This Vegan Blueberry Orange Layer Cake tastes summery and delicious thanks to fresh berries and citrus! Fluffy cake layers are stacked high with swirls of orange frosting in between.
Hi friends and happy Monday! I am so excited to announce that today kicks off Blueberry Week! And, matter of fact, July is actually #NationalBlueberryMonth. How fun is that?! As with all my themed weeks, I am joining forces with some blogger buddies and we will be sharing dozens of recipes. I am kicking off the festivities with this Vegan Blueberry Orange Layer Cake! Soft, tender layers of orange cake are studded with fresh berries and frosted in a delicious (orange-flavored) blue rainbow!
I have been wanting to experiment with ombre frosting for my cakes for a while now, and this blueberry orange cake was the perfect opportunity. I was torn between making it orange or blue, but I love how this decorating job came out! Though I have to admit, the blue almost reminds me of the sea. Perhaps my blue should have been a bit more indigo-purple 😉 But I do find this color scheme is pretty great for summer!
As always, these events are a group effort so be sure to check out the other delicious recipes that were prepared for today!
Breakfast
- Blueberry Liege Waffles by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Buttermilk Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes by Palatable Pastime
- Glazed Blueberry Donut Muffins by Sweet Beginnings
Drinks and Appetizers
- Blueberry Basil Bourbon Smash by Cookaholic Wife
- Blueberry Bubble Tea by Our Good Life
- Blueberry Lemon Naan Bread Appetizer by The Freshman Cook
- Blueberry Syrup with (Optional) Bourbon by Food Above Gold
- Roasted Blueberry French Toast Crostini by Daily Dish Recipes
Sauces and Spreads
- Blueberry Barbecue Sauce by Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Saucy Honey & Balsamic Blueberry Jam by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Blueberry Curd by Caroline's Cooking
Dinner
- Blueberry Bison Chili by Savory Moments
- Blueberry Romaine Salad by Jolene's Recipe Journal
- Curry Burgers with Blueberry Chutney and Coconut-Lime Slaw by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Dessert
- 5-Minute Blueberry Cheesecake Dip by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Blueberry Cardamom Crisp by Crumb Top Baking
- Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream by Cooking For My Soul
- Blueberry Cobbler by Family Around the Table
- Blueberry Oatmeal Bars by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Blueberry Peach Oatmeal Bars by The Beard and The Baker
- Blueberry, Peach & Brie Slab Pie by The Spiffy Cookie
- Vegan Blueberry Orange Layer Cake by The Baking Fairy
Be sure to come back again later this week because I've got more tasty creations up my sleeve! 🙂
- Monday: Vegan Blueberry Orange Layer Cake
- Wednesday: Blueberry Lime Margaritas
- Friday: Vegan Blueberry Coconut Pie
And be sure to check out some of my past blueberry-licious creations, too!
- Blueberry Lemon Snack Cake
- Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Blueberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Blueberry Peach Pie with Pecan Streusel
- *for the cake*
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoon water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup nondairy yogurt {I used Silk almond}
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange extract (you can substitute vanilla)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- zest of ½ orange
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- *for the frosting*
- ½ cup shortening
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange (or vanilla) extract
- zest of ½ orange
- pinch of salt
- few drops of blue food coloring
- fresh blueberries, for decorating
- First, make the cake. Preheat oven to 350F and spray two 6" round cake pans with nonstick baking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed with the water and set aside to thicken.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Add in the vegan butter, and beat on low until it's incorporated and has a sandy texture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, flaxseed mixture, nondairy yogurt, orange zest and and orange/vanilla extract, and add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Pour in the unsweetened nondairy milk and orange juice, and beat on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Finally, gently stir in the blueberries
- Divide batter evenly among the 2 pans, and bake for 45 minutes until cake is set in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.
- When the cakes are completely cooled, you can make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the shortening, vegan butter, and orange/vanilla extract together until completely smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until a thick frosting forms. Add in the salt.
- To assemble the cake, divide the 2 cake layers in half to create 4 thin layers. Place one cake piece on your cake stand or platter, and spread some white frosting on top. Repeat with all.
- To create the ombre effect, divide the remaining frosting into 3 bowls. Leave one of them white, add 1-2 drops of food coloring to the next bowl, and 5-6 drops to the last bowl. Add more or less until you reach your desired color.
- Grab a large piping bag, and spoon in the darkest frosting, followed by the medium frosting, followed by the white. Pipe the frosting around the edges of the cake, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Using a bench scraper, smooth the edges of the cake.
- For the top, spoon any remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a wide star tip (such as 1M). Frost swirls on top of the cake along the edge, and top each with a blueberry. You can fill the middle of the top of the cake with additional blueberries as well.
- Serve immediately, or store in the fridge until needed.
Wendy Klik says
What an absolutely amazing looking cake. It is almost too beautiful to eat.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
This cake is stunning! I love all the shades of blue and I'm sure it's scrumptious to eat as well!
Teri@The Freshman Cook says
What a beautiful cake, and those layers have my mouth watering!
Karen says
Very nice ombre effect! It certainly doesn't look like your first try! Gorgeous.
Tania says
Girrrrlll that cake looks AMAZING! You're the cake queen haha! I bet it tastes amazing 🙂
Nicole says
This is absolutely stunning! I love this cake and everything about it!
Hezzi-D says
This is so gorgeous! I wouldn't have thought to pair bueberries and oranges but now I want to try!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
Your frosting work is so pretty! I love the flavor combination you picked for your cake- it sounds so good!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says
I've been drooling over this cake all week! It's just so darn gorgeous!!!
Jaida ~ Sweet Beginnings says
You always make the most beautiful cakes! Love the blueberry-orange combo.
Christie says
One day I'm going to channel my inner Baking Fairy and make a cake like that. It looks GORGEOUS!! I love the ombre look.
Melissa says
Besides the fact that this cake looks absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to try the blueberry orange combo!
Zoe Gibson says
I want to use 8 inch tins would I need to change the recipe ?
valentina says
Hey Zoe! No, the recipe will still be exactly the same, though you will probably have a shorter bake time since the cakes will be thinner. I would start checking around the 30 minute mark for doneness!