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.
Rachel
The cake was a tad dry, didn’t care for the suggested lemon frosting. Cream cheese frosting would be best to have with it.
For those that asked, yes you can cook in 9×13 pan, just watch it after the suggested time. That is how I cooked mine.
Also for those that needed help with blueberries sinking, if you put half of the cake mixture in pan before adding the blueberries then add some blueberries on that then add remaining mix add remaining blueberries but gently press down
There were a lot of questions on those two things, I would think you would try it so it could be answered, instead of saying you’ve never tried it
I don’t think I would make it again, even in a large mixing dish flour was getting everywhere, just made more mess then needed.i followed the direction and the video.
Sam
Hi Rachel! Did you make any substitutions? Unfortunately it sounds like it was over-baked or over-mixed if it was dry. I do have a tip in the post for adding cream cheese to the frosting to change it up a bit. I wanted the cake to be a three layer cake and I’ve found that no matter what you do the blueberries are going to sink unless you change the recipe, which I don’t want to do. I am not able to test every cake in every type of pan. That would be a lot of wasted ingredients. This makes the same amount of batter as any standard 2 layer 8 inch cake so if you regularly make cakes you shouldn’t have too much batter. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the cake. 🙁
Carla
Hi, Sam. First of all, let me thank you for this recipe. It’s so perfect, and my family loves it as much as I do. A friend asks me to bake this cake but with lime. Is it okay? Can I use lime instead of lemon? A big hug for a big fan from Argentina.
Sam
Hi Carla! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake so much! I have not tried using a lime, but I think it could work. 🙂
Laura
Hello! I’m exited to bake this cake but can I use Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk?
Sam
Hi Laura! It would take a little bit of tweaking. You may need to use more or possibly thin it. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say exactly how to do it.
Hector
Super delicious!!! but a bit doughy, my fault for not measuring right, any idea what i could have messed up on? This was my first cake from scratch!! thanks for the recipe!!!
Sam
Hmm doughy for a cake? Was it kind of rubbery? If so that’s likely from over-mixing the batter. If it’s still wet, it may have just been under-baked. 🙁 I’m glad you still enjoyed it though! 🙂
Polly
Hi, Should I flour the berries to prevent sinking and can I use your buttermilk substitute in this recipe? If not, why?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Polly! We didn’t see any difference when flouring the berries, unfortunately. We recommend using real buttermilk in this recipe for the best results, but you can use the substitute in a pinch.
Polly
Thank You!
Julia Dumps
Awesome! Delicious cake. I have some favorites and this makes my list. It’s so worth the steps and using real fresh ingredients. This lemon blueberry cake a winner.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy this one was a winner for you, Julia! Thanks so much for trying our recipe 😊
Samra
Can I make this in 12 cup or 10 cup Bundt pan? Will it increase the baking time?
Can use simple lemon icing ( lemon juice and powdered sugar) instead of lemon frosting?
Sam
Hi Samra! While it will fit in the pan, most of your blueberries are going to sink to the bottom of that pan. I’m not sure what the bake time would be for that either. You could certainly use a lemon glaze instead of a frosting if that is your preference. 🙂
Helen Cohn
I cannot tell you how super delicious this cake is. I have made it so many times on repeat and will be a favorite cake to make when going places. thank you so much for a sensational recipe.
Helen
Mrs. C
I will be using this recipe for my son’s 2 year birthday cake coming up soon! He goes bananas for blueberries and I think this just sounds absolutely delicious- I can’t wait to try it out!! I will personally be adding less lemon zest and juice as to not give it too much “adult zing”, and I’ll also be substituting vanilla extract with a whole vanilla bean instead. To top it off I’ll do a light and refreshing but not overly sweet whipped cream icing which I think will pair beautifully with your blueberry lemon cake. I’m sooooo excited! Thank you so much for sharing this.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope it’s a huge hit! Enjoy! 😊
Donna
can you adapt this to a 9 x 13 pan? Thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work fine! Enjoy, Donna 🙂
Amber
I’ve made this many times- when it works out it’s brilliant but many times, it sinks in the middle. What am I doing wrong?
Sam
Hi Amber! I would say the most likely reason this cake would sink would be under or over baking. Are you using the toothpick test to make sure it’s properly cooked?
Laurie
Absolutely delicious! My family loved it. The cake is moist and the lemon is just right. Not overpowering.
Sequoia
Can I make these into cupcakes?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Amanda
I baked this cake and I used your lemon frosting with it for my mother in laws birthday. It shocked me that I was able to make a cake that tastes so amazing!! Thank you for these recipes! This was my first time making lemon curd and I don’t think it would have been as successful without the extra help from the videos you post as well, so thank you for those 💜
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it turned out so nicely for you, Amanda! Thanks for using our recipe 🥰
Amanda
good morning!!! I’m about to make this cake and I’m wondering if you know the bake time on using 2 9″ pans instead of 3 8″ pans?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Amanda! This recipe will make too much batter for two 9 inch pans; you don’t want to overfill them. You can reserve ⅓ of the batter and bake it after the other two have finished baking. Your bake time will be slightly reduced in the larger pans. Hope that helps! 😊
Monica S
Hands down one of the best cakes I’ve made! The flavors are well balanced, moisture was spot on, texture great (even when my convection oven baked a little too long). I ended up using a store bought cream cheese icing (sparingly) and it was tasty. Next time I will try the suggested, home made lemon icing. Thank you for sharing!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed it, Monica! We can’t wait to hear what you think about the icing next time you try it–it’s one of our favorites.
Sue C
hi sam
is it possible to use a 13×9 pan instead of the round pans?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sue! This will fit in a 9 x 13, but the berries are likely to sink. A few will may suspended. 😊