This Blueberry Lemon Cake is loaded with 1 pound of blueberries, and every bite has sweet pops of juicy blueberry and fresh lemon flavor. It’s not too sweet or too tangy, but just right. This is my favorite tea or coffee blueberry cake, and it’s easy, easy, easy!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Blueberry Cake
Blueberries become juicy and jammy when baked into desserts and sweet breads. We sure love our blueberry desserts, from Blueberry Crumble to Blueberry Pie, and this easy Blueberry Cake does not disappoint.
You will love having easy and dependable recipes like this, or our easy Strawberry Cake and simple Peach Cake – they come together quickly and are perfect for unplanned company and my evening sweet-tooth cravings. Bite into this while it’s still a little warm and you’ll have no words, only sound effects… mmm.
It is moist and fluffy and tastes like a decadent Blueberry Muffin from a fancy bakery. Seriously though, it’s really good. Watch the blueberry lemon cake video tutorial to see just how easy it is.
Lemon Blueberry Cake Video
This cake is fluffy, moist, and bursting with sweet blueberry flavor. I hope you love every bite of this lemon blueberry cake. This is one of those cakes you will make on repeat.
Blueberry Cake Recipe
This lemon blueberry cake is so quick and easy to make. It is our go-to for unexpected company and it always disappears fast! You can use fresh or frozen blueberries (see my note on substituting frozen blueberries below).
Tips for Success
- Measuring Ingredients – Click here for an easy video tutorial on how to measure dry and wet ingredients correctly.
- Room-Temperature Ingredients – Ensure your liquid ingredients and even your blueberries are at room temperature for an even bake time and smoother batter.
- Don’t overload blueberries – adding more than 16 oz of blueberries can weigh down the cake and prevent it from rising properly.
- Do Not Overmix – overmixing the batter can make the cake dense.
Can I Substitute Sour Cream?
Several of our readers have reported great results using whole milk yogurt and whole milk Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Can I Substitute Frozen Blueberries?
If using frozen blueberries, you can add them frozen, but as I learned from King Arthur Baking, it is recommended to rinse them to help prevent your batter from discoloring and turning an ugly purple-green tint. Here’s how:
- Rinse your frozen blueberries a couple of times in cold water before you use them.
- Drain well and gently pat dry with several layers of paper towels.
- Gently toss with a full 1 Tbsp of starch, and do not add lemon juice to blueberries.
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
Prep: This cake is easiest to remove when using a springform pan. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. This ensures an easy release after baking. Preheat the Oven to 375˚F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or using an electric hand mixer, beat 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar with the whisk attachment on high speed for 5 minutes or until lightened in color and thick.
- Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, and whisk on low speed until well combined.
- Whisk together the 2 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder then add to batter 1/3 at a time, whisking to incorporate between each addition (DO NOT OVERMIX, or the cake will be dense). Finally, use a lemon zester to add the lemon zest then squeeze in the fresh lemon juice.
How to Assemble and Bake
- Rinse blueberries and drain well. Transfer to a medium bowl add 1/2 Tbsp corn starch and 1 tsp lemon juice. Stir until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains. If using frozen blueberries, see the substitution note above.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared springform pan and even out the top with a spatula. Top with half of the blueberries. Spread with the remaining batter then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries evenly over the top, pushing them about halfway into the batter.
- Bake at 375˚F for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (mine was perfect at 55 minutes). Let cake rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes then remove the springform ring and cool until room temperature or just warm.
How to Serve Blueberry Cake
This blueberry lemon cake is perfectly satisfying on its own without any kind of frosting. A generous dusting of powdered sugar is all you need. It does pair well with vanilla ice cream.
If you really want things to get excited, you can also make a Blueberry Sauce for a topping.
Can I turn this into Muffins?
Because so many of you have asked, we (finally!) have a recipe for blueberry muffins.
Also, if you’d like to bake this in a loaf pan, I highly recommend following our Blueberry Loaf Recipe.
Can I Bake this in a Bundt Pan?
