Lemonade Cake with Blueberry Filling

One night while I couldn't sleep, I was lying there dreaming up something to make for my Aunt's 50th Birthday celebration.

Do you do this when you can't sleep?? 

Sometimes I forget what my feeble mind came up with, 

thank goodness I didn't forget this one!

Lemonade Cake with Blueberry filling and Lemonade Buttercream

My Mom grew up with three sisters.  She is a twin, and her twin, Janette,  lives here in Omaha.

She has an older sister, Ellen that lives in Washington D.C., and a younger sister, Edie, that lives in Henderson, Nevada.

My Mom's Mom, my grandmother, was such a super lady.  She is missed so much still, even though she hasn't been with us since 1994.

June has always been a busy birthday month for us.

My Mom and her twin were born on June 7th, my birthday is the 9th, my Aunt Edie's birthday is the 19th, my cousin, Heather, (my Aunt Janette's daughter) has a birthday on the 20th, and my grandma's birthday was on the 21st.  

(still with me??)

My Aunt Ellen, is the only one that didn't have a June birthday out of all of us girls!!

She made up for it though and got married on my grandma's birthday on June 21st!

Ironically, June 21st of this year, was her 25th wedding anniversary!

Thank you to her husband, Rick, for sharing her with us!!

My Mom and I always celebrate our birthday on the 8th, right in between our birthdays, and then we try to celebrate with Aunt Janette and Heather for ALL of our birthdays on the 21st to toast my grandma.

This year, my Mom had a great idea, and that was to see if we could get her other sisters here to celebrate with us!!

visiting my grandparents grave

My Aunts, Ellen, Edie, My Mom, Jane and and my Aunt Janette

Later that night we went to the Bone Fish Grille and ate dinner together, 

then back to my Mom's to have cake!

yummy, yummy, buttercream!

the perfect summer cake!

here is a peek at the filling inside

yes, please

Lemonade Cake with Blueberry Filling and 

Lemonade Buttercream

I made the filling the day before, so it would thicken and spread easier.

Filling:

Combine in a saucepan:

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup water

1 T lemon juice

1T lemon zest

Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Desolve 1 T corn starch in 1 T water, add to blueberries and stir until thick, about 5 minutes.

Place in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Cake:

1  box of white cake mix

3/4 cup frozen concentrate lemonade

1/2 cup water

4 egg whites

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir ingredients together with mixer on low then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping bowl.

Grease and flour baking pans.

Divide batter evenly between pans, bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pans, then on cooling rack until completely cool.

Frosting:

6  cups of powdered sugar

2 sticks of unsalted butter

3 T lemonade concentrate

pinch of salt yellow food coloring

Beat ingredients until thick.

Add blueberries to bottom layer of cake, some will drip down side, I cleaned it up with a paper towel.

Do a "crumb layer" of frosting on entire cake, place cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes, frost with remaining frosting.  I piped an edge around the bottom and made a decorative "ring" of piped frosting in the center, where I added fresh blueberries to the top.

Place fresh blueberries around the bottom of the cake.

Happy 50th Birthday, Edie!!

Here is a picture, albeit not a very good one, but the only one that I had of us girls on our celebration night!

My Mom, Jane, me, Edie, Ellen, Janette and her daughter, Heather