Lemon Blueberry Cake
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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 (I’ll be serving it instead of my carrot cake recipe for the first time) this year.
What’s So Great About This Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- It’s a lemony, perfectly tart variation of my vanilla cake recipe 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.
More Spring Recipes
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I made it for Easter dinner. So pretty! The lemon frosting is delicious and I hope it all tastes good together tomorrow. Thank you for such detailed directions.
Hi Sam,
Just wondering if I can use equal weight of cake flour instead of AP flour and if I can omit the cornstarch? And can I use sour cream thinned out with water as mock buttermilk? This cake looks great, thanks!
Hi Karina! You can use an equal weight of cake flour. I probably wouldn’t omit the cornstarch, and if you don’t have buttermilk on hand I would recommend my buttermilk substitute. 🙂
Can you use while miilk instead of buttermilk
Hi Tamara! I would recommend using my buttermilk substitute if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. 🙂
Oh my goodness, Sam! I can hardy wait to bake this cake! I’m serving your strawberry layer cake for Easter upon family request. Wait till I bake this cake for them.
I hope you love it, Ines! 🙂
What are your thoughts on baking this recipe in loaf pans?
I haven’t tried it but it could work. 🙂
Can you use 3 9 inch cake pans? I only have 2 8 inch, which would be better?
Hi Cheri! You can use 9 inch pans. Your bake time may be a minute or 2 less. 🙂
Looks delicious 😋. This is my pick for my family Easter meal. Thanks so much for sharing!
This cake looks so delicious. I will definitely try making it.
Thank you for sharing.
I can’t find your lemon frosting receipe??
Hi Rita! Here is the lemon frosting recipe. 🙂
Can you make this is 2 – 9 inch pans? It looks wonderful!
Hi Janice! It will make too much batter for 2 – 9 inch pans. You don’t want to overfill your pans. You can reserve 1/3 of the batter and bake it after the other 2 have finished baking. 🙂
Hey Janice,
I divided the batter evenly between two 9″ pans, baked using my convection oven at 350 for 34 minutes and it worked!
Will the liquid ratio be ok if I make this gluten free?
Hi Nicole! Unfortunately I’m not overly familiar with making things gluten free. I would think it would be ok as long as you don’t change the ratios. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Can I use 3 6 inch cake pans for this recipe or is too much batter for it?
Hi Erick! You will probably end up with a little extra batter. These are thinner layers for a cake so I’m not sure you would be left with a ton of extra batter. Enjoy! 🙂
Can I make this as a large sheet cake? I don’t like layer cakes!
Sure thing! Your bake time will be different though. 🙂
Can you use a 13×9 dish?
Hi Michelle! It will work in a 9 x 13, but I’m not sure on the bake time. 🙂
Look’s wonderful
Linda Brown
Can you make this in a Bundt pan?
Hi Valeeree! That should work just fine. I’m not sure on a bake time though. 🙂
Hi, can this be made by substituting butter with flora light and small amounts of sugar with stevia, only like a quarter, maybe a third of the sugar being replaced?
Also, I did a quick check of the nutrition on this using flora and less sugar. I did the same with the frosting recipe. It came to about 500cals in a 1/12th slice. Are you using any substitutions or anything to get your recipe down to 331cals?
Great recipe btw, thanks if you reply.
Hi Shae! I haven’t ever used flora light, but I think it could work. The stevia substitution shouldn’t cause you any issues either. The calories here are calculated without frosting on it. 🙂
This cake looks amazing and I’ve loved all your recipes that I’ve tried! I’m just wondering if you think it could be turned into cupcakes and if so do you have recommendations for the baking time? Thanks!
Hi Rissa! This will work fine as cupcakes. I would think it would take about 16-18 minutes, but I would just keep an eye on them. 🙂
Can the lemon blueberry cake be made in a 9×13?
Hi Nancy! That will work just fine, but I don’t know what the bake time would be. 🙂