A double dose of blueberries and lemon in this amazing Lemon Blueberry cake! A moist and delicious lemon cake with fresh blueberries and a blueberry buttercream.
Blueberries are my favorite berries. Their flavor is delicious, they don’t have any pesky seeds to deal with, and the color is just SO pretty.
This Lemon Blueberry Cake is another one that’s been a long time in the making — I just never got around to it. But I wanted something pretty, light, and delicious for spring, so I thought it would be perfect.
How to Make this Lemon Blueberry Cake
For the cake layers I slightly modified my favorite lemon cake and added blueberries to it.
In true Olivia fashion, my first go at this cake was a fail of epic proportions. Not only did every single one of my blueberries sink to the bottom (even though they were coated in flour), the cakes totally collapsed on me because I took them out of the oven too early. AGAIN.
I used to be so good at multi-tasking. I don’t know if it’s just that I’m getting older or that I haven’t been utilizing my project management skills so they’re going stale. I literally can’t do more than one thing at a time. I try, but I totally fail every time.
This time I decided that prepping and making dinner while the cakes were baking was a good idea. Needless to say, the timer was going off on the oven as I was frying stuff on the stove, among other things.
Usually, when I check my cakes I do a few tests to make sure they’re ready:
- First I nudge the pans a bit to make sure the cakes are set.
- Then I gently poke the top to see if the cake springs back.
- Finally, I insert a toothpick into the center to make sure it comes out mostly clean.
This time I literally only did step #1. I don’t know what I was thinking. Clearly, I wasn’t.
I am easily frazzled in the kitchen — with baking, but even more so with cooking. I am just not a good cook and I don’t enjoy it, so I think the extra panic of worrying about burning dinner led me to just yank the cakes out of the oven when they looked done.
Honestly, though, I do wonder if it was a form of self-sabotage. I knew the blueberries had sunk to the bottom already. I could tell when the cakes were still in the oven. That probably added to my frazzled-ness too.
Round two at the cakes was much better. I switched up the recipe a tad (just a bit less liquid) and baked them in three 8″ pans rather than the three 6″ pans I had originally.
This would mean thinner layers, but the 6″ ones were way too tall anyhow.
Cake Tip!
Be sure to toss the blueberries in some flour before folding into the cake batter. This will help prevent them from sinking.
Blueberry Buttercream
This blueberry buttercream is a new favorite and I LOVE how the color turned out. Lemon Blueberry Cake is often paired with a cream cheese frosting, but I wanted something a little different.
I used freeze-dried blueberries to color and flavor the buttercream. This is the BEST way to get berry flavor into your buttercreams without having to worry about affecting the texture.
I pulverized them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder, but if you can buy the freeze-dried berry powder instead, that would be easier.
I’ve used freeze-dried berries before in this Strawberry Cake and the result was amazing — both in flavor and color!
This Lemon Blueberry Cake is the perfect dessert for spring and summer.
Whether you’re looking for something for Easter, or Mother’s Day, or just a random weekday, you can’t go wrong with this delicious flavor combo!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans or three 6″ pans. The layers will be thicker (2″ tall) so baking time will need to be adjusted.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size.
- For other conversions go here.
Can I make it in advance?
- The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week for frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temp and rewhip before using.
- The finished cake (whole or sliced, stored airtight) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
- There is a Metric option in the recipe card. If you click it it will convert everything to grams.
- This conversion is done automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy but many readers have had success using the metric option for this recipe.
Tips for making this Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe
- The cake batter will be very thick. Be very gentle when you fold in the blueberries so that they don’t break.
- You can use frozen (not thawed) blueberries instead of fresh ones. Be sure to still coat them in flour.
- The lemon syrup is optional, but adds an additional delicious hit of lemon flavour, so I recommend adding it!
- If you like, you can use lemon curd as a filling instead of frosting. Check out my How to Make Lemon Curd post for details.
- You can leave the blueberries out of the cake batter if you just want a plain lemon cake or use raspberries instead.
