Stop everything and make this lemon blueberry cake if you love blueberries! This cake is beyond moist, with the perfect zing from lemon zest and juice. I divided my buttercream into two batches; one is flavored with a blueberry reduction while the other is all lemon.
I’m not sure if my meager description is doing the cake any justice but it was so good! I really loved it as a naked cake because the cake itself is so tasty it really doesn’t need a lot of frosting, you don’t want to mask the flavor with too much sugar. If you’re interested in more cake recipes for summer, then see my peach cake, key lime cake, and strawberry cake recipe.
What You’ll Need to Make This
Blueberries: I love fresh blueberries with this recipe but you can use frozen ones. Thaw before use then dry off and toss with flour.
Butter: I always specify unsalted butter just because different manufacturers add various amounts of salt to salted butter. The best way to have uniform results from a recipe is to use unsalted butter then add however much salt you need separately. If you don’t have unsalted butter then go ahead and use salted butter! Just omit the extra salt.
Milk: If you’re sensitive to dairy you can use a nut milk or soy milk instead.
Sour Cream: I love sour cream in my cake recipes but yogurt can be used instead. The closest match would be plain Greek yogurt.
Egg Whites: I like the lighter color of the cake from the egg yolks being omitted. If you want to use the whole egg just halve the sour cream in the recipe.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter and flour three 6-inch pans. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large bowl then whisk together. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries and lemon zest with a tablespoon of the flour mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the wet ingredients, including the milk, sour cream, egg whites, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the mixture is sandy. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold the blueberry mixture in with a spatula. Divide the batter evenly into the three pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. Invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool.
4. To make the blueberry reduction, add the blueberries, water, lemon juice and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the berries burst, then mash them, and simmer until reduced by half. Strain into a bowl and chill.
5. Cream the butter and salt then sift in the confectioners’ sugar in two or three batches. Beat on low and drizzle in the lemon juice. Scrape the bowl down them mix once more until uniform and
6. Transfer about ¾ cup of the buttercream to a bowl, then mix in the blueberry reduction a tablespoon at a time until the desired taste is reached.
7. Pipe the buttercreams between each cake layer by making a thick ring of the stronger lemon buttercream at the edge of each layer and filling the center with blueberry buttercream. Frost the outside of the cake, then scrape and smooth it with an offset spatula.
8. Add dollops using an 846 tip. Place frozen berries inside the dollop ring if desired. You can use fresh blueberries, but the frozen ones have a nice frost, which adds a visual interest that I love!
Pro Tips for This Recipe
- I have a hint for avoiding berries at the bottom of your pans. Toss the blueberries in a just a dash of lemon juice to moisten the skin a bit then sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of flour. This will prevent them from sinking during the bake. The harder part is making sure the blueberries are separated and not in a big clump when you pour the batter into the pans. Just use a spoon so move them around if you notice a big pile here or there.
- If you’re wondering how I got such a nice light edge to the layers it’s from using cake strips! They’re wet fabric strips you wrap around the edge of the pan. You can make your own or buy a set here. I love them because they always give me nice flat layers and the outside is never burnt! Check out my video on how to get flat layers to see how they work and how to make your own!
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you just add blueberries to cake mix?
You can add blueberries to cake mix but blueberries are heavy and many cake mixes are going to be a bit light to support their weight. Always toss the berries in flour or cornstarch before adding to the batter.
Why do blueberries sink to the bottom?
Blueberries are large and denser than your cake batter so they will tend to sing while baking. Tossing them in flour or cornstarch will help. This trick also works for nuts!
How do you decorate it?
Your Blueberry buttercream is going to be DELICIOUS, but it will be softer than the frosting without the reduction. You should pipe a band of the plain frosting at the edge between each layer and if your cake looks unstable just pop it into the fridge to set up. I have a whole post with all my cake decorating tips so check it out if you have any concerns about layer cakes!
How can I avoid it becoming dense?
Measure your ingredients with a scale. Most problems occur when people add too much flour to their recipe. The other thing to avoid is over-mixing the batter. If you mix too much you’ll develop the gluten in the cake and after baking it will contract and become dense. Mix until just combined.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this lemon blueberry cake recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Video
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- 6-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature (120ml)
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature (120g)
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1⅔ cups granulated sugar (333g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (170g)
- 1⅓ cups fresh blueberries (180g)
For the Reduction:
- 1½ cups fresh blueberries (200g)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Lemon Buttercream:
- 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature (340g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar (720g)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 6-inch round cake pans. (I also wrapped the outsides of my pans with damp fabric cake strips for more even baking.)
- Beat together the wet ingredients, including the milk, sour cream, egg whites, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla, together in a medium bowl. Set aside
- Sift the dry ingredients, including the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, together in a medium bowl. Remove one tablespoon and add it to a small bowl with the blueberries. Toss the berries to coat in flour and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the mixture is sandy. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium-low speed until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Fold in flour-coated blueberry by hand with a spatula.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove them and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Reduction:
- Place ½ cup of blueberries in the freezer.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the remaining 1 cup of blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cook until the berries start to burst. Mash and stir for a minute, then simmer until reduced by half.
- Pour the blueberry reduction into a fine-mesh strainer and press through, catching the liquid in a small bowl. Discard the remaining solids. Chill the reduction until ready to use.