Reader Kelly, writes: “I did this in a tube pan and upped all the ingredients by half. I was feeding 2 families :). I used the “Baking Happy” Pam nonstick spray with flour and it popped out beautifully. It baked for 55 mins, and was perfect! Since the pan is larger, upping the ingredients by half was a perfect fit for the pan- once baked, the cake right to the top. I sprinkled with powdered sugar. Delicious recipe…everyone loved it! Thanks so much!”
More Blueberry Desserts
There’s something about cooking with blueberries, which makes them so juicy and brings out their best flavor. If you haven’t tried making Blueberry Pierogi, you should put them on your list. Here are our favorite blueberry desserts:
- No-Bake Strawberry Blueberry Trifle
- Pavlova Recipe
- Fruit Tart
- Blueberry Ricotta Cake
- Blueberry Scones
- Berry Cake
Go ahead and print a few extra copies of the recipe since you will likely receive some requests for this blueberry cake.
Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream, (8oz), preferably at room temperature for 1 hour
- 1/2 cup light olive oil , or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, *
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 medium lemon, zest and juice, divided
- 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
- 16 oz fresh blueberries, **
- Powdered sugar to dust the top, optional
Instructions
Prep:
- Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment. Preheat Oven to 375˚F.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar with whisk attachment on high speed 5 min, or until light in color and thick.
- Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk on low speed until well combined.
- Whisk together the 2 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder then add to batter 1/3 at a time, whisking to incorporate with each addition (DO NOT OVERMIX). Finally, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 Tbsp zest.
- Rinse blueberries and drain well. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1/2 Tbsp corn starch and 1 tsp lemon juice, stirring until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains.
- Pour half of batter into prepared springform pan and spread evenly. Top with half of the blueberries. Spread with remaining batter then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries evenly over the top, pushing them slightly into the batter (about halfway). Bake at 375˚F for 45 to 55 min (mine was perfect at 55 min), or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake rest in the pan 15-20 min then remove ring and cool until room temp or just warm. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.
Notes
or they weigh down the cake.
*Measure flour by spooning it into measuring cup then scraping off the top.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi there,
So I baked this and followed it to a T and when I did the tooth pick test everything came out perfect but when I cut into it about 3 hours later it has a raw look to it? Is this from the moisture of the blueberries? Do you think it’s raw?
Hi Nicole, it should look like a muffin on the inside but not raw/wet. It could be moisture from the blueberries, especially if using more than what was called for in the recipe. I found that if you use more than 16 oz (and I’ve tested this theory with 18 oz twice) that it becomes more dense and weighed down without the same fluffy look. If you I hope that helps!
Hi there,
Thank you for the quick response!
Yeah I’m confused because I actually used less that called for but I put them all on top jot throughout the middle so maybe putting them all on top caused it to be too wet. Because it looks raw but it can’t possibly be after the toothpick came out clean in 4 different spots.
It looks dense almost. Some spots don’t look at dense at others but it goes all the way to the bottom in some spots. I’m confused
It could be from putting them only over the top. I agree with you – if the toothpick came out clean, it should be fully cooked. Also, did you measure your flour the way I recommended in the post – spooning it into a measuring cup and scraping off the top? I have found that when I push the measuring cup straight into the flour bin, you will always get substantially more flour than if you spoon it in. I have weighed the flour both ways and the difference is surprisingly substantial. I hope that helps for next time! I’m not sure what else it could be…
Thank you again!
I did the flour how I normally do, I’m tempted to try this again but the flavour was amazing. We ended up eating it because it couldn’t have been raw and it was so flavourful.
I’ll have to try it again with the flour and the way you did your blueberries.
Thank you so much for the responses it helped in the decision to see if it was okay or not!!
Just made the cake and was not sure how it would turn out. I thought maybe it was too many bluebeRey’s, but it came out very nice, I used a regular 9″ x 2″H cake pan and just used foil on the rack below the pan I case in dripped over the pan during baking. Had no problem. Oiled the bottom and side of pan and lined bottom with parchment and oiled that also. Worked well.
Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Maria! I’m happy to hear that!
Any chance you could substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream??
Hi Sarah, several of my readers reported great results using plain Greek Yogurt instead 🙂
Awesome, thanks so much!!