- I like to prepare my cake pans using Homemade Cake Release then line with parchment.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large lemon
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one large lemon
- 1 cup blueberries heaping, coated in 1 Tbsp flour
Lemon Syrup:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Blueberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried blueberry powder one package (1.2oz) ground up
Assembly:
- blueberries
- lemon sliced
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and l (approx 3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk & lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Toss blueberries in 1 Tbsp of flour. Gently fold blueberries into cake batter.*
- Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Sprinkle with a few additional blueberries if desired.
- Bake for approx. 30mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack.
Lemon Syrup:
- Place lemon juice and sugar into a small pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1min. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Blueberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.**
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.***
- Add vanilla and blueberry powder. Whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Poke holes into the cake using a bamboo skewer. Brush with lemon syrup.
- Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Do dollops on the top of the cake using an Ateco 867 piping tip.
- Top with fresh blueberries, lemon slices, and chopped freeze-dried blueberries if desired.
ANdreah says
VERY sweet. But delicous.
Olivia says
Hi Andreah! So glad you liked it 🙂
Saskia Hughes says
So delicious, the cake is almost like tea cake! It is very light and perfect for birthdays! If you can’t find blueberry powder anywhere a good substitute is blue berry jelly crystals. It gives the icing a blueberry like flavour, however keep in mind it makes the icing go green instead of purple
Olivia says
Hi Saskia! I’m so happy you loved it. Good call on the blueberry jello! I’ve never thought of that. Thanks for the tip!
Beverly says
I just served my hubby this cake, as he loves blueberries and lemons so figured this would be a hit. It was. He just finished his first slice, said there may not be any cake left by tomorrow and “man, this is GOOD cake!”. Thanks! (I used the Ermine frosting instead and wow! it’s awesome!)
Olivia says
Hi Beverly! Yay! I’m so happy to hear you both loved it 🙂
Diya says
Hi Olivia, I was wondering if I could use 9in pans for this instead of 8in?
Olivia says
Hi Diya! You could but I would only use two of them. The cakes are already quite thin (1″ tall) in three 8″ pans.
Amin says
Hello Olivia.
I made this two times and neither turned out spongy. At first try I made it by 16 servings and two 11 inch pans but they were so thin and one of them never had a brown color after 1 hour and 20 minutes at the oven at 175 c degrees but stick came out clean. The other one was a little brown at the bottom but not spongy. They tasted good though. So for the second try I tried 18 servings in one 11 inches pan. I added a little more baking powder so it would turn out spongy and this time I used buttermilk instead of milk. I measured all the ingredients with extra care. The batter was thick as you mentioned and After 1 hour and half being in oven the bottom was a little bit brown and stick came out clean. Unfortunately this time it wasn’t spongy too. It is real heavy and at the middle it looks somehow under-cooked. I followed instructions exactly as you said to do especially this :
Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk & lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition.
But no luck. So I was wondering where I did something wrong. Any suggestion would be appreciated. BTW I love your chocolate mocha cake. It turned the best cocoa cake I’ve ever made.
Olivia says
Hi Amin! So happy you loved the mocha cake! And sorry to hear you’ve had trouble with this one — converting pan sizes is tricky! Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I would probably double the recipe (Servings 24) for two 11″ pans. I would not use buttermilk in place of milk as there is already lemon juice in the cake batter and adding more acid could affect the way the cake rises. I would also double-check and make sure your baking powder is fresh and still active.
Amin says
Thanks for the reply Olivia. I didn’t use buttermilk the first time but as you said there is one thing I should have checked but I didn’t think it’s going to be important and that’s baking powder. It’s definitely old and maybe it’s not even active anymore but I’m curious why other cakes were better than normal. Maybe because all of them had baking soda as one of the ingredients. What do you think?
Thanks a lot.
