This better-than-ever lemon blueberry layer cake is bursting with sunshine-sweet flavor and filled with juicy berries in every bite. Its tender, moist crumb is perfectly balanced with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. Finished with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting, this is a delightfully fresh and luscious dessert that’s perfect for spring and summertime.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and I have made a few small updates to produce a lighter, softer cake with just as much incredible flavor.
This cake has become one of my favorite spring dessert recipes and Easter dessert recipes—and for good reasons. It boasts a bright, superior lemon flavor; bursts with blueberries in every single bite; has a perfectly tender crumb; and is finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting that ties it all together.
I first published this recipe in 2014, but after receiving mixed feedback over the years, I knew it wasn’t quite perfect yet. While many readers loved the flavor and appreciated the denser-style crumb, others simply found it too heavy.
When I see a pattern of reviews with concerns over the same thing, I will revisit the recipe and try making various tweaks until I’m confident I’ve fixed the issues. After experimenting several variations of today’s cake, my team and I discovered 3 small tweaks that made a big difference in the cake’s texture. The result? A softer, lighter crumb while keeping all of the same sunshine-sweet flavor.
The updated recipe is below, with the earlier version in the Notes—just in case you loved the original!
One reader, Jen, commented: “Love the updated recipe! I’ve been making this cake for a few years now. It was a bit dense but still a great cake. It’s usually what people request from me for their birthdays. The update has a lighter and softer texture with the same perfect flavor. Thank you for the improved recipe just in time for my husband’s 40th birthday! ★★★★★”
3 Small Recipe Updates = Impressive Changes
- Sub in some oil: The recipe originally called for 1 cup of butter. While creaming butter with sugar produces a soft, airy base for cakes and cupcakes, if the other ingredients in the batter are also heavy (buttermilk, flour, eggs), too much butter will simply weigh everything down. I removed half of the butter (1/2 cup), and subbed in 6 Tablespoons of oil. Not a 1:1 swap because we didn’t want too much liquid in the batter.
- Sub in some baking soda: The cake called for 1 Tablespoon of baking powder, which wasn’t the ideal amount for its heavy crumb. Instead of increasing the baking powder, which could leave us with a chemical aftertaste, I subbed in some baking soda. Combining baking powder and baking soda enhances both the rise AND the flavor of the cake.
- Slightly reduce the buttermilk: Scale the buttermilk down to 3/4 cup, instead of 1 cup. The cake is still extremely moist without tasting heavy and wet.
Key Ingredients in Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Granulated & Brown Sugar: Use a mix of sugars. Brown sugar provides moisture and a little extra flavor. White granulated sugar adds sweetness without weighing the cake down.
- Eggs: You need 4 eggs, which provide structure, enhance the cake’s rise, and create a richer, more flavorful bite.
- Buttermilk: Known for providing exceptional moisture in baked goods, buttermilk leaves each bite tender. If you don’t have buttermilk, there’s no need to make a buttermilk substitute. You can use whole milk with no other changes to the recipe because there is enough acid in the lemon juice and brown sugar. (For the baking soda to react.)
- Fresh Lemons: Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the cake batter. A citrus juicer and citrus zester are equally helpful here!
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is ideal in this batter; skip cake flour because it’s simply too light to hold up to the heavy butter, oil, buttermilk, and blueberries.
- Fresh Blueberries: I strongly recommend using fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries often let off too much moisture, which will weigh down the cake’s crumb.
I love this lemon blueberry cake because the blueberries DO NOT sink to the bottom of the cake. Why not? The batter is thick. When you have a thin batter, heavy fruit or add-ins will sink to the bottom. Still, toss the blueberries in a little flour… for extra insurance!
I recommend using 8-inch round cake pans, which produce thick, lofty cake layers. 9-inch pans can work in a pinch, but expect thinner layers.
Use Parchment Paper Rounds for Cakes
Line your cake pans with parchment paper rounds. I do this every single time I bake a round cake, whether I’m making a 1-layer sprinkle cake, a 9-layer Smith Island cake, or today’s lemon blueberry layer cake. Store-bought pre-cut parchment rounds are convenient, but it’s really easy to trace your pan on parchment and cut it out. You can cut the exact pan size you need, whether you’re making a 6-inch cake, an 8-inch cake, or a 9-inch cake.
