This Lemon Blueberry Cake has three layers of fluffy lemon cake with fresh blueberries and a homemade lemon cream cheese filling. It’s an easy layer cake for Easter or Spring!
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Lemon and blueberry are one of my favorite fruit combinations., and this Lemon Blueberry Cake is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it!
It’s fresh, flavorful, and a perfect balance of tangy and sweet. This three-tiered cake is great for any special occasion or celebration.
Today’s occasion?
The 9th Blog Birthday of The Recipe Rebel!
It has been 9 years since I admitted to the world that I had started this blog — I had 10 whole recipes on it then. Today, there are more than 1100 recipes and I have so much love for this community!
But back to the cake 😉
I love how impressive this cake looks (and with minimal effort!), but you can customize it with your own twist on the decoration too.
Try frosting the sides or adding some extra swirls of frosting on top!
Looking for more blueberry and lemon recipes? Check out these 30 Easy Blueberry Recipes or 30 of the Best Lemon Desserts.
For more sweet treats with the combination of lemon and blueberry flavors, try my Lemon Blueberry Angel Food Cake Roll, this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, or add some fresh blueberries to this Easy Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake recipe!
Ingredients Needed:
- Butter: use unsalted butter at room temperature so that it mixes better. If you use salted butter, you may want to reduce the added salt.
- Oil: use canola oil or another neutral-flavored oil.
- Sugar: granulated sugar makes our cake, cake! I have not tested this recipe with other types of sugar or sweeteners.
- Eggs: to bind the cake and make it light and fluffy.
- Milk: any kind of milk will be fine! Low fat milk, whole milk or dairy-free milks are all options.
- Lemon: we will use fresh lemon juice and zest from lemons, so it’s best to use whole lemons and prepare them yourself for that fresh lemon flavor.
- Flour, baking powder, salt: All-purpose flour works well in this recipe. If you substitute it for a gluten-free or grain-free version, amounts and results may vary.
- Blueberries: use fresh blueberries for the best flavor and presentation for this cake. Frozen blueberries should work, but be sure to dust them well with flour before adding. The cake may require additional bake time if frozen fruit is used.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds a subtle warmth and blends well with the tart flavors from the blueberries and lemon.
Whipped Cream Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: use full fat, room temperature cream cheese for the best results.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: heavy whipping cream is required to make this frosting light and fluffy. Do not substitute with another cream.
- Powdered Sugar: powdered sugar sweetens and thickens our cream cheese whipped cream.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
This lemon blueberry cake is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Fat + sugar: Beat butter until smooth then add in the oil and sugar.
- Add wet ingredients: Next, add in the eggs and beat to combine. Then add milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth.
- Add leavening agent: Add baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. I like to stir this in before the flour so they are evenly distributed!
- Stir in flour: be careful not to overmix!
- Divide into pans: Toss blueberries in flour and put them on top of the cake batter.
- Bake, cool and frost: Bake until done, then let the cakes sit before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Lemon Blueberry Cake FAQs
The best way to keep blueberries from sinking into your cake is to coat them lightly in flour before adding them to the batter. You can also add a few on top of the batter, instead of stirring them into it.
In this lemon blueberry cake recipe, we’ll coat the blueberries in flour AND add them on top of the batter, to ensure an even spreading of berries through the layers of the cake.
Store blueberry lemon cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze this cake either before or after assembling it.
Cake layers: Freezing the cake layers is super simple, just wait until they have completely cooled and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Then place the layers in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before making the cream cheese frosting and assembling the cake.
Whole cake: Freezing the whole cake after it is frosted and assembled is easy too, you will just need to make sure to have a large enough container so that the frosting doesn’t get misshapen. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months, and defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing to serve.
Tips and Notes
- Lemons. Choose lemons that have smooth skin and seem heavy for their size. This is a great way to tell if they’re juicy! Roll with a firm hand on the counter before juicing to help make them extra juicy!
- 9×13″ cake: this recipe will also work in a 9×13″ pan but you will need to bake quite a bit longer — roughly 30-40 minutes. When the center is done, check with a toothpick to ensure it is dry or has moist crumbs.
- Refrigerate. Put the cake in the fridge once you have assembled it to make it less crumbly when you slice it.