Olivia says
Hi Amin! Yes, I think so. Because the baking soda is a raising agent too it did give the cake some rise as well even if the baking powder wasn’t working. Definitely try a new baking powder and see! That being said, I do prefer my cakes more on the dense side (vs light & fluffy) and these particular cake layers (in three 8″ pans) are fairly thin — about 1″ tall each or so.
Amin says
I also tested baking powder with hot water and it still works but I’m almost certain that it’s been gotten weak since it’s 6 years old. I’ll test a new one to see what happens. Have a splendid weekend.
Edith says
Hi Liv, I made this cake this weekend has a delicious taste unfortunately I found it very dense, dry and not fluffy, I followed the instructions and didnt change the recipe, any suggestions? Thank you
Ahista says
I baked this cake for Christmas and one word: AMAZING! The best cake ever! I read all the tips and omitted the blueberries in the cake batter because that’s how I prefer it. I brushed the cake layers with the sweet and tangy lemon syrup and oh my world was it good!
Olivia says
Hi Ahista! So happy you loved it 🙂
Rich says
This cake looked so good I made it today. It was a hit! Mine even looked like the photo you posted! Happy to have found your page.
Olivia says
Hi Rich! I am so happy to hear that! Glad you loved it and I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
Juliette Klein says
I would be grateful if you could translate cups into grams please. I intend making your cake for my daughter’s birthday but have no idea what 1 cup means!
Many thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Juliette! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Christina says
Hi Olivia,
Thank you so much for sharing your lemon blueberry cake. I’ve already made it once and i loved it!! I’m planning to bake this again for my niece’s birthday this Saturday but i was planning on coating it with fondant so i want to know if this Lemon Blueberry cake can be left overnight at room temperature considering there are fresh blueberries in the cake batter.
Also, if i slightly decrease the lemon zest or lemon juice for the cake mixture, will that affect the consistency and bake time or rise of the cake…..i mean don’t get me wrong i love the lemony taste of the cake i was just kinda hoping to balance it a little more with the blueberry flavored buttercream and since i didn’t have blueberry powder to use for the buttercream the last time, i just used blueberry jam and like you mentioned in a couple of your replies to inquiries, it was fine but i guess it also is the reason why the blueberry flavor in the buttercream was pretty weak. I will just be using blueberry jam again for the buttercream coz Trader Joe is pretty far from where i live that’s why i was wondering how can i make the cake a little less lemon-y to balance it out with my kinda weak blueberry buttercream yet i don’t want to skip out brushing the cake layers with lemon syrup 😀
Thanks in advance.
Christina
Olivia says
Hi Christina! The cake will be fine at room temperature for a couple days. If you plan to cover it with fondant, I would chill it well first so that the frosting is firm. It will be soft and silky at room temp. You can reduce (or remove) the zest no problem. If you want to reduce the lemon juice, just replace any you take out with some milk so that there is still enough liquid in the batter. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Christina says
Thank you so much for your quick reply I will let you know how it turns out 😀
Kat says
Will your cream cheese frosting work with this, taste wise?
Olivia says
Hi Kat! Yes, I think it would be delicious!
Ronak Mehta says
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
Olivia says
Hi Ronak! I’m so happy you like it 🙂
Wendy says
Hi Liv,
I live in Vancouver – do you know where to get freeze dried blueberry powder? I don’t believe gourmet warehouse has that although they do have other flavours. Or what else would you recommend if I cannot find it?
Thanks!
Wendy says
One other thing, if I cannot find the blueberry powder – can it be left out and if so, do I need to add something else in place of it?
Olivia says
It can be left out since it’s just in the buttercream. You could use blueberry jam, but it wouldn’t have as big a flavour impact.
Lisa says
Freeze dried fruit is often available as a kids snack. I make a strawberry cake that takes freeze dried strawberries, which I usually buy from TJ’s at home in California. In Canada at the grandparents house, I found freeze dried snack pouches at Loblaw’s (strawberries and bananas, I just separated out the banana), and crushed them up. The freeze dried crushes to powder easily.
Olivia says
Awesome, thanks for the tip, Lisa!