Very lightly grease the cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. Place the parchment paper round inside, and then grease the parchment, too. Yes, you grease the pan and then also grease the parchment. This creates an ultra-nonstick environment for your cake. The cake won’t stick to the pan, and the parchment round won’t stick to the cake.
Once the cakes have baked and cooled, trim the tops using a cake leveler or a large serrated knife to create an even surface. A flat top ensures a sturdier and more stable layered cake. Here’s my how to assemble and decorate a layer cake video and tutorial if you want extra help.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch on this soft lemony cake—it tastes like spreadable cheesecake!
It’s light and creamy, so it glides onto the cake pretty effortlessly. I use a large flat icing spatula to frost the layers and exterior of the cake.
Crumb coat? While you can certainly add one, there’s no need for a crumb coat; the cake isn’t super crumbly and the frosting is ultra soft and creamy.
Decorate with blueberries, lemon zest, lemon slices, florals, coconut, and/or whatever you like!
You need 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest. To extract that much juice, 3 or 4 medium to large lemons is usually enough. For the zest, you’ll only need about 2. Zest the lemons first, and then cut open to juice them.
I recommend using 8-inch round cake pans, which produce thick, tall cake layers like you see in the photos. 9-inch pans can work in a pinch, but the cake layers will be thinner than what is pictured, and the cake will be shorter.
Yes, absolutely! Same amount. Toss them in flour before using, just as you do with the blueberries.
Need cupcakes instead? Use my recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes. Or perhaps breakfast? Try my lemon blueberry muffins. How about pie? My lemony blueberry galette will hit the spot! Cookies? You’ll love these lemon blueberry cookies.
More Lemon Recipes For You
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Homemade Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Raspberry Jam Cupcakes
- Lemon Blueberry Babka
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This better-than-ever lemon blueberry layer cake is bursting with sunshine-sweet flavor and filled with juicy berries in every bite. Its tender, moist crumb is perfectly balanced with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. Finished with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting, this is a delightfully fresh and luscious dessert that’s perfect for spring and summertime.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120ml) lemon juice (3–4 lemons), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh blueberries (I do not recommend frozen)
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the oil and beat until combined and light and creamy, about 3 more minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for a few seconds, then beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice *just* until combined. Toss the blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Batter is thick. Do not over-mix.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for about 22–26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before assembling and frosting.
- Make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Turn mixer up to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.
- Assemble and frost: (Note: See my how to assemble and decorate a layer cake video & tutorial if you want extra help with this step.) First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn’t make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cakes at room temperature, covered tightly. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Bring frosting to room temperature before spreading as it will be quite stiff after refrigerating. (Add a splash of cream or milk to thin out, if needed.) Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cake Turntable, Cake Stand, or Large Serving Plate | Straight Icing Spatula | Offset Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage) | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Sheet Cake: The batter makes a perfect sheet cake! Simply spread into a 12×17-inch half sheet/jelly roll pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. It also fits nicely into a 9×13-inch cake pan. Bake for about 30–35 minutes or until cooked through.
- Bundt Cake: I recommend making my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. You can leave out the poppy seeds and add 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh blueberries. I also have a lemon berry yogurt cake recipe. You can use all blueberries.
- Cupcakes: Here are my lemon blueberry cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting.
- 6-Inch Cake: Use my lemon blueberry cupcakes batter and follow my 6-inch cake baking instructions.
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are recommended because they mix easily and quickly into the cake batter, reducing the risk of over-mixing. Place eggs into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using or set the eggs out when you set out your cream cheese and butter for the recipe.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps produce a supremely moist cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, use whole milk instead. No need for a buttermilk substitute. You can use lower-fat or nondairy milks in a pinch, but the cake won’t taste nearly as rich and moist.
- Cream Cheese: Use brick-style cream cheese, not cream cheese spread.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat gives the frosting the creamiest texture. Milk will work in a pinch!
