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!
What on earth is a lusciously fruit-filled recipe like this doing on my kitchen table in February? I love the snow, but someone pass me a fork. I’m diving headfirst into this sunshine-sweet, springtime layer cake and not coming out until it’s April.
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. See my recipe note about a DIY sour milk substitution.
- 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!
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 Cupcakes
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Poppyseed Donuts
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
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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 (230g) 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 vanilla extract
- 3 cups (345g) sifted all-purpose flour, (spoon & leveled)*
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
- zest + juice of 3 medium lemons*
- 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh (258g) or frozen (do not thaw– 275g)
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9×2 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- 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. Set aside.
- In a large sized bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Remove from the mixer and stir lightly until everything is just combined. Toss the blueberries in 1 Tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. Do not overmix at any point. Overmixing will lend a tough, dense textured crumb.
- Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. If only using 2 cake pans, your bake time will be longer. Bake the three layers for about 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took 21 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before 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. Increase 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.
- Make ahead tip: 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. 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.
Notes
- 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.
- Cupcakes: Here is my lemon cupcakes recipe. You can add 1 cup of blueberries to the batter and top with cream cheese frosting.
- 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.
- Be very careful not to overmeasure your flour. This will result in a heavy cake. For a lighter crumb, you can use 3 + 1/4 cups (about 325g) sifted cake flour instead.
- Buttermilk creates a supremely moist lemon cake. If you do not have buttermilk, make a DIY sour milk. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Fill the rest with whole milk to yield 1 cup. Give it a stir, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You’ll need about 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/2 cup lemon juice.
- Use brick-style cream cheese. Not cream cheese spread.
- Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat preferred in frosting for the most delicious and creamiest texture. Milk works in a pinch!
Keywords: lemon blueberry cake, lemon cake, cake, lemon
Here’s my recipe for lemon cupcakes with blackberry cream cheese frosting – a reader favorite!
Hi Sally, I tried it and it came out very nice and tasty. except it got cracked and somehow I managed to get it assembled but pieces were falling when cutting. What could be the reason?
Did it crack when you turned the cake out of the pan? Be sure to line your pan with both baking spray and a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom to ensure that it comes out cleanly!
I made this cake also. It was delicious, even the kids really liked it.
Have you made this cake with your lemon buttercream frosting?
Yes!! It’s delicious if you really love lemon!
My daughter is getting married next month. With her new last name being Lemon, she wants a little play on the name. Her dad and I are making all the cupcakes (apple cake without frosting) and their cake to cut and the two girls have decided on this as their Lemon cake. Thank you for the great idea and recipe.
Can I make this with raspberries instead?
Yes, absolutely!
My son doesn’t like sweets. Ever since last year, when I made this cake for the first time, THIS is the birthday cake he requests!
I love this recipe! Is it possible to cut it in half for a single layer cake?
Yes, you can halve the recipe. Enjoy!
Sally can i replace buttermilk with something else?
Whole milk would be the best alternative.
Hello, I’m writing you in hope’s you have a recipe like this lemon blueberry layer cake for diabetics? I’m diabetic, type 2 and would love to be able to eat cake that wouldn’t make my blood sugar go sky high. This sounds like a great cake to make! Thank you for your time.
Hey Sally! Can I make this cake 2 days in advance? Icing on the day 🙂
If you do not want to freeze the cake, then for the freshest taste I recommend baking it one day in advance and keeping it at room temperature covered tightly.
I made this cake and it was delish. How long will it keep frosted in the refrigerator?
If it’s covered well it should be ok for a week in the refrigerator!
I love to cook and bake and am happy to come across the wealth of recipes on your site. I wanted to give feedback on this cake in particular. My mom loves blueberry/lemon anything so I decided to make this for her birthday. I followed the instructions explicitly and although this recipe is certainly not a fail, I noticed it came out rather dense. I was careful not to over mix and started checking it under the suggested baking time. Maybe that is the texture?
Thank you so much for trying my lemon blueberry cake recipe! It’s not quite as soft and fluffy as vanilla cake. This cake is a little denser, yes. If you decide to try it again, a 1:1 swap for cake flour will lighten up the crumb.
Anxious to try the blueberry lemon cake. Just wondering if it could be done in a bundt pan, cut in half and layer frosting in between layers?
That shouldn’t be a problem! I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but you can use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Can I make this cake in a bunt pan ?
Absolutely! I’m unsure of the exact bake time for a bundt cake. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
This is my second time using this recipe and I love it! It’s not too sweet so it’s been a hit in my house. Thank you!
★★★★★
I made this cake for my husbands birthday because he loves anything blueberry. I made the layers and frosting the day before and assembled the next day. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect! I LOVE the cream cheese frosting and lemon!
★★★★★
Can this amount of batter be used for a 2 layer cake using cake pans, or would amounts need to be changed?
Hi Carolyn, If you are using 9 inch round cake pans, there is too much batter for just 2 layers. Your pans would be over-filled and not bake evenly. You can bake and freeze the third layer for later or even make cupcakes out of it!
This is our favorite cake ever! Follow the recipe exactly. LOVE your blog!
★★★★★
Wonderful recipe! Easy to make. Delicious. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
I made this cake yesterday with my grandson. the cake layers did not rise and they were very dense. I am no cake pro but it seems 4 eggs is a lot of binder. How do I adjust this so the cake is fluffy? More baking powder, fewer eggs? the flavors were great.
★★★★
Hi David! You can reduce down to 3 eggs. I don’t recommend increasing the baking powder.
This cake turned out amazing! I made it for my sister’s birthday party and everyone loved it. Nice texture and mouth-watering!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad it was a hit!