This recipe for Lemon Blueberry Cake makes a wonderfully flavorful lemon cake packed with fruity goodness. It’s sunshine on a plate!
I love making this cake at the start of spring when the weather starts getting warmer and you feel winter departing. This sunshiny cake lifts the spirits and looks as good as it tastes!
JUMP TO RECIPEWhy This Recipe Works
- Fresh Lemon Juice and lemon zest create a delicious cake packed with flavor in every bite.
- Using sturdy all-purpose flour makes the batter strong enough to hold up the berries and wet ingredients.
- Cream Cheese & Sour Cream adds moisture tangy flavor and helps the batter stay thick enough to keep the blueberries from sinking.
Bundt cakes tend to dry out because they’re so large, but not this one! I used great ingredients for maximum moisture, flavor, and texture. Read on for my recommendations.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour to offer the strength needed for this substantial cake.
- Baking Soda: ¾ of a teaspoon of baking soda is more than typically used in cake, but it’s needed for this substantial cake. Be sure to check the date on your baking soda as out-of-date rising agents may not work.
- Butter: This is a very buttery cake, so there’s lots of butter. I have used both salted and unsalted, but use unsalted if you’re worried about salt levels.
- Lemon Juice & Zest: You can’t achieve an excellent lemon blueberry cake without flavor from real lemons. I use both lemon zest and juice for added flavor and moisture. I don’t recommend bottled juice because it can be bitter and lacks a natural flavor.
- Eggs: Use large or jumbo eggs.
- Cream Cheese – Use whole fat cream cheese from a block, not the spreadable kind you find in tubs.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream as reduced-fat liquifies and thins out the batter. You can use any milk you have on hand.
- Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen– I tested the cake with both. If using frozen, be sure not to thaw them out first.
- Yellow Food Coloring: I added a bit of yellow gel food coloring to make the color pop in photos, but this is optional.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and generously grease a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan, being sure to coat all of the nooks and crannies. I suggest using a non-stick baking spray that has flour in it.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a small heat-safe bowl, soften the butter and cream cheese together in the microwave until very soft but not completely melted (don’t worry if some of the butter melts). Add to a mixing bowl and beat to combine.
Add all the wet ingredients and sugar into the bowl. Mix into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
Add half the flour mixture to the bowl.
Mix until combined, and then mix the remaining dry ingredients by hand until incorporated. The batter will be thick.
Add the blueberries to the bowl.
Then gently fold the blueberries and spread the mixture evenly into your prepared pan.
Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple of lightly moist crumbs. This is a large cake, so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in the oven.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely.
Prepare the icing and drizzle over the cooled cake and allow the icing to set before serving.
Serve and enjoy!
Erren’s Top Tips
- When baking with sour cream, it’s essential to use full-fat sour cream as reduced-fat, and fat-free sour cream liquefies when heated and turns watery.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter: Once the flour is added to the batter, try mixing by hand. Over mixing will result in a dense or rubbery cake.
- You can substitute sour cream in this recipe with buttermilk.
- This cake batter will be very thick, so be gentle when you fold in the blueberries to avoid damaging them.
- Use foil to avoid over-browning the cake. Halfway through the baking time, check to see if the cake is getting too brown (you should never open the oven before halfway through the baking process). If so, carefully cover the cake with foil and return to the oven to finish baking.
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions ❄
Make-Ahead: This lemon blueberry cake can be made a day before serving. Store without the icing covered at room temperature and ice before serving.
Freezing: Freeze (without the icing) well wrapped or in an airtight container for up to three months—thaw overnight and ice before serving.
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Let’s Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cup sugar
- 6 oz butter (¾ cup/1½ stick) softened
- ⅓ cup cream cheese (about 2.5 oz) softened
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest finely grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups blueberries washed and dried
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 to 4 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and generously grease a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan, being sure to coat all of the nooks and crannies. I suggest using a non-stick baking spray that has flour in it.
- In a small heat-safe bowl, soften the butter and cream cheese together in the microwave until very soft but not completely melted (don’t worry if some of the butter melts).
- Add to a mixing bowl and beat to combine.
- Mix all the wet ingredients (including the food coloring if using) and sugar to the cream cheese mixture until combined. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients by hand.
- Fold in the blueberries (reserving some of them for after the batter is added to the pan).
- Add the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple of lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake, so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in the oven.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely.
For the Icing
- Make sure cream cheese and butter are at room temperature, or the icing will be lumpy. Blend the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, blending after each addition.
- Add the lemon juice and hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is the desired consistency and can be poured (I like mine quite thick).
- Pour the icing over the cooled cake and use the cake crumbs to decorate by sprinkling them over the icing.
Tips + Notes
- When baking with sour cream, it’s essential to use full-fat sour cream as reduced fat and fat-free sour cream liquefies when heated and turns watery.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter: Once the flour is added to the batter, try mixing by hand instead of with a mixer. Over mixing will result in a tough, dense cake.
- You can substitute sour cream in this recipe with buttermilk.
- This cake batter will be very thick, so be gentle when you fold in the blueberries to avoid damaging them.
- Use foil to avoid over-browning the cake. Halfway through the baking time, check to see if the cake is getting too brown (you should never open the oven before halfway through the baking process). If so, carefully cover the cake with foil and return to the oven to finish baking.
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2017, but was republished with a new recipe, tips, and photos in March of 2022.
Nora Walker says
This looks delicious. Can I use a different type of pan?
Erren Hart says
Hi Nora, I’m sorry for the late reply. I was away and am just catching up! Certainly! If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use alternatives like a tube pan, springform pan, regular cake pans, muffin tin, loaf pan, or casserole dish. Adjust baking times and temperatures as needed. While the shape may vary, the taste and texture can still be great with the right adjustments.
Grace says
I made this recipe for a potluck and received so many compliments. Thanks for making me look like a great baker!
Erren Hart says
Thank you for leaving a comment about this recipe. Your feedback is appreciated, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for future recipes. Thanks again for trying it out and sharing your thoughts!
Margie says
Thank you Erren for this delicious Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake recipe! This cake was so moist, buttery, and bursting with juicy blueberries. The lemon cream cheese icing is the perfect finishing touch. I’m definitely going to make this cake again soon!
Erren Hart says
I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you for trying out this recipe and for leaving such a positive review. We’re glad you enjoyed it and hope you’ll come back again soon!
Lynda Kulp says
The icing curdled! Why did this happen? I followed the icing recipe exactly. So disappointed
Erren Hart says
Hi Lynda, This can happen if the ingredients are too cold. You can fix curdled icing by warming it while whisking virtuously.
Lori Schreiter says
I loved this cake!. Its not super sweet and the lemon flavor is wonderful. Thanks for posting!
Erren Hart says
I love to hear that! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!!
Nellie says
I made this for Easter. It was fantastic. Thanks you!
Erren Hart says
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Claire says
These are just fantastic, what a great recipe
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you Claire, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Sarah says
Hi, do you have to use Lemon juice or would lemon essence do the job?
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried using that but I’m sure it will work, please let me know how it works out 🙂
Milly says
Loved this recipe, I’ve now bought frozen blueberries just so I can make it out of season!
Erren's Kitchen says
Fantastic, glad you liked it 🙂
Sandy says
Do you really leave them in the pan to cool …before removing from the oven? Or just leave in the pan until cooled?
Erren says
Oh wow, that’s an error. They should cool out of the oven. Thanks for pointing it out!