My pleasure!
This is the most delicious blueberry/lemon cake recipe I have ever made and will be my go-to recipe from now on. I used plain non-fat greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and I used coconut oil instead of the veg/olive oil. I was a bit worried at the end of mixing the ingredients because the batter was extremely THICK. It was not easy to spread so I was worried it was going to come out dense and dry but its SO moist. I cannot wait to share this cake with my family I know they will go nuts over it!
I’m happy to hear that Danielle! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi, does it have to be a springform pan?
Diana, you can use a cake pan with tall walls. Some readers reported great results using cupcake pans or a bunt pan. You can get creative with it as long it is a similar size and doesn’t overflow the pan. Baking time might need to be adjusted.
I made the cake last night, eating a piece for breakfast as I’m typing this. So delicious! One thing I will definitely change in the future though is use melted butter instead of oil. I used canola oil because I thought the taste would be lighter than the virgin olive oil, and it came out tasting like oil. I also used a 10 inch spring form so ended up only baking for about 38 minutes and it was perfect, looks just like yours, fluffy and light, it’s the oil taste that ruins it a bit 🙁 but I think using butter next time will be perfect! Thanks for a great and easy recipe, will definitely be making this cake a lot this summer!
Marina, thank you for such a nice review and for sharing your baking experience with using canola oil 😬.
I am about to make it tomorrow… Should i not use canola oil? Which oil do you use?
Hi Roni, I use extra LIGHT olive oil (not extra virgin) and I love it because there is no added oil flavor or aroma. I had one reader report that she could sense the oil when she used canola.
So i made it with canola oil cause had no time to buy another. I made it for a birthday tea for my british mother in law and at the last minute i got scared – why try a new recipe for this special event?! What if it doesn’t come out well?!…
But – it was perfect! Just like u described!
YES!!! Thank you for sharing your awesome review!! 🙂
So just an update, I made it yesterday because I needed a quick dessert for dinner with in-laws, and used 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter. Turned out soo delicious! No oil taste, just light and fluffy and oh so good! Got rave reviews! Thanks again!
You are very welcome Marina and BIG thanks for such a rave review 😬!
Re: Blueberry Lemon Cake
I’ll be baking a day before I serve it. Do you suggest putting in Oven to warm for a couple of minutes before serving?
Sandi
Hi Sandi, I think that would work well if you wanted to serve it a little warm. Sounds like a good idea. I would add the powdered sugar just before serving. I hope you love it!! 🙂
Does this cake need to be refrigerated or can it be stored at room temperature?
Dylan, you can store it at room temperature for a day. For any longer, I would put it in the fridge 😀.
Thank you!!!
As anyone tried making it and freezing it for later? Just wondered if it would still be as good thawed.
Tracy, I imagine it would work well to freeze it but I haven’t tested that to say for sure.
I know this is for blueberry specific, but if I substitute blueberries for strawberries would it be as good?
Hi Eve, I haven’t tested with strawberries so I can’t really say for sure but one of my readers reported good results with fresh strawberries if that helps :).
Is it possible to make cupcakes from this recipe? I’m making it for a block party and it would be easier to serve and pretty!
Wendy, one of the readers (Penelope) made them as cupcakes. Here is what she writes: “I made cupcakes with these (baked for 22min) and they came out so lovely! Light and perfect. I did double the lemon juice/zest in the batter, as I do prefer more lemon than most recipes allow. I found the doubled lemon to be perfectly lemony without being too sweet or too tart…”
Would Love to make this but was wondering if anyone made the cake in a 13 x 9 pan? If so what temperature and time?
I swear I’ve made this cake 5 times in 1.5 weeks. One for testing out, 2nd for East dinner, 3rd for East play and one for work. EVERYONE loves it. In fact, I’m going to make this next weekend for a BQ and again for Mothers Day! SOOOOOOO declisious, and light!
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review 😀
Hi
Made this cake this morning, it was awesome
My problem was I cooked it as suggested for 55 minutes, then another five. When I served it, the middle was very soft and mushy. Next time I will cook a little longer. It could have been that my blueberries were thawed from frozen. Going to keep trying cause it is now one of my favourite recipes.
