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A slice of moist lemon blueberry cake topped with fresh blueberries and lemon zest.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Bright, tender, and studded with sweet-tart blueberries, this Lemon Blueberry Cake is a delightful dessert perfect for any occasion.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 3 cups cake flour Sifted for best results
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder Fresh for best lift
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt Use kosher or sea salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk Room temperature
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice Freshly squeezed
  • 1 cup unsalted butter Softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest Freshly grated
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs Room temperature
  • 2 cups blueberries Fresh preferred, but frozen can be used
  • 2 teaspoons cake flour For tossing the berries
For the cream cheese frosting
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter Softened (for smaller batch)
  • 8 oz brick-style cream cheese Softened (for smaller batch)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice Freshly squeezed (for smaller batch)
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar Sifted (for smaller batch)
  • 1 tablespoon whipping cream Adjust consistency as needed (for smaller batch)
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter Softened (for larger batch)
  • 12 oz brick-style cream cheese Full fat (for larger batch)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice Freshly squeezed (for larger batch)
  • 4 1/2-5 1/2 cups powdered sugar Sifted (for larger batch)
  • 1-2 tablespoon whipping cream Adjust consistency as needed (for larger batch)

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.
  3. Combine buttermilk and lemon juice, whisk together, and set aside.
Mixing
  1. In a large bowl, beat together softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy.
  2. Add vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time.
  3. With the mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture until combined, making sure not to overmix.
  4. Gently fold in the blueberries, tossed with a little flour to prevent sinking.
Baking
  1. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  2. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
  1. To make the frosting, beat together softened butter and cream cheese until silky.
  2. Add lemon juice and sifted powdered sugar to desired sweetness and mix until smooth.
  3. Frost the cooled cake and decorate as desired.

Notes

Store frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The unfrosted layers can be frozen for up to 3 months.