Olivia says
Hi Wendy! You can get whole FD blueberries at Whole Foods or Pomme and likely other health food stores. If you have a coffee grinder you could grind them into a powder (a food processor will work too, but may require sifting).
Bob Adams says
Really lemon but without killing the blueberry taste. Great icing.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Bob! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Nancy says
Hi Liv!
I made your earl grey cake again with the addition of the sour cream and it worked perfectly! Cake was super moist and paired it with your ermine buttercream.
This is my next recipe to tackle :). I was hoping to use this recipe for a letter cake using a 9 x 13 letter pan. Do you think this would be enough for me to cut the cake in half or should I make the recipe twice? I wasn’t sure if the cake would hold if I were to cut it in half.
Thank you in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! Sorry for the delayed reply. I just responded to your email but will paste it here too in case anyone else has a similar question:
Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: https://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
I would 1.5x the recipe for a 9×13 pan – Change the Servings to 18 to get the amounts. Changing them to 16 would work too and give easier numbers to work with.
Let me know how it turns out!
Lo says
Hi Liv! I was wondering if putting berries covered in flour into the batter of your vanilla cake recipe would work as well? Love the idea of fresh fruit in the layers, and I love your vanilla cake recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Lo! You can give it a try but they might end up sinking. I used that vanilla cake as a base to modify and make this one and made the batter here a bit thicker to help support the berries. If you’re looking for a non-lemon berry cake you can skip the lemon zest and juice in this one and just use a total of 3/4 cups milk.
Rachel says
Hi! I wonder if I could sub the frosting from your strawberry cake – the strawberry marscapone frosting – but I could use blueberry powder instead of strawberry? I just don’t want to attempt the swiss meringue frosting for this cake since I am making it for someone else, and I’ve never made frosting like that before.
Also, you mention that your blueberries sunk to the bottom on your first try – how could you tell without cutting into it and how do you prevent that?
Thank you so much for sharing these awesome recipes and stories!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! Yes, that would be totally fine! And I could just see that there were no blueberries peeking through the top and when I turned the cake layers out they were all gathered on the bottom. To help prevent that I tweaked the recipe to make the batter thicker, but you should also coat your blueberries in flour and fold them in at the end.
Rebecca Ashfield says
Hi there, I was wondering why you used granulated sugar instead of caster sugar and can you use the caster sugar instead or will it alter the cake ?
Olivia says
Hi Rebecca! Granulated sugar is more readily available here and it’s what’s used most in baking. Caster sugar is a bit finer but will totally work!
Amina says
Hi Olivia. I am planning on making this cake tomorrow, and will this work in six inch cake pans? How many layers would this cake make of made in six inch cake pans? And will it change the texture- density?? If possible, may I please have you email address? I am a young baker (teens) and I would love to stay in contact with you about baking queries and any other things! Thank you so much!
Olivia says
Hi Amina! The recipe, as is, will work in three 6″ pans, but the layers will be thicker so you’ll need to increase the baking time. You can get my email at the very bottom of the page (the little envelope icon) 🙂
Amina says
Hi Olivia! I made your cake today and it was amazing!! It was very light and fluffy and I used whipped cream instead of buttercream! I love all of your work and thank you for keeping me busy during the events in the world at the minute! 🌍 I have sent you an email as well, but I don’t think you have seen it yet.
❤️❤️❤️
Olivia says
Hi Amina! Thanks for the feedback, I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
DeeDee Bryans says
I just wanted to tell you how very much I enjoy your posts! I love that you share your trials and tribulations in the process of creating your fabulous recipes! Thank you, thank you! ❤️
Olivia says
Thanks so much DeeDee! I’m glad to hear that posting my fails is helpful. I want people to know that it’s not an easy process and it’s ok if things go wrong sometimes! 🙂
Allison says
Hi Liv! My significant other isn’t a fan of blueberries. Do you think it would be possible to substitute raspberries for this recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Allison! For sure, I think that would be delicious!