Lemon Blueberry Cake Variations
- Try different fruit. You can use raspberries or cherries in this recipe instead of blueberries, or you could try oranges instead of lemon too.
- Frosting. Try a plain cream cheese frosting, or use a different flavor. You can add some color to the frosting too for a different look. Purple frosting would look great on this cake as it goes well with the bluey purple of the blueberries!
- Decoration. You can choose to frost the whole cake, including the edges, or you can add the frosting to the center of the cake as I have done in the pictures.
- Garnish. You can decorate and garnish this cake with blueberries, lemon zest, lemon peel, lime, or oranges. Edible blue and yellow flowers would also look impressive on this cake.
Serving Suggestions
This cake works great on a dessert table or as a celebration cake for a birthday party or special occasion.
Serve this cake with other impressive desserts like this Dessert Charcuterie Board or this amazing Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
If you’re serving this cake for afternoon tea, you might want to try some of my drinks recipes to go with it. My Cold Brew Coffee and Caramel Frappuccino go well with blueberry and lemon flavors, and this Blueberry Lemonade is always a hit too!
More Delicious Cake Recipes to Try
Lemon Blueberry Cake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil 50g
- 1½ cups granulated sugar 300g
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour fluffed and leveled, 293g
- 3 cups blueberries fresh
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 1 package cream cheese room temperature 250g/8oz
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream 30-35% cold
- zest of 1 lemon use ½ for a milder flavor
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 8″ round cake pans, then dust with flour if desired, tapping the pan so that all excess flour is removed. You can line the pan with parchment paper as well, or instead of flour if you prefer.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the oil and sugar and beat again for 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and beat until completely combined.
- Add milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until smooth.
- Add baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and beat on low speed until combined.
- Add flour, and stir just until no visible streaks of flour remain.
- Divide cake batter evenly between the 3 pans.
- Toss blueberries with 3 tablespoons flour and divide between pans on top of batter. Don’t press in — just let them sit on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Add cream, lemon zest and vanilla and beat on low speed until incorporated. Turn mixer to high and beat until light and fluffy and thickened (it should be spreadable, but you can chill before spreading for a firmer consistency). Adjust sweetness to taste.
- Divide cream cheese whipped cream between cake layers to assemble and garnish as desired. You can slice it right away but it will be easier after a few hours in the fridge!
Notes
- Store: Store blueberry lemon cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Cake layers: Freezing the cake layers is super simple, just wait until they have completely cooled and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Then place the layers in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before making the cream cheese frosting and assembling the cake.
- Whole cake: Freezing the whole cake after it is frosted and assembled is easy too, you will just need to make sure to have a large enough container so that the frosting doesn’t get misshapen. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months, and defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing to serve.
Nutrition Information
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Irmina says
I made this as a lemon cake no blueberries, I made a lemon curd and poured it on top like a ganache, it was jut wonderful.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Irmina!
Courtney says
The icing did not turn out for me. Way too thin! Any idea what I may have done wrong?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Courtney, it’s really hard for me to know without being in the kitchen with you. You’ll want to make sure you beat the icing until light and fluffy and thickened. Also adding a little more powdered sugar could help you get it to the consistency that you’d like.
Alice says
Could these be made into mufffins as I don’t have three cake tins? Thanks
Debbie Morris says
Would frozen blueberries work as well?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debbie! Frozen blueberries should work, but be sure to dust them well with flour before adding. The cake may require additional bake time if frozen fruit is used.
Sandy Lundmark says
have you ever tried it with buttermilk to make it fluffier?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sandy, I have not tried it with buttermilk. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Mel says
I wanted this cake made for my birthday since I love blueberries. It didn’t disappoint. It was delicious and it’s not a very heavy cake and perfect for summer.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mel! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Diane says
Great recipe. Cake came out amazing. Everyone loved it!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Diane! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Alyssa Loya says
Have you tried using buttermilk in this recipe?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alyssa! No, I’m sorry I haven’t tried that with this cake.
Jim Wright says
Can this be made in a 13×9 pan instead of a layer cake? At least that is what I am going to try to do I will let you know how it turns out
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jim! I haven’t tried it myself! Would love to know how it turns out!