Light, fluffy, moist lemon cake with with fresh blueberries with a sweet cream cheese frosting. This is the best lemon blueberry cake recipe!
One of my favorite things to bake is a homemade cake, especially for birthdays. When my son, Carson, was turning 5 years old, I told him he could have any cake in the world and he asked for a blueberry cake.
I had never attempted to make a homemade blueberry cake but I made him the most delicious homemade blueberry lemon cake and he loved it! Now it is time to share the recipe with you!
I have so many popular cake recipes on Modern Honey from my Lemon Olive Oil Cake to my Lemon Raspberry Cake made with fresh raspberries and a cream cheese frosting and my simple Citrus Sheet Cake made with fresh lemon, orange, and lime. I have over 50 cake recipes on Modern Honey for you to choose from! This lemon blueberry cake recipe may become one of your absolute favorites.
I am going to share all of my tips and tricks for making the best homemade cakes. For this lemon berry cake, I like to use a mix of oil and buttermilk to create a super moist cake with a tender crumb. Say goodbye to dry cakes! Plus the fresh blueberries add the perfect amount of moisture.
Ingredients:
Oil -- I would suggest using canola, vegetable or olive oil in this cake recipe.
Eggs -- use large eggs
Buttermilk -- this adds a tender texture but you can also substitute with whole milk.
Fresh Lemon Juice -- the freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the cake the perfect amount of bright, fresh flavor and tang.
Fresh Lemon Zest -- the zest is the freshness powerhouse in this cake. I would suggest using a zester and zesting the lemon before squeezing the juice.
Sugar -- use granulated sugar or super fine granulated sugar.
Flour -- use all-purpose or cake flour.
Baking Powder -- this leavening agent gives the cake loft when baking in the oven.
Baking Soda -- an important leavening agent to give the cake the perfect light texture.
Salt -- brings out the flavor of the ingredients.
Fresh Blueberries -- use fresh, firm blueberries.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
This is the best lemon cream cheese frosting and is super simple to make. Homemade frosting makes all of the difference!
Butter -- use salted softened butter.
Cream Cheese -- use softened cream cheese for easier creaming.
Powdered Sugar -- add more powdered sugar for a stiffer consistency.
Fresh Lemon Juice -- add more lemon juice for a brighter lemon flavor.
Lemon Zest -- if you want an extra burst of lemon, add more lemon zest.
Expert Tip:
- Toss the fresh blueberries in 2 Tablespoons of flour before adding to the cake batter to keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- For extra lemon flavor, add a layer of lemon curd on each layer or on the top of the cake.
How to make the Best Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, add canola oil, eggs, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix together for 2 minutes. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk by mixing whole milk and 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar. Let stand for at least 10-15 minutes to let it curdle before adding it to the batter.
- Add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Don't overmix the cake batter. In a small bowl, toss fresh blueberries with a touch of flour to make sure the blueberries don't sink to the bottom of the cake. Carefully fold in the blueberries to the cake batter.
- Prepare cake pans. I prefer to use three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. This way you get more filling or frosting and the cakes bake faster since they are thinner. You can use parchment paper rounds and also spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake until toothpick comes out clean in the center. Always set the timer for the lowest suggested baking time and check your cake layers. You can always add more baking time.
- To make the lemon frosting, bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature. This will help to ensure the frosting is completely smooth. Whip for 3-4 minutes before adding the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon slices.
Cake Baking Tools:
My favorite cake pans are the USA cake pans. I use two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans or depending on how many layers I want to do.
I love to use an angled spatula when frosting the homemade lemon blueberry cake.
Storage:
Since this lemon blueberry cake is made with cream cheese frosting, it doesn't need to be refrigerated after two hours of being out at room temperature. You can also freeze this cake in an air-tight container. You can use this plastic cake container to keep it covered.
POPULAR CAKE RECIPES:
- Key Lime Cake
- LEMON Olive Oil Cake
- YELLOW Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Love at First Sight CHOCOLATE Cake
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Oil (canola, vegetable, olive)
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups Buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups Flour (plus 2 Tablespoons for tossing with blueberries)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Fresh Blueberries
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup Salted Butter (softened)
- 8 ounce pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar *
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cream for 2 minutes.
- In large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into egg mixture and fold.
- In a small bowl, carefully toss blueberries with 2 Tablespoons of flour to coat them to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Fold flour coated blueberries into the batter.
- Spray three 8-inch or three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. You can also use two 9-inch pans but the baking time will be longer. Place batter into baking pans. If using three 8-inch pans, bake for 20-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using three 9-inch pans, bake for 19-23 minutes. If using two 9-inch pans, bake for 30-36 minutes. Cool.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and cream together. Chill.
To assemble cake:
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon slices.
Notes
Storage:
Since this lemon blueberry cake is made with cream cheese frosting, it doesn't need to be refrigerated after two hours of being out at room temperature. You can also freeze this cake in an air-tight container.- For a stiffer frosting, use 5 ½ to 6 cups of powdered sugar
Anne-Marie
I made this cake for Father's Day. I was concerned about the amount of oil and the consistency of the batter but the cake turned out delicious and was a hit. I was told to make sure I saved the recipe because my family liked it so much. I did make a half batch of lemon curd and added that to the layers. I used 8 drops of Young Living Lemon essential oil Vitality line (FDA approved for injestion) for every one tablespoon of zest. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Melissa.
Carolyn
Just made this for my book club and it was a HUGE hit. I am usually a package cake maker, but this was a breeze to make and so moist. Cream cheese frosting does need to be refrigerated after two hours.
Steven M Pierce
Speechless
Scooter
Seriously the best cake on planet earth.
Nana
Hello Melissa. I have a question? First, this Lemon Blueberry Cake looks delicious 😋. I want to make this cake but what other different frosting would go with this cake. We're not big fans of lemon cream cheese. Odd bc we love lemon bread and other lemon desserts. Any suggestions please?? I would appreciate it. Thanks
Deborah Dixon
I love this cake! It's beautiful to look at and tastes even better 😋 ❤️
Joyce
I used 3-8" round pans. The cake was still runny after 22 minutes, resulting in an additional 10 min.cooking time. I might try a 350 degree oven next time.
Sherree McMurray
Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Elizabeth
This cake is amazing! I highly recommend - and thank you ride the suggestion of adding a layer of lemon curd - perfect additional bit of tang!
Donna A Pollock
WOW!!! This looks amazing. I love the combination of Lemon and Blueberries and this looks wonderful. Your son is a very lucky boy who has a Mother who can cook and bake so well. You're entire Family is lucky if you ask me. I'm sure they appreciate you as much as We do here on line.
I will be trying this one out this weekend. No Fathers in my house, but I do love cake....Thank you and God Bless you Melissa.
Monica Grose
This cake sounds marvelous! Did you intend to say that the cream cheese frosting DOES need to be refrigerated?
Wendi Huff
Could a 1:1 Gluten Free Flour be substituted for the AP Flour?
Hannah
This recipe is AMAZING! Cake is so light and fluffy!