- Updated in 2025: Based on reader feedback about the cake baking up flat and tasting too heavy, I made 3 small tweaks. The updated recipe is what you see above. To make the original recipe, leave out the oil and baking soda. Increase the butter to 1 cup (226g/16 Tbsp), the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon, and the buttermilk to 1 cup (240ml). The bake time is the same.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Looking forward to trying this recipe – I’m hoping to make it a day in advance. Do the blueberries get soggy if making it ahead of time? Thanks
Hi Mavis, the cakes should be fine for 1 day. We recommend storing them at room temperature – see Notes after the recipe for details!
Hi Sally what would be the measurements for a 10 inch round cake
Hi Rebecca, We haven’t tested that size, but you can reference this guide to determine how much batter you’ll need for your 10 inch pans.
I made this in a 9×13 pan and baked it per the directions in the notes. At 35 minutes, it was still very underbaked/liquid in the center. I gave it another 10 minutes and it seemed fine. Took it out to cool and it fell in the middle. Hmmm. What did I do wrong? Flavor is outstanding and I used the whipped frosting recipe from your sunshine citrus cake recipe.
Hi Holly, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. A few places to start:
Creaming the butter/sugar or mixing step: If the batter was overmixed or undermixed at any point (especially after adding the dry ingredients), it can affect rise and texture.
Were the blueberries tossed in flour? If not, they may have sunk and weighed down the cake.
Room temp ingredients help: Cold ingredients can affect emulsion and rise, especially butter and eggs.
Oven placement: Cakes bake best in the center of the oven. If they were too high or low, that could affect rise too.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
Hi Lexington, thanks for getting back to me. I did toss the blueberries in flour and they still sank to the bottom. I used fresh berries, not frozen. My butter was quite warm, maybe too warm? The house was hot that day. I’m guessing I over mixed it, even though I thought at the time that I was being pretty gentle with it. Thanks again!
I made thus cake for my son’s birthday and we all can’t wait to try it – the cakes smell delicious! The icing flopped though, probably because I couldn’t find brick-style cream cheese and had to use spreadable cream cheese instead. I’ve googled how to treat this appropriately- it seems one should cream the sugar and butter first, then add the cold cream cheese spread to the mixture, to prevent the runny outcome. Just a tip for others who can’t find brick-style cream cheese!
I am needing to make a blueberry cake for a 4 year old. He’s not a huge lemon person. Can I add 1/4 lemon juice and 1/4 water?
Hi Meredith, you can use our vanilla cake batter instead and add about 1 and 1/2 cups of blueberries. Enjoy!
Sally can I use bakers four instead of all purpose ?
Hi Stephanie, for best results, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour here.
We have made this cake using other recipes . It came out very dense . We kept using bakers flour . I’m so glad I found you! We will be trying this cake recipe .
We are making a 3 layer cake in 10 X3 inch pans for my sons wedding . How many cups of cake mix and how many would this feed ?
I just made this for Easter and everyone loved it! A few us were not fans of the cream cheese icing (I just realized I don’t love it myself). Is there a buttercream you would recommend? Maybe something the a tad bit of lemon?
Hi Betts, you could use this lemon buttercream frosting instead of the cream cheese. We’d recommend doubling or 1.5x this recipe for a 3-layer cake, depending on how much frosting you’d like for covering and decorating the cake. Hope this helps!
I actually prefer the old recipe. For some reason when I tried the newer recipe the edges were dry and I had spots of the cake that were dry. Possibly my fault but a few years back when I used the old recipe it was perfect!!
This recipe is just so delicious and perfectly balanced. Made it for Easter and it was unbelievable. Lemon flavor is just right and blueberries add so much brightness. Was afraid not enough frosting but it was the perfect amount to let the cake shine. Great crumb, great taste, great balance, great recipe. Thanks!!!
Sally has yet to steer me wrong! This recipe is well worth the time it takes to make. I made this for Easter and everyone LOVED it! I was also pleased with the results and have deemed this recipe is a keeper. I plan on making it again soon, maybe replacing the blueberries for raspberries.
