Lemon Blueberry Cake with Frosting

There's something about lemon cakes that makes you feel like summer is just around the corner, even if you're baking in the middle of winter. I discovered this particular combination on a gray Tuesday afternoon when I had a surplus of fresh blueberries and the desperate urge to brighten up the kitchen. The result was so unexpectedly perfect—tart, light, and studded with those little pockets of tartness—that it became my go-to cake for nearly every gathering after that.

I'll never forget bringing this to my friend's spring birthday party and watching her face light up when she took the first bite. Her partner asked for the recipe before dessert was even finished, and they've been making it ever since—that's when I knew this was something special.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (2 ½ cups): This is your cake's foundation—make sure it's not packed when you measure, or your cake will turn dense and dry.
• Baking powder and baking soda (2 tsp and ½ tsp): These two work together to give you that light, airy crumb that makes every forkful feel like it's floating on your tongue.
• Unsalted butter (1 cup for cake, ½ cup for frosting): Softening it at room temperature matters more than you'd think—it creams into that fluffy base that holds everything together.
• Granulated sugar (1 ½ cups): Don't skimp on this or try to substitute honey—you need the structure and sweetness that granulated sugar provides here.
• Eggs (4 large, room temperature): Room temperature eggs incorporate smoothly and evenly, creating a tender crumb instead of lumps.
• Fresh lemon zest and juice (1 tbsp zest, ⅓ cup juice): This is where the personality of the cake comes from—choose bright, heavy lemons that feel full of juice when you pick them up.
• Whole milk (1 cup, room temperature): The slight acidity helps activate your baking soda and keeps everything tender.
• Fresh blueberries (1 ½ cups): Toss them lightly in flour before folding to prevent them from sinking to the bottom—this simple step changes everything.
• Cream cheese (8 oz, softened): This is the frosting's backbone, providing tang and body that powdered sugar alone could never achieve.
• Powdered sugar (3 cups, sifted): Sifting removes lumps and makes beating so much smoother—take that extra minute, it's worth it.

Instructions

Get Everything Ready:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare two 8-inch round pans with a light coating of butter, a dusting of flour, and a circle of parchment on the bottom. This three-step process keeps your layers from sticking no matter what.

Mix Your Dry Ingredients:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until you don't see any streaks of dry flour. This distributes the leavening evenly so your cake rises consistently.

Cream Butter and Sugar:

Beat them together for a full three minutes in a large bowl until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, almost like whipped cream. This incorporates air that helps your cake rise and creates that tender crumb.

Add Eggs and Lemon:

Add eggs one at a time, letting each one get fully mixed in before adding the next. Then beat in your lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until it looks like pale yellow ribbons—you'll know it's right when the bowl smells like sunshine.

Combine Everything in Thirds:

Alternate your dry mixture and milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients, mixing just until you see no white streaks. Over-mixing at this stage creates a tough cake, so show some restraint.

Fold in Blueberries:

Toss your blueberries with a tablespoon of flour first, then gently fold them in with a rubber spatula using about eight folds. The flour coating prevents them from sinking, and gentle folding protects their structure.

Divide and Bake:

Divide the batter evenly between your pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The kitchen will smell incredible, but trust the toothpick over your nose.

Cool Properly:

Let the cakes rest in their pans for ten minutes—this is crucial because the centers are still setting. Then turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Make Your Frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter until completely smooth with no lumps, then gradually add your sifted powdered sugar along with the lemon zest, juice, vanilla, and salt. Stop when it's light and fluffy, about two minutes of beating.

Layer and Frost:

Place one cake layer on your serving plate, spread with a generous layer of frosting, top with the second layer, then frost the top and sides with an offset spatula. Garnish with fresh blueberries and extra lemon zest for beauty and flavor.

Save

This cake somehow became the unofficial dessert of our friend group's spring picnics and impromptu gatherings. There's something about serving a slice with tea or Prosecco that makes an ordinary afternoon feel like a little celebration.

Lemon Flavor Boosters

If you want to push the lemon note even further, brush each warm cake layer with a simple lemon syrup made by dissolving a quarter cup of sugar in a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice. The syrup soaks in while the cake is still warm, infusing every bite with brightness that feels almost candied. I learned this trick from a baker who'd been making cakes for thirty years, and it completely transformed how I thought about lemon cakes.

Blueberry Swaps and Substitutions

Fresh blueberries are ideal, but frozen blueberries work beautifully if you use them straight from the freezer without thawing—they stay intact and don't bleed as much into the batter. I've also experimented with blackberries and raspberries, which add their own tart-sweet personality to the cake. The key is keeping them roughly the same size so they bake evenly throughout.

Serving Moments and Storage

This cake tastes best served at room temperature with something cold alongside it—Earl Grey tea is my choice, but a glass of Prosecco or even sparkling lemonade feels right too. Store the whole cake covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, and it somehow tastes even better on day two when the flavors have had time to meld together.

• Bring the cake to room temperature for about thirty minutes before serving so the frosting softens and the crumb becomes tender.
• If you're making this ahead, frost it the morning of serving so the frosting sets but stays creamy.
• Leftovers are incredible eaten straight from the fridge at midnight, not that I'd know from experience.

Save

There's real magic in a slice of cake that tastes like the best parts of spring and summer all at once. Every time I make this, I'm reminded why lemon and blueberry are such a perfect pair.

Recipe FAQs

→ Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes, use them frozen without thawing to prevent them from bleeding into the batter.

→ How do I store the leftovers?

Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days to keep it fresh.

→ Can I make the cake layers ahead of time?

Yes, bake the layers a day ahead, cool them completely, and wrap tightly before frosting.

→ How can I make the lemon flavor stronger?

Brush the cooled cake layers with a simple lemon syrup before applying the frosting.

→ What size pans are required?

You will need two 8-inch round cake pans for best results with this batter.