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Easy Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Spring cake recipe · Dessert for Easter, parties, or weekend baking · Soft, lemony, berry-filled, and easy to dress up
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 29 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 15 serving
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American-style baking
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Lemon Blueberry Cake
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 2 teaspoons cake flour or all-purpose flour for tossing with the berries
  • Cream Cheese Frosting for a 9×13 Cake
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tablespoon whipping cream as needed
  • Cream Cheese Frosting for a Layer Cake
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 12 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream as needed

Method
 

  1. Prep the pans and oven.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F. For a sheet cake, grease and flour a 9×13 pan. For layer cakes, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment, then grease and flour the sides. The source strongly recommends lining the bottoms for round cake pans so the layers release more easily.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients.
  4. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then whisk to combine. The source notes that cake flour can clump, so sifting matters here.
  5. Combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.
  6. Stir the buttermilk and fresh lemon juice together and set the mixture aside.
  7. Cream the butter, sugar, and zest.
  8. Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy and lighter in color, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  9. Add the eggs and vanilla.
  10. Mix in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. The source emphasizes adding the eggs gradually to avoid overmixing.
  11. Alternate the wet and dry additions.
  12. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry mixture, then about half of the milk mixture, and repeat until both are incorporated. This alternating method helps keep the crumb even and soft.
  13. Fold in the blueberries.
  14. Toss the berries with a little flour, then gently fold them into the batter.
  15. Bake.
  16. Spread the batter into the prepared pan or divide it between round cake pans. Bake a 9×13 cake for 30 to 35 minutes, or layer cakes for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the top looks set and a toothpick comes out clean.
  17. Cool and frost.
  18. Let the cake cool fully before frosting. For layer cakes, the source recommends chilling the cooled layers before trimming and decorating because cold layers are easier to handle.

Notes

Use cake flour if you can. The recipe notes are very clear that a straight one-to-one swap with all-purpose flour will make the cake denser and drier. The source does mention a substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch in the notes, but still strongly recommends cake flour for the best result.
Fresh lemon juice makes a difference here. The source specifically advises against bottled juice because fresh juice gives a brighter flavor that tastes lively rather than flat.
Fresh blueberries are the preferred option. The page says frozen berries are more likely to sink and bleed color into the batter, though they can still be used if kept frozen and not thawed first.
For layer cakes, a crumb coat is worth the extra step. The source recommends spreading a thin first layer of frosting, chilling the cake for about 30 minutes, and then finishing with the final frosting layer to keep crumbs out of the exterior.