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A blueberry lemon cake on a wooden cake stand with a piece getting removed
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Lemon Blueberry Cake

This moist and zingy lemon blueberry cake is a must make if you have fresh blueberries handy! It's a super-quick and simple recipe that will become a favorite!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cool Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 10 slices
Calories 936kcal
Author John Kanell

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.

Notes

If you're decorating this as a naked cake you'll have some extra buttercream which could be used for cupcakes or frozen for later.
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.
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 936kcal | Carbohydrates: 134g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 111g | Vitamin A: 1391IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg