This Lemon Blueberry Cake is the perfect dessert for spring celebrations and get-togethers! Each layer is studded with blueberries and frosted with a bright and refreshing lemon icing. Recipe includes a how-to video!
All the Flavors of Spring in One Slice
So many of you have requested this lemon blueberry cake, and I am excited to finally share it with you today! With lemon notes in both the icing and the cake and a bounty of blueberries throughout each layer, this cake is so fruity and light. It’s absolutely perfect for spring and would be a very welcome addition to your Easter dessert table this year.
What’s So Great About This Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- It’s a lemony, perfectly tart variation of my vanilla cake with just the right amount of sweetness.
- A soft, plush crumb suspends at least some of the berries, thanks to the reverse creaming method (like I did with my chantilly cake!).
- We’re icing it with the lemon frosting I just shared last week, which makes it both refreshing and beautiful!
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients that ensure every bite of this cake is flavorful and light:
- Blueberries. I use fresh blueberries, but frozen will work too. If you use frozen, don’t thaw them first–just add them right into the batter.
- Lemon juice. For the most flavorful lemon blueberry cake, use fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Lemon zest. Make sure you zest your lemons before you juice them! It will be quite a challenge to zest a juiced lemon.
- Buttermilk. While I love using my buttermilk substitute in a pinch, I actually don’t recommend using it for this cake. Stick with real buttermilk!
- Cornstarch. This helps achieve a soft, plush cake.
SAM’S TIP: While my lemon frosting complements this cake beautifully, you can make a cream cheese frosting variation that also tastes fantastic. To make this, follow the recipe for my lemon frosting, but add 4 oz of softened cream cheese in with the butter. You may need to add up to an additional cup of powdered sugar to get it the right texture!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make It
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the butter one tablespoon at a time, using an electric mixer on low speed to mix after each addition.
- Slowly drizzle in the oil.
- Combine the remaining wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly drizzle them into the batter.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter among your prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting the cakes onto a cooling rack.
- Frost and decorate your cooled cakes, slice, and enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: If you only have two cake pans (or your oven only fits two pans at a time), you can let the remaining batter sit on the counter while the others are baking. If you do have three pans and they can all fit in your oven at the same time, definitely keep a close eye on them while they bake–most ovens do not cook evenly, and some may be done before others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just add them in frozen (no need to thaw) and bake as normal. Note that if you use wild blueberries, these tend to streak the batter and turn it purple. If you don’t mind that look (it’s almost like a tie dye effect), feel free to use them as well!
While many (but not all) of your blueberries will sink, you’ll still get a nice distribution of blueberry to cake in the final result, especially since the cake layers are fairly thin. I made several variations of this cake where the crumb was dense enough to suspend blueberries evenly throughout, but the cake itself ended up gummy, dense, flavorless, and just all-around lackluster. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take flavor and texture over perfect looks any day! Note: While some people like to toss their berries with cornstarch or flour to help keep them suspended, I found it made no difference here.
This cake can sit at room temperature for a few hours, but after that, it will need to be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
And in case you are wondering, this cake is different from my (well-loved) lemon cake. While that one is divinely light, fluffy, and perfect in all its lemon splendor, today’s recipe was designed specifically to be a bit denser so that not all of the blueberries sink straight to the bottom (which would happen with my lemon cake).
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened and cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup (120 ml) canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
- ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest zest lemons before squeezing
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice fresh-squeezed preferred
- 4 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (340 g) blueberries see note (12 oz)
- 1 batch lemon frosting or preferred frosting
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line three 8” round cake pans by lightly but thoroughly greasing and flouring the sides and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Using an electric mixer, add softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon only after the first is combined. The mixture will appear sandy in texture.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- While mixing on low-speed, slowly drizzle in oil.½ cup (120 ml) canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice, 4 large eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- With mixer on low-speed, slowly drizzle in the buttermilk mixture until the batter is smooth and completely combined.
- Use a spatula to stir in blueberries.2 ½ cups (340 g) blueberries
- Evenly divide batter into prepared cake pans and transfer to 350F oven (if your oven is not large enough for all three pans or if you only have two pans, it is fine to let the remaining batter sit on the counter while the first two pans bake. If all of your pans do fit in the oven, make sure to keep an eye on them as most ovens do not cook evenly and some pans may be done sooner than others). Bake for 30 minutes or until the surface of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cakes to cool in cake pans for 10-15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen cakes and carefully inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Once cooled completely, decorate the cake using lemon frosting (or preferred frosting).1 batch lemon frosting or preferred frosting
Notes
Blueberries
I prefer to use fresh blueberries but in a pinch frozen blueberries will work instead. You do not need to thaw before using. Note that if you opt to use “wild” blueberries, they may streak your batter purple.Storing
Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (note that the refrigerator does tend to dry out cakes the longer they are in there).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Dorian Beaty
Very good recipe for lemon blueberry cake I love it to death
Megan
This was the MOST delicious cake that was the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. I made it for Fourth of July and decorated it with blueberries and strawberries for a “red white and blue” look and it was the talk of the party. Can’t wait for an excuse to make this cake again!
