Blueberry Citrus Cake

Here’s how you turn a box of lemon cake mix into something that tastes like it came from a bakery.

Orange juice replaces some of the water in the batter, fresh blueberries get folded in for pops of juicy fruit, and the whole thing bakes into two golden layers dotted with purple.

But the real star is the frosting. Cream cheese and butter get whipped with powdered sugar, fresh OJ, and real whipping cream, then loaded up with freshly grated orange and lemon zest. It’s tangy, fluffy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor.

Stack the layers blueberry-side up for the prettiest presentation.

Kitchen Tips

• Toss the blueberries with a tablespoon of flour before folding them in. This keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
• Use fresh orange juice and freshly grated zest. Bottled juice and dried zest won’t give you the same bright, punchy citrus flavor.
• Beat the whipping cream to soft peaks before folding into the frosting. Stiff peaks will make the frosting dense instead of light and airy.
• Fresh or frozen blueberries both work. If using frozen, fold them in still frozen so they don’t bleed purple streaks through the batter.