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
Could blueberries be replaced with apples? Is so, same quantity?
Thanks
Hi Madalina, I have not tried that substitution, but I imagine with the lengthy baking time the apples would work if they are diced or sliced. Let me know how it goes! I’m so curious now!
I make this delicious cake, but I use splenda instead of regular sugar, but my mix was to dry any subjections what to add to my mix is no to dry??
Hi Maria, I haven’t tried using splenda, but make sure you are adding the wet and dry ingredients in the correct order or it may not come together correctly. The batter should be thick but not dry. Also, make sure you are using the same amounts of oil and sour cream to keep the wet to dry ingredients balanced.
Can I use almond flour or any other substitute to regular flour?
Hi Alison, someone commented that they used almond flour and it turned out great too!
Blueberry Lemon Cake
Dear Natasha, thank you for your delicious recipes.
I tried your Blueberry Lemon Cake twice. So yummy.
Though, and you might consider this, the first time a made a mistake. So used to add butter to my cakes, I accidentally put 2 eggs, 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar to start with, never realizing my mistake. The cake was insane! Everybody loved it. Trying the cake again, this time with raspberries, I realized my mistake and went with your original recipe. The cake is very good. But honestly we all loved the butter version better. Maybe you’d like to try it too.
Thank you for all your excellent cooking ideas.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Janine! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Could I make muffins with this batter?
Hi Karin, here is our blueberry muffin recipe which I think you will enjoy.
Hey Natasha,
I don’t have any sour cream..Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream? do I need to add more oil for richness??what do you recommend
Thanks in advance Natasha!
Hi Nada, several of our readers have reported great results using greek yogurt! Here is what one of our readers wrote: “Hi. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I thought batter was a little thick but it was delicious. A keeper!”
Natasha; I just need a little help with this. I answered my corn starch question by reading the other reviews. My cake was not dense! So, I didn’t have that problem. However, the bottom of my cake became super dark with a little burnt taste. Now, I had to keep my cake in about 5 – 7 minutes over 55 minutes, as the middle wasn’t quite done. Would this be the reason the sides and bottom were so very dark? Would it be helpful if I buttered the top of the parchment paper as well as underneath it?
Hi Susanna, it could be due to using a different kind of pan (a very dark pan can darken a cake more), also the distance to the heating element could be an issue if using a smaller oven. Make sure the cake is in the center of the oven and that the cake is baked on conventional settings and not convection bake mode. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I want to make these muffins for an event tomorrow, but I wont have time to prep them tomorrow, can I make the batter tonight, refrigerate it, and use it tomorrow?
Hi Amirah, I haven’t tried that but I suspect it wouldn’t work since the cake has leavening that might be inactivated by the next day which would negatively affect the rise.
Mine is in the oven now. Smells heavenly!
I bet your home smells so good right now! Thank you for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
I made this in a 9.5″ pyrex and it still came out awesome! The blueberries on top looked a bit fuller than the ones on your page but still great flavor through and through. Just the right amount of lemon in this recipe. Keep keeping on with with all the great recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Mike! That’s so great!
As we hunker down,, I’ve only wanted to make desserts! This was so easy and amazingly delicious and as always my 3 year old helped!
Because there have been shortages at our grocery store I only had one egg left, I used less than half a cup of sour cream and I even threw in about 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese and it turned out so fluffy and moist!
So great to hear that you were able to make it work despite the shortage of ingredients. Good job and thanks for the awesome review!
Can i use a angel cake pan instead?
Hi Mercedes, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you test that out, let us know how it goes.
Thank you for sharing the recipe Blueberry lemon cake. Tried baking it today..it was delicious and moist. The sweetness is just right. LOVE IT! Will bring some for my friends.. 🙂
I’m glad you loved this recipe. This is one of our favorite desserts too! I hope your friends will love it too as much as you do.
Hi Natasha. Thanks for this awesome recipe. I can tell by now, I am 33 yo, this is the most delicious cake I have ever tried ! 👌😊
Sounds like you just found your favorite! Thanks for the wonderful review and glad to know that you loved this.
Can I use a gluten free flour instead of what flour?
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.”
Here’s what happens when you use 2lbs of blueberries!
Oops!
Had to stay in the oven for an extra 35 minutes, but tastes amazing!
Thanks for sharing that with us, I’m glad it worked out well!
I saw this recipe a few days ago and I knew I had to make it! It was so incredibly soft and lightly sweet. It’s a perfect crowd pleaser! To fit what my family likes I would just add 2 tbl more of lemon juice since we love lemon.
Thank you for that wonderful review, Olivia. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I noticed you used a hand whisk in the video but recipe says use stand mixer. Which one is the correct one?
Hi RJ, either one will work well. I used a whisk in the video because it is easier to see inside the bowl and visualize what the texture should be like.
Hello! How long can I keep this cake after baking? What are your tips for keeping it fresh? Thanks!
Hi Alexis, this cake is best when it is enjoyed the same day it is made but it will work to cover and refrigerate. To liven it up on the day you are serving it, you might drizzle the top with the lemon glaze from our blueberry muffins
Thank you for the recipe, I made last week this cake is very delicious!
Great to hear that, Ellen. Thanks for sharing!
Can you use wheat flour alternatives such as almond or rice flour?
Someone commented that they used almond flour and it turned out great too!
Hi I have tried all your recipes and usually all turn out fine but this one unfortunately was a hot mess! Way too dense!! I did not overmix and flour was lightly measured. I could tell even before I mixed it it looked way thicker than your video . Could I have added more oil possibly? Willing to give it one more try !!!
Hi Sue, I haven’t had that experience – if you measured the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top for an accurate measure, maybe consider if there were any modifications or substituitons in the recipe or in the process? Sometimes adding ingredients in the wrong order can mess up the texture of the batter.
I saw this recipe a few days ago and I knew I had to make it! It was so incredibly soft and lightly sweet. It’s a perfect crowd pleaser! To fit what my family likes I would just add 2 tbl more of lemon juice since we love lemon.
That’s so awesome Olivia! Thank you for sharing that great review with me.
HIi Sue, I made this on March 30th the same thing happened to me! I was shocked. I used yogurt instead of sour cream as I usually do, and measured everything as Natasha’s other video demonstrated. As soon as I took it out of my oven, it fell to the thickness of a flan. Cutting a slice, I could tell that it didn’t look baked in the centre – all doughy. I tried to just eat the edges but it was a mess and too much effort so I threw it out. All those yummy blueberries! I usually don’t use the whisk attachment to beat my eggs with oil and sugar but I did because that’s what the pictures showed. Next time I will use the regular beater. I will try it again only because I love all recipes!
Janet
Hi Janet, one of the things I noticed is the cake can be denser when the batter is over-mixed. That may be the culprit. Also, make sure when measuring flour to follow our tutorial to ensure the liquid to dry ingredients measurements are balanced. Also, if substituting, I suggest a full fat Greek yogurt – the fat in the mixture will help achieve the right texture. I hope that helps!