Our Favorite Zesty Lemon Blueberry Cake: A Taste of Sunshine Recipe
This zesty lemon blueberry cake offers a delightful taste of sunshine with its moist lemon-infused layers and fresh blueberries, topped with a creamy lemon cream cheese frosting. Perfect for any occasion needing a bright, flavorful dessert.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, tossed with 1 tbsp flour
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 4–5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans or three 6-inch pans.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and flavorings: Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in blueberries: Gently fold in the flour-tossed blueberries. Be careful not to overmix.
- Bake the cake: Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes: Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare frosting: For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and flavorings: Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
- Frost and decorate: Once cakes are completely cool, frost and decorate as desired. Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon slices.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix when folding in the blueberries to prevent the batter from turning purple.
- Make sure the cakes are completely cool before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.