For the Lemon Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape the bowl down occasionally. Once incorporated, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Beat in the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency and taste is reached.
- Transfer about 1 cup of the frosting to a small bowl, and mix in blueberry reduction a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired flavor.
- Transfer the blueberry buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip. Transfer ½ cup of the lemon buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip (846). Then, place the rest of the lemon buttercream in a plain piping bag and snip off the tip.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe a thick ring or lemon buttercream around the edge of one cake layer. Pipe the blueberry-lemon buttercream onto the cake, filling the center of that ring. Top with another cake layer and repeat with the icing.
- Pipe more lemon buttercream around the sides and top of the cake and smooth it using an offset spatula. You can use less on the sides, and scrape the sides for a naked look.
- Pipe a circle of lemon buttercream dollops about 1 inch from the edge of the cake. Add frozen blueberries to the inside of the circle. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes before slicing.
Tina says
Hello thanks for such a great recupe, if I want to make a big cake say 10inch size pan from this recipe should I double or triple the recipe, thinking of making 2 tier cake for my birthday cake with this ?
John K. says
Hi Tina,
If you are only making two layers, I would double the recipe! Happy Birthday!!
Best,
John
Daniel says
I made this cake today for a game night. Everyone was extremely impressed. I doubled the recipe in order to have enough for three 8 inch layers. This is my first time having lemon blueberry cake, but it was amazing. Definitely a nice change of pace to my standard chocolate cake.
John K. says
Hi Daniel,
I’m so glad to hear you made this cake and everyone enjoyed it! I love the flavors in this cake.
What will you bake next?
Best,
John
Molly says
I’d like to make this in 4” pans with 2 layers. What do you recommend I do with the recipe?
John K. says
Hi Molly,
I would cut the recipe in half and use the extra batter for cupcakes! 🙂
Best,
John
Helena Lewis says
Hi John,
Love your videos, so fun and helpful! Made the cake layers today and they look amazing!
Do you ever freeze your cakes layers? Trying to make it faster and easier the day I have a dinner party.
John K. says
Hi Helena,
Yes! You can freeze your cake layers just make sure they’re wrapped up well so you when they defrost you don’t get a freezer taste!
Enjoy your dinner party!
Best,
John
Tania says
I did a practice run of this cake recently, as I’ve [ambitiously] offered to make my best friend’s wedding cake… and WOW!
It was moist and super delicious. The lemon flavour was divine and the blueberry reduction was fabulous! I’m not a big fan of buttercream usually as I don;t like the flavour of butter, but the lemon buttercream was really yummy! I topped mine off with some blue berry reduction and lemon curd.
I made my own bake even strips with tinfoil and fabric and the cake cooked through perfectly, without the sides browning up. I will be using this for the wedding cake for sure.
For one tier of the cake I’m going to do a plain lemon cake. Will this recipe be OK to use if I just omit the blueberries?
Thanks John – you are awesome!!
John K. says
Hey Tania,
Thanks so much for your positive feedback! I’m hearing lately a few people have had some issues with this cake and I am determined to find out why!! I’m very happy to hear it turned out wonderfully and you tried the baking strips!
If you choose, I think it will be okay to omit the blueberries. Enjoy!
Best,
John
Mariam says
I made this cake for my daughters first birthday, because her favorite fruit is blueberries and it was delicious! Everyone said that at the part! And momma ate all the leftovers! Thank you!
John K. says
Hi Mariam,
I’m so glad to hear that! What cake will you bake next and for what occasion?
Best,
John
Angela Thomas says
This cake was amazing! I made it for my son’s 9th birthday and everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe and used two 9″ round pans and baked for 45 minutes. It was still more wet in the middle than I think it should have been. Do you have any recommendations for altering the three tier, 6″ pan recipes to the 9″ rounds? Maybe I shouldn’t have doubled? Maybe I should have done less sour cream and butter? Thanks!!
John K. says
Hi Angela,
I would say TRIPLE the recipe if you are using three 9″ pans instead of 6″. Usually if I am using 6″ pans you should double it for 8″ pans and triple it for 9″. I am glad it still tasty!
I will add this info to the blog recipe!
Best,
John
Aaron H. says
Hi John,
I want to make this for my mother-in-law’s birthday, but we don’t think we will have time the day of. Will this cake still taste normal if it is made the night before? If so, what is the best way to preserve it until the next day? Thanks!
John K. says
Hey Aaron,
Making it the night before should be more than fine! Put it in the refrigerator to preserve it and just be sure to take it out for a bit before serving.
Apologies for the late response, I hope I didn’t miss the birthday!!
Best,
John
Aaron says
This looks so yummy! Excited to make it.
Do you think that if I made it the night before that it would hold up and still be fresh the next day? If so, what would be the best way to preserve it?
Thank you!
Ariana Harris says
Hi! Thank you for another amazing, detailed, upbeat cake video!
I’m thinking of making this cake for a friend’s birthday, but I know they love cream cheese frosting. Would cream cheese hold up under the layers if I used that instead of buttercream?
~ Ari
John K. says
Hi Ariana,
Thanks so much!
With the cream cheese frosting, just be careful because it can be soft!
Enjoy!
-John