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
Natasha, is the purpose of the 1/2 T. of cornstarch to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake? If so, I would like to substitute 1 T. of the required amt. of flour for the cornstarch in that step. I’m on a very low carb diet, & I like to cut carbs wherever possible.
Thanks.
Hi Linda, that is correct. I haven’t tried omitting or substituting that but I think it would work. I’ve had a couple of readers write in that they enjoyed it without any corn starch and just adding the berries uncoated. I hope this helps
Natashas, thanks for your prompt reply.
You’re welcome!
Hi Natasha, I’ve made (just out of the oven) this afternoon. I mixed raspberries and blueberries and it is yummy. Thank you x
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing that with me.
I made the strawberry version of this today…….still yummy. Thank you x
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing Steve
Can I use a 9×13 pan? First time baking and it’s all we have at home and don’t really want to go out at this time…
Have it in the oven now. Didn’t have a 9 inch spring form pan, but had a 9inch round cake pan. Hope that works the same.
Hi Erin, it may be a little tough to remove but it should work. I hope you love this recipe.
Hi! My 2-turning-3-yr old has requested a “purple cake” for his birthday. I was wondering if I puréed the blueberries (vitamix) into the recipe, do you know if I would get the desired effect? Thanks!
Hi! That sounds like a fun cake! Without testing it I’m afraid I cannot advise but it seems like a great idea! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Love this cake. Can it be made in a 9×13 pan.
Hi Suzanne, I haven’t tested that in a 9×13 but I imagine you will need to double it since it will be a very short cake if not. I hope that helps.
Thank You ! I will have to give it a try
I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha, I made this a few months ago and loved it! I want to make it in mini loaf pans this time and was wondering if you had any experience with that. How long should I leave it in the oven you think?
HI Ayesha, I honestly haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. I have turned these into muffins but not mini loaves.
Love this cake, but I want to know if you have ever used daily free sour cream in the recipe?
Hi Patty, I haven’t experimented with that but a reader shared their experience with dairy-free: “I completely replaced the sour cream, with whole fat coconut milk from a can. I mixed it completely before measuring, and to compensate for the added wetness I reduced the oil to about 1/3 Cup. It was still a little runny, but the bake was perfect.”
I have made this with both tofutti’s better than sour cream and kite hill’s almond and coconut based sour cream. It has come out great both times.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Angela.
Anyone make this Gluten free?
I honestly haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour but there was one person who wrote in and shared their experience: ”used Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour. It is expensive but the best I’ve tried so far. Anyway, the cake came out great. We loved it and I’m planning to make it again for Easter. Just wanted to let any possible gluten intolerant folks now.”
I made this and the strawberry cakes recipes a couple of times each. The strawberry cake was a hit all around. For the blueberry cake, the sweetness of the blueberries is key. In winter the blueberries in our stores are very tart which makes the cake almost sour. It still get eaten but with puckered lips. I look forward to making the peach cake. Thanks!
this looks so good, and would love to try it, however, it is not diabetic friendly. and i see that there are 48 carbs,, a serving but does not state what a serving size is, would you happen to know? love the fact that you put in the nutritional values, but most diabetics carb count and a serving size is very helpful….
Hi Kathy, we have the serving size towards the bottom of the post on the printable sheet. “Servings: 10 people (9″ blueberry cake)” I hope that helps.
I love this cake ! My question is, I would like to make it in a 9×13 pan. Do I need to double the recipe. Thank you.
Hi Suzanne, I haven’t tested that in a 9×13 but I imagine you will need to double it since it will be a very short cake if not. I hope that helps.
I made this cake following the recipe word by word and it turned out amazing!
I used frozen Blueberries following the relevant notes.
I learned baking in a proper oven will give better results than microwave – convection oven.
Thank you so much Natasha!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Zainab!
Just curious, would cranberries work with this recipe?
Hi Pierre, to be honest, I haven’t tried fresh cranberries so I’m not sure. It might be worth an experiment and if you do test it out, let me know how you like it!
Hi Pierre,
I have tried it with Fresh Cranberries (12oz pack) and Orange/Orange zest, it turned out terrific! It’s a great recipe Natasha!!
Hello Natasha, can I substitute sour cream with buttermilk? (Don’t have sour cream at the moment🙈)
Hi Katie, I haven’t tested this with buttermilk so I’m not sure how it would affect the recipe. Without trying it myself, I really cant advise, but I imagine it would thin out the batter.
