Introduction

Best Lemon Blueberry Cake is pure, sunshine-bright perfection: tender, moist lemon-scented layers bursting with juicy blueberries and sandwiched with creamy lemon frosting that tastes like summer baked into dessert form. This stunning cake rises tall, stays soft for days, and delivers the perfect sweet-tart balance in every forkful. Served with extra berries and lemon zest curls on top, this Best Lemon Blueberry Cake recipe offers a gorgeous, appetizing aesthetic that instantly becomes the centerpiece of brunches, birthdays, or any celebration.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Moist & tender — buttermilk + oil + fresh lemon = no dry crumbs.
Bursting blueberries — coated to prevent sinking.
Make-ahead layers — freeze up to 3 months.
Custom frosting — cream cheese or buttercream options.
Endlessly riffable — raspberry, lavender, or loaf version.

Ingredients (three 8-inch layers or two 9-inch layers)

Cake Layers

3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) neutral oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (300 g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw frozen)
2 tbsp flour (for coating berries)

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz (450 g) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
5–6 cups (600–720 g) powdered sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Garnish

Fresh blueberries
Lemon slices or zest curls
Edible flowers (optional)

Essential Tools and Equipment

Three 8-inch or two 9-inch cake pans
Stand or hand mixer
Parchment rounds

Step-by-step process

Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease pans → line bottoms with parchment → grease again.
Lemon sugar — rub zest into sugar until fragrant.
Dry mix — whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
Cream — beat butter, oil, lemon sugar 3–4 min until light. Add eggs one at a time → vanilla.
Alternate wet/dry — low speed: half dry → buttermilk + lemon juice → remaining dry. Mix just until combined.
Coat berries — toss blueberries with 2 tbsp flour → fold gently into batter.
Divide batter evenly among pans.
Bake 28–35 minutes (8-inch) or 30–38 minutes (9-inch) until a toothpick has a few moist crumbs.
Cool in pans 10 min → invert → cool completely on rack.
Frost — beat cream cheese + butter → add powdered sugar gradually → lemon juice, zest, vanilla, salt. Whip until fluffy.
Assemble — level layers if needed → frosting between → crumb coat → chill 20 min → final coat → garnish.

Mistakes to avoid

Room-temp ingredients — cold = lumpy batter.
Overmixing after flour — tough cake.
Uncoated berries — sink to the bottom.
Overbaking — dry cake; pull at moist crumbs.
Warm layers — frosting melts; cool completely.

Variations of the Best Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon Buttercream — Swiss meringue buttercream + lemon curd swirl.
Loaf Cake — one 9×5 pan → 60–70 min.
Muffins — 18–22 min → 12 jumbo.
Raspberry — swap blueberries + raspberry in frosting.
Gluten-Free — 1:1 GF flour blend.

Tips for better storage & make-ahead

Make-ahead layers — wrap tightly → fridge 2 days or freeze 3 months.
Assembled — fridge up to 5 days (flavor peaks day 2).
Freezer whole — freeze frosted → thaw overnight fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frozen blueberries? Yes — don’t thaw, coat extra flour.
Less sweet? Reduce sugar by ¼ cup + extra lemon.
No buttermilk? Milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice → sit 10 min.
Two layers? Same batter → slightly longer bake.
Cupcakes? 18–22 min → 24 cupcakes.

Conclusion

Best Lemon Blueberry Cake is pure summer celebration — each moist, berry-bursting, lemon-bright slice with creamy frosting tastes like the ultimate feel-good dessert. One bowl turns fresh fruit into the most requested, most photographed cake you’ll ever bake. Keep lemons and blueberries stocked, and bakery-level sunshine is literally one bake away. Whether it’s birthdays, brunches, or “because it’s Tuesday,” this cake delivers pure joy and empty plates in perfect harmony. One bite, endless “this is the best cake ever,” and the quiet thrill of lemon-blueberry mastery.