This blueberry cake has lots of blueberries, zesty lemon and is so flavourful! It’s super easy to whip up makes for a delicious side kick to your favourite cup of tea or coffee.
Can you believe that tomorrow is the first day of Summer? It doesn’t feel quite like it around here just yet. Doesn’t matter, though, I’ll pretend it feels like summer via food, even if I have to grill with a winter jacket on, LOL.
Truth talk: when I say ‘I have to grill’ , I really mean hubby ’cause he is the grill master in our home, but you get the picture.
And, lucky me, I found a second stash of frozen Newfoundland blueberries in the depths of our freezer just the other day so you know I had to whip up a cake!
And not just any cake, this super moist lemon blueberry cake. With the cream cheese and butter, this one is kinda like a blueberry pound cake.
No matter what you call it, this one is good! It takes minutes to whip up and the hardest part is waiting for it to bake and cool. Oh, the struggles, am I right??
Fan of blueberry recipes? Try these baked blueberry donuts!
How to Make Blueberry Cake
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Place blueberries in a bowl and dust with a little flour, stirring to coat (this helps prevent them from sinking in the batter). Set aside.
- In another bowl, add flour.
- To flour, add baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Again, to flour, add lemon zest. Whisk together the ingredients and set aside. Preheat your oven at this point too.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and a mixing bowl), blend together the softened cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth, combined and fluffy. Tip: If you forget to take your cream cheese and butter out of the fridge, cut into little squares and lay onto a plate. The smaller size will help them soften faster.
- Blend in vanilla extract.
- Next, blend in eggs (one at a time until just combined). Don’t overmix.
- Blend in reserved flour mixture until just combined and there are no streaks of dry flour remaining.
- Fold in flour-dusted blueberries with a spatula. This is gentler than the stand mixer and helps prevent them from breaking up too much in the batter.
- Scoop batter into a greased pan and tap a bunch of times on a hard surface. Smooth out the top with a spoon.
- Bake until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Ovens vary so check at the 55 minute mark. Let the blueberry cake cool in the pan for a little bit. Then, carefully remove from pan, allowing to fully cool on a cooling rack.
- If you like, drizzle over some icing sugar glaze and sprinkle with lemon zest. Enjoy!
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Can I Use Fresh Blueberries Instead of Frozen?
Absolutely! I used frozen berries because that’s what I had on hand. Plus, I tend to find they’re easier to fold into the batter without breaking up as much as fresh. But, fresh would definitely work. Just be careful when folding those beauties in so you don’t break too many. It’s inevitable that some will break, just do your best.
Can I Freeze This Cake?
You sure can!
It’s better to freeze an unglazed cake (as the glaze doesn’t look as pretty after freezing and thawing). However, you can still freeze the cake if it’s glazed. No biggie, just something to keep in mind
Wrap the cooled cake in food plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil (or just two layers of food plastic wrap). Place into a freezer-safe container. Don’t forget to label with the recipe name and date it was made.
When ready to enjoy, remove the cake from the container (but still leave wrapped) and let thaw at room temperature.
The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tip: Before freezing, cut into chunks. That way, you can just pull out a chunk to enjoy and still have the remainder frozen until ready to use
More Recipe Tips
Ensure the cream cheese and butter are softened. It makes things super easy to blend to a creamy consistency.
If you want more lemon oomph, add a teaspoon or so of lemon extract to the batter.
As mentioned, the lemon icing sugar glaze is totally optional. A dusting of icing sugar would be lovely instead or you can enjoy the blueberry cake as is.
I used frozen blueberries and didn’t allow them to completely thaw before adding to the batter. They were a lot easier to handle this way and didn’t break up or bleed as much into the cake batter.
If you really want to go all out, enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream.
More Delicious Blueberry Recipes
- Blueberry Bread Pudding
- Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Blueberry Coconut Cheesecake Bars (from Our Balanced Bowl)
Hope you love this lemon blueberry cake recipe as much as we do!
If you make this blueberry lemon cake, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed!
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Blueberry Cake with Lemon
Ingredients
Blueberry Cake
- 2 cups frozen blueberries (or fresh)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon for dusting blueberries)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from a couple of lemons)
- 8 ounces light cream cheese (softened, about a 250 gram package)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- Baking spray (to grease cake pan)
Lemon Icing Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Lemon zest (garnish, optional)
Instructions
Blueberry Cake
- Place blueberries in a bowl and spoon 1 tablespoon of flour over them, stirring to coat. Set aside. Also, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer) blend (on medium-high speed) cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth, combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl once or twice with a rubber spatula.
- Add vanilla extract and blend about 30 seconds.
- Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, blending until just combined.
- Blend in reserved flour mixture. Don't overmix.
- Next, stir in blueberries with a spatula, being careful not to break them up too much (the spatula is more gentle than using the stand mixer; you want to ensure the blueberries stay as whole as possible).
- Grease a 10-inch, non-stick fluted cake pan with baking spray. Scoop cake batter into pan (it will be thick). Smooth top with a spoon. Tap pan down 15 to 20 times on a hard surface to allow it to settle.
- Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cake cool 30 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully release the cake from the pan, allowing it to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Allow cake to FULLY cool before icing. Once cool, drizzle with icing sugar glaze and sprinkle over some lemon zest. Slice and enjoy!Note: Wrap cooled leftover cake in plastic food wrap and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can wrap the unglazed cake in plastic food wrap and aluminum foil (or two layers of plastic food wrap) and place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw (wrapped) cake at room temperature when ready to enjoy. You can glaze after thawing if you like.
Lemon Icing Sugar Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth and combined.Note: If you want a thicker glaze, add less lemon juice. Alternatively, if you want a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice. If you've made the glaze too thin, you can add a little more icing sugar to thicken.
Notes
- Ensure the cream cheese and butter are softened. It makes things super easy to blend to a creamy consistency.
- If you want more lemon oomph, add a teaspoon or so of lemon extract to the batter.
- As mentioned, the lemon icing sugar glaze is totally optional. A dusting of icing sugar would be lovely instead or you can enjoy the blueberry cake as is.
- I used frozen blueberries and didn’t allow them to completely thaw before adding to the batter. They were a lot easier to handle this way and didn’t break up or bleed as much into the cake batter.
- If you really want to go all out, enjoy with whipped cream or ice-cream.
- For more tips, see body of post above.
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Kelly | Foodtasia
Dawn, this cake is gorgeous! Love all the blueberries in it – Yum!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kelly! It’s jam packed with ’em 🙂
Sarah
I finally have a bundt pan!! I can totally make this! And wowza- cream cheese in cake is BRILLIANT! Love these flavors- my family will love it!!
Cathy
I’m happy that summer has arrived, and this cake is a great way to celebrate!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I think so too! Thank you Cathy 🙂
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
Since I’m visiting your post with a slight delay, I totally can imagine it’s been summer already haha. Agreed – it doesn’t feel quite like summer yet in our area, and I can imagine the situation in NL is even more refreshing. However, as you’ve noted, we can create the summer atmosphere with some bright and delicious food. This blueberry & lemon cake looks and sounds fantastic; so beautiful and refreshing. Lovely!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you kindly, Ben! Hope you’re having nice weather now 🙂 The season is so short, isn’t it?
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
A gorgeous cake full of beautiful flavours! What a lovely recipe, Dawn 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Alexandra! Have a great weekend 🙂
Kevin
This cake looks so moist and full of summer flavors! Love the swirls!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kevin 🙂
Milena
Just got back from Florida and it is raining today in Colorado so I am thinking to to make this bright flavored cake for the weekend. Will be fabulous for breakfast tomorrow! Pinned.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Hope you love it, Milena! Thanks 🙂
Haylie / Our Balanced Bowl
Dawn, this cake looks amazing!! I’m a huge fan of the blueberry/lemon combination…this would be PERFECT with a huge cup of creamy coffee this weekend! Or maybe a mimosa..;) Haha! Love it. Have a wonderful weekend ahead! <3
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
It sure would!! Thanks Haylie! Hope you have a fab weekend 🙂
Valentina
In a word: spectacular! Seriously, Dawn, this is so mouth-watering. Blueberries and lemon is so tasty together, and in a pretty cake — oh my! Super cool bundt pan, too. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Valentina! Happy Friday 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
So pretty and you can just never go wrong with blueberry and lemon together! Will be adding this to my baking ist 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you and I agree! Such a yummy combo! Enjoy, Jennifer 🙂
David @ Spiced
I like big bundts and I cannot lie! This really is one impressive looking bundt cake, Dawn. I love that pan (I’ve got the same one), and of course the flavor combo is excellent for summer. We’re about to hit blueberry season here, and I cannot wait!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
LOL! Love it! Thanks for the chuckle, David 😉 And thanks for the kind comment! Have a great weekend ahead!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Bundt cakes are always so pretty! Blueberry and lemon is never a bad idea, either. I am so excited to buy all of the giant pints of berries this summer!! This cake looks delicious, my friend! Now all I need is some sunshine 😉 Have a great weekend! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally!! Thanks Katherine!! You too 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
It’s cool here today too, but I’m okay with it because I have tons of baking to do. We don’t have AC so my house can get way too hot on hot days. This bundt cake looks amazing. I love the blueberry and lemon combo!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Kathy! Happy baking, my friend 🙂
Leanne Combden
Today is the most summery day we’ve had so far! Hoping it continues, but I never get my hopes up around here! Love this cake Dawn. Blueberry and lemon are a lovely combo, and the shape of that bundt pan creates such a beautiful cake! Happy almost weekend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Me too!! Thank you Leanne! Hubby gave me that pan last Christmas and I love it 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Oh no! A winter coat still and the first day of summer is tomorrow?! Well, in the meantime I’d be enjoying this gorgeous bundt Dawm. I’ve never met a bundt I haven’t loved! And this one will be no exception, I’m sure. It looks fantastic!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol…maybe I’m being a tad dramatic here, but definitely not super warm or anything 😉 Thanks Mary Ann!
[email protected]
Oh man! This cake is making me happy! Wish I was baking one up right now! Happy Summer, my friend! Hopefully we can put the parkas away! 😉 xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Wish I could share! Thanks Annie! Have a lovely weekend 🙂 XOXO