I followed this recipe as written. Was disappointed. Had all fresh ingredients. It lacks flavor and is just so so. Dense, I did not over beat it. It is lack of flavor! Will not make again!
Hi Kelly, I’m sorry to hear that. I am always happy to help troubleshoot. It could be due to using too many blueberries or putting the cake into the oven before it is fully preheated. It could also be due to using too much flour; we spoon the flour into the dry ingredients measuring cup and level the top. Pushing the measuring cup into the flour bin can get you 25% or more too much flour.
Could I substitute gluten free plain flour.
Hi Jenny, I honestly haven’t tested this with gluten free flour but there was one person who wrote in and shared their experience: ”used Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour. It is expensive but the best I’ve tried so far. Anyway, the cake came out great. We loved it and I’m planning to make it again for Easter. Just wanted to let any possible gluten intolerant folks now.”
I mixed the cornstarch with the lemon juice as instructed and my blueberries had undesolved cornstarch left on them before and after baking. Not even sure why the cornstarch was added to the recipe. Other than that the cake turned out absolutely amazing according to my Daughter (who I made the cake for, for her bday.) Instead of powdered sugar, I made a lemon glaze (lemon juice, lemon zest, and powdered sugar). I didn’t taste the cake but the glaze was super good. She requested the cake for her bday and stated it was hers for after dinner and she wasn’t sharing, lol so I bought one for her to blow out candles at the restaurant
Happy birthday to your daughter!! I usually stir the blueberries with lemon juice and corn starch until the starch dissolves.
I stirred them for quite a while and the blueberries began breaking up so I figured I would quit, And was hoping that the corn starch would dissolve during baking which it did not. But from the way I spread the blueberries I think that it will be fine without the corn starch next time
Just made this recipe and it was very easy. Got good pics of the outcome. Wish I could post it! Beautiful! Thanks for the great recipe and instructions! Taking to work tomorrow for party. Taste test time! Sure it’s going to be great!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake, Celeste! If you join our Facebook group: Natasha’s Kitchen VIP Friends – We Love to Eat!! you can post it there! I can’t wait to see it!
Thanks! Just sent join request.
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake today and it came out really dense! I’m wondering if the 16 ounces of blueberries is a misprint as that’s quite a lot of berries in that cake! A pound of berries will definitely weigh a light cake down. Anyway, I was quite disappointed with the finished result after picking all my wonderful wild Newfoundland blueberries for this cake! 😢😢
Hi Regina, I’m sorry to hear that and I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. We make this with 16 oz of blueberries without issues since they are layered inside the cake bu tyo wouldn’t want to use more than that. The main culprits of a dense cake are either overmixing (please see step 3) or adding too much flour. Our post on measuring wet and dry ingredients might be helpful.
Hi Natasha! I so enjoy your site and your recipes! I made this cake today and we LOVED it! I think because it isn’t overly sweet and the sponge is so moist, it would also be a lovely coffee cake or brunch item, as well as dessert. (Am I just rationalizing eating it at any time?!!) Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Kelly. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, I made the cake last week. The flavor was great and the cake was moist, but it was a bit dense. I wish it was lighter and fluffier like oil based cakes. Would swapping sourcream with oil help lighten the texture? Do you usually prefer sourcream for cakes, and what is the reason? Thanks!
Hi Rose, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. This is one of our most reviewed and popular cakes and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Overmixing is often the culprit of a dense cake. Also, it’s difficult to say what went wrong without being there, but be sure to try the recipe exactly as it is written without substitutions. If you haven’t already watched the video, that would help to see where your cake started to look different. Lastly, check to see that your rising agents are still active.
Thanks for the reply. The batter wasn’t over-mixed, it rose well and the rising agent was fresh. The cake was moist and soft, but not as fluffy as oil based cake. I made oil based carrot cake the same week, and both my husband and I agreed we liked the other cake’s texture was better-lighter, fluffier. I like your recipe, but just wondering whether using more oil than sourcream might help lighten the texture. Thanks
Made this cake last night. Reduced the sugar a bit and I set my oven for 50 min but feel like i could probably have taken it out sooner. Just the same, it was delicious! Too bad there’s no place for a pic!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!