Sunshine-sweet lemon blueberry layer cake dotted with juicy berries and topped with lush cream cheese frosting. One of the most popular cake recipes on this website!
This cake has become one of my favorite spring dessert recipes and Easter dessert recipes—and for good reason. Let’s dive headfirst into this sunshine-sweet springtime layer cake… no matter the time of year!
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Fresh lemons: Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the cake batter. None of that lemon extract stuff! How to choose lemons at the store? Make sure the lemons you choose are smooth-skinned and heavy for their size. That way you know they are extra juicy.
- Buttermilk: Known for providing exceptional moisture to baked goods, buttermilk leaves each bite tender and lush. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk instead.
- Brown sugar & 4 eggs: I’ve found that lemon cakes can easily be dry and gritty, so add some moist-making ingredients like brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk. Buttermilk, a little brown sugar, and 4 eggs assure the final product is as moist as it could possibly be without being wet.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries are OK. If using frozen, do not thaw.
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. I also recommend tossing the blueberries in a little flour too—this is extra insurance they don’t sink!
Need cupcakes instead? Use my recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes. Or perhaps breakfast? Try my lemon blueberry muffins.
Video Tutorial
Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is moist and soft, somewhere between a vanilla layer cake and pound cake. Silky cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch—it literally tastes like spreadable cheesecake. The cream cheese frosting goes onto the cake so easily, so it’s a really simple cake to decorate. Doesn’t need to be neat—its haphazardness adds to its charm, don’t you think?
Decorate with blueberries, lemon zest, lemon slices, whatever you like!
More Lemon Recipes For You
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Homemade Lemon Cupcakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sunshine-sweet lemon layer cake dotted with juicy blueberries and topped with lush cream cheese frosting. You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this cake. If using frozen, no need to thaw.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (354g) sifted all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) lemon juice (3 medium lemons)*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
- 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 – 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch round cake pans or 8-inch round cake pans (8-inch pans produce thicker cakes), 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 creamy—about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 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 extremely thick. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will lead to a tough, dense textured crumb.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for about 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (8 inch cakes take closer to 25 minutes.) 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, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Turn mixer to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers 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.
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, if needed.) Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature if desired before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans or 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 40-45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Bundt Cake: I haven’t tested this as a bundt cake but it will likely be a bit denser than the original layer version since it’s one tall layer. It will take significantly longer to bake. I also have a lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. You can leave out the poppy seeds and add 1 and 1/2 cups 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. You can use regular lemons instead of meyer lemons (like the cupcakes call for) if needed.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs are recommended because they mix easily and quickly into the cake batter, reducing the risk of over-mixing (and an overly dense cake!). 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/butter for the recipe.
- Flour: Be careful not to over-measure your flour. This will result in a heavy cake.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps produce a supremely moist cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, use whole milk instead. 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.
- Cream: Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat preferred in frosting for the creamiest texture. Milk works in a pinch!
Here’s my recipe for lemon cupcakes with blackberry cream cheese frosting—a reader favorite!
Love your recipes Sally! Never have a problem until this one 🙁 the layers came out SUPER thin. I was careful to follow the recipe as usual but must have done something wrong. What would have caused that??
Hi Michelle! Expired baking powder perhaps? That’s so odd! Did the cake taste dense?
Love this recipe! I have baked this cake many times and it has become our family favourite. Thanks!!
The best recipe ever !!!! I love it ! The taste is so rich ! Change it with strawberry instead of blueberry.. my first trial ! Love it ❤️ Thank you
I love this recipe and have been making it for years and always receive rave reviews! For ease of transport I made it tonight in a 9×13. My batter seemed thin tonight and definitely wasn’t thick. Any ideas why? I weighed all of my dry ingredients rather than measuring which isn’t different than usual. The cake also doesn’t seem very thick in the pan. Again, any ideas why?
We have a staff meeting once a month and I always bake a cake to celebrate birthdays. I made this for today’s meeting and everyone loved it. People were telling those who normally do not partake in the sweets to not miss out on this cake.
I’ve made this cake two years in a row for a group potluck and everyone always loves it! It’s very soft and tender and so delicious.
Of course I’m making it again this year, I have to! 😉
Can I make it TWO days in advance? Bake the cake on Friday, frost it Saturday evening, and eat it Sunday? If I keep the cake in the fridge maybe?
Thank you!
Hi Hannah! The fresher, the better the texture and flavor. Keeping that in mind, you can make it on Friday and serve on Sunday. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Made this, but haven’t tasted it yet. Looks promising so far though! My question is about the cake pans. You mention to use three 9-inch pans. I made this full recipe using only two 9-inch pans and even then the cakes came out relatively thin, each less than two inches thick. How thick do you expect each layer to be when you use three pans? Because had I used three each layer would have been less than an inch thick!
Hi Kelly, it’s very possible that it was simply too much batter in each pan so they were not able to rise enough. When you taste it, if the cake is very dense instead of light and fluffy that could be the problem!
Made this for a friend’s dinner and it turned out delicious!!! Yum! Can’t wait to make it again before summers end!
Don’t hate me but I do not like lemon. What can you sub the lemon juice with?
I have heard from other readers who turned this into an orange flavor cake. Let me know what you try!
Made this for the first time for my daughter’s birthday. Turned out great! Used my mom’s recipe for the cream cheese frosting which is essentially the same other than you only use half the cream cheese and 6 tbsp. Butter and 3 cups powdered sugar. Thank you!
Can you substitute 1:1 flour to make it gluten free?
Hi Emily! I know many readers have used GF flour in this recipe with success. I haven’t tried it.