This recipe had so much potential! It’s just sooo sweet. I would make this again but reduce the sugar in the cake and the frosting!
My family thinks I am a professional baker after making this masterpiece! Thank you so much. It was DELICIOUS!
I made this cake for Easter and everyone loved it. The lemon flavor was so bright, and paired with blueberries, added the perfect touch. My blueberries did sink a little so I was wondering could it be that I washed the blueberries right before using and just patted dry? Or could I have over mixed the cake batter? Thanks for your help. Love this baking site, you always answer promptly explaining everything!
This batter is thinner with cake flour, be sure to toss the blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour before gently folding into the batter to help them not sink. Thank you so much for trusting our recipes, Susan!
Has anyone tried halving this recipe?
Hi Wendy, you can halve the recipe. Enjoy!
I made this cake twice over the weekend. I followed the recipe in its entirely but it didn’t rise and came out more like a dense tart than cake both times. Unsure why, I’ve never had that happen before.
Hi Ariel, that’s so frustrating, especially after trying it twice. When a cake doesn’t rise and turns out dense like that, it’s usually due to baking powder (missing or not fresh) or too much flour weighing down the batter. I’d double check the baking powder (and baking soda, too) and make sure the flour was spooned and leveled (or weighed), and that the butter and sugar were creamed well to incorporate air. Happy to help troubleshoot further if you want to share more details! Sorry this was such a disappointment.
Excellent cake! I followed recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Making it for another event today!
Made this today for my mums birthday. It turned out great. I did reduce the sugar in both the batter and frosting .
So good!! Now I’m wondering, can you make this into a cake roll?
Hi JC, we haven’t tested this particular cake as a cake roll before. We fear it may break and crack, but let me know if you try it. We do have this fun lemon blueberry vertical cake if you want to try something else.
The cake didn’t seem to rise it is less cake like and more dense like a muffin or soda bread. Disappointed.
Hi Debbie, here are our best tips to prevent a dry cake. Hope it helps for next time!
Hi Sally!
I love all your recipes!! Could I substitute Greek yogurt for the buttermilk?
Hi Evan! Buttermilk helps produce a supremely moist cake and you need the liquid to help thin out the batter. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk instead. Greek yogurt would be too thick.
Can I use buttercream instead of cream cheese? Also which type would you recommend? I am getting a new mixer and want to try some type of egg white thing with this recipe.
Hi Taft, swiss meringue buttercream would be great on this cake!
Could I add lemon curd in as a layer with the frosting for some extra zest or would it behave weirdly?
Hi Catroina, lemon curd would be lovely between the layers! We like to put down a thin layer of buttercream and then thicker ring around the outer edge of the cake to keep the curd in and stop the layers from slipping – then frost the outside as normal. Happy baking!
My future daughter-in-law wants me to make a lemon blueberry wedding cake. Is this recipe dense enough to do two layers on bottom and two smaller layers on the top? The wedding is in a few weeks and I am a bit nervous about making this.
Hi Dianna, this cake should work well as a tiered cake. These posts on cake pan sizes and conversions and homemade wedding cake may be helpful resources for you. Hope the cake is a hit!
I made the “updated” version of this cake over the weekend to celebrate my mother’s 102nd birthday. Your step-by-step instructions made the making and construction of it very easy. The finished product was beautiful and delicious, well worthy of the occasion. I did a “naked” application of the icing on the sides, smoothing out the top. Again, it was beautiful, the cake was moist with just the right level of lemony goodness.
So happy to read this review, Trisha! Thank you so much for making our recipe and happy birthday to your mom!
I have made this cake twice, following the recipe to a T both times. Unfortunately, while the flavour is good, the cake turns out a bit too crumbly and a tad dry.
Is it possible to do 2 or 3 9inch pans? What adjustment should I make? Would appreciate the help!
Hi Kaitlyn, you can use 3, 9-inch pans instead, but the layers will be thinner.
Could I use dairy free butter in this recipe and swap dairy free milk for the butter milk?
Hi Tirzah, we haven’t tested those swaps so we’re unsure of how the texture may change, but that should work in a pinch.