill the cakes for a few hours. They will keep in an airtight tin in the fridge, for 3 to 4 days. Happy baking!