CS
Hello,Sam
Could I make this as a 16 x 22 sheet cake, if so do I increase batter? and would the cook time change? I’m also worried that the berrys would settle at the bottom. I will be making the lemon frosting would I need to increase that also?
Best
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
You would probably need to double the recipe to fit your pan, though we haven’t tried it to be sure. The bake time would also change and yes, some of the berries may settle to the bottom like they do in 8″ pans. You may only need to 1.5x the frosting recipe, but it’s hard to say 🙁
CS
Goodmorning, Emily
I’m just going to jump in and do it 🙂 What would suggest on the extra bake
time? I want to keep the moisture and texture of this lemon blueberry cake. I love lemon and hubby love any kind of berries 😉
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It might be 45-50 minutes, maybe more. Without trying it ourselves, it’s hard to advise 🙁 Keep an eye on it and use a toothpick to test that it’s done. Let us know how it goes!
Cindy
I made this cake for my husband for Father’s Day. He loved it! It was very moist and perfect amount of lemon. I also learned how to make lemon curd from your video! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy he enjoyed it, Cindy! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 💜
Nina
Hi, can I substitute the blueberries for blackberries?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nina! We haven’t tried it, but we don’t see why it wouldn’t work 😊
Cayleigh
Can I use cake flour instead of AP flour for this recipe? can you tell me how to substitute?
Sam
Hi Cayleigh! Cake flour will work. If using weights, it’s the same weight. If using cups, you will use 1c + 2 TBSP of cake flour for every 1C of all purpose flour in the recipe. 🙂
Katrina Sosnowski
I made this for my birthday this year and it came out so good! I used gluten free flour and a nondairy buttermilk sub and it worked beautifully! Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Katrina! Thank you for the feedback using your substitutes. 🙂
Jean Van Putten
I have made this cake and it was a huge hit! I want to make it this weekend but into a sheet cake? Any suggestions on temp or timing?
Sam
Hi Jean! You would want to bake it on the same temperature, but I’m not sure on a time. The blueberries sinking may be a bit more noticeable in a sheet cake. 🙂
Lauren
I made this cake for a friend’s birthday party- it was a HUGE hit! I got compliments all night. Thanks Sam for turning me into a master baker! 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yay! We’re so happy everyone enjoyed it, Lauren 🩷
RedBlueSpice
I have made this cake before, and it was delicious.
I was wondering if the cake and lemon frosting would freeze well, separately and/or assembled together?
Sam
You can freeze them both. You could do it separately, but it will also freeze just fine if you frost the cake first. 🙂
RedBlueSpice
🎉 Thank you for the reply! ☺️
Linda
HI, this cake looks delicious but I prefer to use 13 by 9 pans for my cakes (I’m lazy like that, lol)
Could you tell me what the baking directions would be? Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We totally get that! The temperature will be the same for a 9×13, but unfortunately we don’t know what the bake time would be.
Eliezer
Great recipe, well done!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you like it, Eliezer! Thanks for the review ❤️
Michele
Could you add cream cheese to this frosting recipie? I’ve made this exact recipie before and it was outstanding. Was looking for a lemon cream cheese buttercream for something different.
Sam
Hi Michelle! For sure I think that would work. I think to start I’d add 4 oz of softened cream cheese in with the butter, you might end up needing a bit more powdered sugar, too.
Jennifer
Is there a way to make this gluten free? Trying to make this for my friends birthday this weekend?
Sam
Hi Jennifer! Unfortunately I am not familiar with making this gluten free. 🙁 You could try a 1:1 gluten free substitute flour, but without having tried it I can’t say for sure how it would work. Let me know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂
Jennifer
Hi Sam,
I did the 1:1 gluten free flour. I noticed the batter was extremely thick so I added a little more buttermilk and the cake turned out great. Everyone loved it. My friend cried because she can never eat cake and felt so special I went out of my way to make her one she could eat!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! Thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂
lacey
do you have a lemon blueberry cupcake ?
Sam
Hi Lacey! I do not, but you could bake this as cupcakes. 🙂
Pat
How many cupcakes would this recipe make?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Pat! We’d estimate about 2 dozen 😊
Sherry Cotten
Hello Sam.
I recently found you on YouTube and now I’m following your site. I so appreciate the way you explain the why’s for your recipes. And, you’re having fun.
I’ve been craving blueberries for a change from strawberries. This cake is wonderful. It has the right balance of blueberry/lemon. It’s moist and just perfection. I made your vanilla cream cheese frosting. I’ve not made curd before, but next time I’ll make your lemon curd frosting. One cannot go wrong with this cake.
Sam
Welcome to Sugar Spun Run, Sherry! I hope you love everything you try and I look forward to hearing how everything goes. 🙂
Andrea
Hi Sam, Have you ever frozen any remaining cake, and how did you successfully do that?
Thanks!
Andrea
Sam
Hi Andrea! I haven’t personally frozen it, but I know others have with success. I would just make sure to wrap it tightly or seal it well. 🙂