I’d love to see this recipe re-proportioned with your six inch cake post! (I know you mentioned you can go from cupcakes to a 6-inch cake, and you provide a lemon cupcake recipe, but I’m afraid going from cake to cupcake to smaller cake might mess it up. Any suggestions?) Thank you!!
Hi Jace! Use these lemon blueberry cupcakes for the 6 inch cake. 🙂 You can use regular lemons and not meyer lemons if needed.
Superb! Enjoyed by all (on more than one occasion).
Excellent cake and easy to make!
I made this cake on Friday; it was a huge success and garnered rave reviews. My only modification was to add a lot more blueberries; I think I could have probably used even more. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Are you supposed to cool these cakes in the pans or take them out a few minutes after removing from the oven?
I usually cool cake layers completely inside the pan.
Hi! Could I use a bundt pan for this cake recipe?
Hi Sheila! I haven’t tested this as a Bundt cake but I would guess it might be more dense than the original cake since it’s all being baked as one layer and would take significantly longer to bake. Let me know if you try it!
I also have have this lemon Bundt cake recipe that you can certainly leave out the poppy seeds and add blueberries! https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/glazed-lemon-poppy-seed-bundt-cake/
Hello. I was wondering if this can be made with blackberries?
Definitely! Same amount 🙂
Two of my three layers came apart when I took them out of the pan. I’m wondering about the flour: I sifted the flour into a measuring cup until I reached 3 1/2 cups. Instead, should I have measured out 3 1/2 cups and then sifted?
Hi Mary Jane! Sift then measure. I’ve found that lining the bottom of the cake pans with greased parchment paper helps release the cakes more seamlessly.
I made this lovely cake for my husband’s birthday!! Made by using cake flour instead (as per your guide). Tasted awesome! my husband loved it! I baked in 2 8″ cake pans and adjusted the timings accordingly!
I lightly frosted between layers and around the cake and used about half the frosting!
Topped with blueberries and strawberries and it was totally a hit!!
Thanks Sally!
(PS: tried couple of your recipes but posting for the first time!)
I believe Bonnie is correct. The recipe does indeed require baking soda instead of baking powder. While the cake had good flavor, it did not rise very well at all and had uneven texture…a very rough coarse crumb, not velvety at all. Like Bonnie, I followed the recipe to a “T” and did not overbeat the batter.
Hi Georgia! I do not advise using 1 Tablespoon of baking soda in this cake recipe. Instead, if you decide to try the recipe again, feel free to use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Thank you!
Wonderful cake! The combination of lemon and blueberry flavors and tang from the cream cheese was delicious! I might have slightly over-mixed, even though I thought I was being careful. Not as pretty as yours, but still posted on Instagram…
Tried this for Father’s Day. Delicious and a huge hit—even though the layers were on the skinny side—not sure what happened there? Help, any suggestions on how to fix this would be most welcome. Oh, and the cream cheese frosting was a perfect balance!
I’m getting ready to make this cake for a small dinner party tomorrow. Can I use a bundt pan instead?
I’m thinking with the heat this weekend (high 90’s), a glaze might be better and a little lighter, on a bundt cake instead.
Thanks!! Love your website-you’ve become my go to for recipes!!
Hi Gig! I haven’t tested this as a Bundt cake but I would guess it might be more dense than the original cake since it’s all being baked as one layer and would take significantly longer to bake. Let me know if you try it!
I also have have this lemon Bundt cake recipe that you can certainly leave out the poppy seeds and add blueberries! https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/glazed-lemon-poppy-seed-bundt-cake/
I ended up baking it in three layers and it is delicious! Really has a “from scratch” taste. It is a very dense cake but the lemon flavor makes it seem lighter. Loved it!
Just made this recipe as cupcakes, and they’re perfect!
Sally, I love your recipes! Whenever I look for a new recipe, your site is where I go to first. That being said, I was a little confused with the instructions in Step #3, which state, “Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds. . . ” Does this mean my mixer should be off when I add the dry ingredients, then I turn it on low for 5 seconds before adding the remaining ingredients and mix by hand? I understand the concern of over mixing but won’t the batter be quite lumpy? I must be missing something. Can you please clarify this for me?
Hi Cherie! So happy to help. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the mixer off. Then beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then beat in remaining ingredients.
Hi Sally!
Thank you for this amazing recipe. While I’m typing this comment my cake is baking in the oven and I’m super excited to see it since I’ve made this for my husband’s birthday.
I wanted to check if I could use milk instead of heavy cream in the frosting and how much should the quantity be?
Thanks!
Hi Shruti! Use 1-2 Tablespoons of milk- start with 1 Tablespoon and add as needed. It’s a little thinner than heavy cream so you might not need as much!
Love this recipe – it looks delicious. Question though – would it taste just as good using butter cream frosting instead of cream cheese frosting? Thanks!
Hi Jane! Absolutely 🙂 I love the tanginess of the cream cheese frosting with the lemon flavor but regular buttercream would also be delicious!
Plan on making this cake for a fellow co-worker. When it comes to the flour you said to spoon and level. Usually use cake box mixes and then doctor them up so I want to get this right. Do you mean to spoon it in the measuring cup and flatten? Does it have to be packed tight? We all have to start somewhere so thanks for your patience.
Hi Krystyna, happy to help! Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level if off with a knife. Do not pack it into the measuring cup. Here is more information about measuring for baking.
How come your blueberries stay beautifully purple? Mine turned disgustingly turquoise/moldy looking yucks 🙁 had to throw it away. I bet it’s the baking soda reacting…
Hi Mary! Are you using fresh or frozen? I usually use fresh. If you serve the cake right after it’s cooled and frosted, the blueberries should remain a nice blue/purple.