Thanks
Hi Sheila, I’m so glad you liked the recipe!! 🙂 Did you see the instructions for using frozen blueberries (I have a note in the recipe above in case you missed it). Also, baking in a different sized pan might cause that to happen – if it’s narrower and taller, it would need a longer bake time. I hope that helps! 🙂
I made this last weekend. I was quite disappointed how it came out. It was dense, dry and no lemon taste at all. The only thing I did differently was to use a 10 inch spring form pan. I only cooked it for 45 minutes. Any suggestions as to what I can do next time? In looking at the recipe, it really does not call for much lemon juice.
Hi Laurie, are you certain your baking powder was fresh and also did you measure the flour correctly (please see tips above)? These 2 things could cause the cake to be more dense. Also, if you bake in a 10″ pan, you will probably want to reduce the baking time a little since the cake will be shorter and will bake slightly faster. Over-baking can also cause the cake to be on the dryer side.
Yes, I did the recipe to the “T” and I shortened the bake time. Did not come out good at all. Hardly any lemon taste at all.
Hi Laurie, the only thing I can think of is maybe it has to do with the freshness of the baking powder?
This was delicious. I followed every direction and it turned out perfect. My office loved it and I also served it for a morning coffee. Everyone loved! I will make it again.
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing your amazing review 🙂
Made this cake yesterday. Have not baked for a while, but the mixer still works. When 55 minutes were up, it was perfectly done! And the flavors were perfectly blended. One half of a Meyer’s lemon fresh from my tree was also perfect. Texture is heavenly! Thank you.
Oh that’s so great!! I’m so happy for your success and that you loved it 🙂
I made this cake for our Easter celebration. Everyone loved it , but I was unhappy with the result as the center was very dense. I would like to make it again, and will replace my baking powder before doing so. In addition, I will not dust the blueberries with corn starch as I think that perhaps that ingredient weighed the batter down. I did measure the flour as you wrote. The cake looked lovely by the way. Any suggestions ?
Hi Rosdmary, I’m so glad everyone loved it! The corn starch serves to thicken the juices of the blueberries slightly but I don’t think it contributes to weighing it down. Moresoe, if you use too many blueberries – even 2 oz more than called for, it will weigh it down (I’ve tested this a couple of times with too many and both times it was a noteable difference – I guess I just wanted more blueberries. lol). If you suspect your baking powder is old, definitely get some fresh baking powder and try again with that. Also, did you make sure to measure your flour as stated above, spooning it into the measuring cup and scraping off the top? If you push your measuring cup into the flour bin, you will get considerably more flour (I’ve also proved this theory by weighing the flour both ways and it’s amazing how much more flour you get if you don’t spoon it in). I hope that helps! 🙂
I made this cake without the cornstarch as I didn’t have any on hand. The final product was disappointing because the juices of the blueberries leaked into the cake so much that the cake came out soggy. Am I correct in assuming that it was the cornstarch that was needed to stop the cake from becoming soggy? Also, have you ever made this cake as a batch of muffins. I am curious as to how it would turn out:)
Hi Aspen, the corn starch does help to make the blueberry juices thicker so they don’t overwhelm the cake. I wonder also, did you use more blueberries than called for in the recipe? One of my readers turned this into 14 muffins and reported great results!
Thank you for your reply. I have replaced my baking powder. I used a 16oz container of blueberries and I thought that I measured the flour properly. But I will make it again hopefully with better results!!
I wish you success! I just wanted to make sure on the blueberries because the larger packs in my local grocery store are actually 18 oz :). I hope you love the cake! 🙂
Hi. I made this a couple of weeks ago and everyone loved it. I am going to make it again next week as a thank you gift. I was wondering if I cam make it in a bunds pan. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan, but a couple of readers reported great results in a bundt – they did mention baking at the lower end of the time range (45-47 mins). Enjoy!
Can i use frozen blueberries>
Hi Audrey, yes that will work. Please see the notes in the recipe above about using frozen 🙂