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Tart lemon and sweet blueberries combine in this lemon-blueberry bundt cake for a summery dessert that can’t be beat. Dust it with powdered sugar or top it with a lemony cream cheese glaze for the perfect finish.
I know it’s controversial, but I would choose a lemony dessert over a chocolatey dessert nearly any day.
From homemade lemon bars to chewy lemon sugar cookies, lemon is where it’s at for me.
And this lemon-blueberry bundt cake is no exception. If you love the combination of lemon and blueberries as much as I do, this bundt cake is a MUST for you this summer!
MY LEMON-BLUEBERRY BUNDT CAKE RECIPE
I first made this lemon-blueberry bundt cake years and years ago in the hopes of rescuing some less-than-awesome blueberries.
Even though those blueberries were less than awesome, the final cake turned out totally great.
I was reminded of this cake recently while I was making my blueberry scones and knew I needed to bring it back up for all of you, too. After all, with a full 2 cups of fresh blueberries and plenty of lemon zest and lemon juice, it’s perfect for summer.
The cake itself is bright and flavorful without being too sweet. It’s amazing simply dusted with powdered sugar, but topping it with a lemony cream cheese glaze is where it’s really at.
HOW TO MAKE THIS LEMON-BLUEBERRY BUNDT CAKE
Unlike my chocolate bundt cake or my honey bun cake, this lemon-blueberry bundt cake is made fully from scratch. But don’t worry, it’s still easy to make.
Cake ingredients
For the cake, you will need:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for blueberries
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups blueberries
Before you get started, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly, that way this cake turns out perfect every time.
If you are out of brown sugar, you can make a simple brown sugar substitute to save yourself a trip to the grocery store. I also have tips for how to soften brown sugar if yours has hardened.
If you forgot to set out your butter or eggs ahead of time, get my tips for how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
Sour cream acts in this cake the same way buttermilk would, adding a tangy flavor and helping keep the cake moist. You can substitute plain greek yogurt for the sour cream if you would like.
Making this recipe
To make my lemon-blueberry bundt cake, start by greasing and flouring a 12-cup bundt pan.
Whisk together 2 ½ cups of the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside for later.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moistened and fragrant.
This is a small extra step that will help infuse the flavor and aroma of the lemon zest throughout the cake.
Add the butter and the brown sugar to the bowl, using the paddle attachment on the stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, then reduce the speed to low. Add the flour in 3 increments, alternating with 2 increments of the sour cream.
Before adding the blueberries, toss the berries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, then gently fold them into the batter.
Spread the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for about 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, you can dust it with powdered sugar or top it with the cream cheese glaze before serving.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
If you decide to add the cream cheese glaze to this lemon-blueberry bundt cake, you’ll want to store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you skip the glaze and just go with powdered sugar on top, you can store it at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you’d like to freeze the cake, cut it into slices. Wrap each slice in a layer of plastic wrap, then store it in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month.
When you’re ready to enjoy a slice of lemon-blueberry bundt cake, unwrap a slice and microwave it for 30-60 seconds to thaw and heat it through.
FAQS
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
If you can’t get fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries will work in this lemon-blueberry bundt cake.
Do NOT thaw the blueberries before tossing them with the flour and adding them to the cake. This will help keep them from staining the batter, although you may still see a bit more discoloration than you would with fresh blueberries.
What size bundt pan do I need?
This recipe makes a lot of cake batter and it rises a fair amount, so I recommend using a 12-cup bundt pan.
I have successfully made this cake in a 10-cup bundt pan before, but it was very, very full. If you have to use a 10-cup pan, make sure to set it on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven, just in case any of the batter overflows.
How do you grease and flour a bundt pan?
Because of all of the nooks and crannies in bundt pans, there’s an increased risk of cakes sticking to them. That’s why it’s important to grease and flour your bundt pans before baking.
If you have softened butter on hand, you can rub that all over the inside of the pan, making sure to get it in all of the corners.
Sometimes I find that it’s hard to get butter into all of the little corners, so I will often spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. It automatically falls into the nooks and crannies.
Next, sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour into the pan. Tilt the pan all around, tapping the sides to disperse the flour to coat all of the butter or cooking spray in the pan. Once every part of the pan is covered, dump any excess out into the sink and you’re ready to bake your lemon-blueberry bundt cake!
Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for blueberries
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from about 4 lemons
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lemon juice from about 1 lemon
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups blueberries
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ tablespoon butter softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add the butter and brown sugar; beat using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.
- In a bowl, toss blueberries with remaining tablespoon of flour; gently fold into batter. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake cake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving or top with the cream cheese glaze.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice; mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to high and beat until very smooth. Spread onto the cake while the cake is still slightly warm
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, can I make this in a normal baking tin instead of a bundt pan?
Hi Tricia – Yes, you can typically bake bundt cake batter in a 13×9-inch pan. I haven’t tried it with this particular cake, but it should work fine. Happy baking!
Jamie
I only have a 10-cup bundt pan. Do I need to put some in a smaller pan to cook separately?
Hi, Claudia! I’m sure you could bake the extra batter if you like. Maybe put the extra in a muffin pan and make smaller cakes? Just watch closely while baking so they don’t over bake. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Gotta tell you… I made this and since I was out of sour cream, I substituted half yogurt and half & half mixed together and I only had frozen wild blueberries, so I used those. OMG, it is soooo good!
I made this cake yesterday (to serve at our Father’s Day cookout) and received nothing but rave reviews! I skipped the glaze since I made a homemade vanilla ice cream to go with the cake. This recipe is definitely a keeper!