This better-than-ever lemon blueberry layer cake is bursting with sunshine-sweet flavor and filled with juicy berries in every bite. Its tender, moist crumb is perfectly balanced with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. Finished with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting, this is a delightfully fresh and luscious dessert that’s perfect for spring and summertime.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and I have made a few small updates to produce a lighter, softer cake with just as much incredible flavor.
This cake has become one of my favorite spring dessert recipes and Easter dessert recipes—and for good reasons. It boasts a bright, superior lemon flavor; bursts with blueberries in every single bite; has a perfectly tender crumb; and is finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting that ties it all together.
I first published this recipe in 2014, but after receiving mixed feedback over the years, I knew it wasn’t quite perfect yet. While many readers loved the flavor and appreciated the denser-style crumb, others simply found it too heavy.
When I see a pattern of reviews with concerns over the same thing, I will revisit the recipe and try making various tweaks until I’m confident I’ve fixed the issues. After experimenting several variations of today’s cake, my team and I discovered 3 small tweaks that made a big difference in the cake’s texture. The result? A softer, lighter crumb while keeping all of the same sunshine-sweet flavor.
The updated recipe is below, with the earlier version in the Notes—just in case you loved the original!
One reader, Jen, commented: “Love the updated recipe! I’ve been making this cake for a few years now. It was a bit dense but still a great cake. It’s usually what people request from me for their birthdays. The update has a lighter and softer texture with the same perfect flavor. Thank you for the improved recipe just in time for my husband’s 40th birthday! ★★★★★”
3 Small Recipe Updates = Impressive Changes
- Sub in some oil: The recipe originally called for 1 cup of butter. While creaming butter with sugar produces a soft, airy base for cakes and cupcakes, if the other ingredients in the batter are also heavy (buttermilk, flour, eggs), too much butter will simply weigh everything down. I removed half of the butter (1/2 cup), and subbed in 6 Tablespoons of oil. Not a 1:1 swap because we didn’t want too much liquid in the batter.
- Sub in some baking soda: The cake called for 1 Tablespoon of baking powder, which wasn’t the ideal amount for its heavy crumb. Instead of increasing the baking powder, which could leave us with a chemical aftertaste, I subbed in some baking soda. Combining baking powder and baking soda enhances both the rise AND the flavor of the cake.
- Slightly reduce the buttermilk: Scale the buttermilk down to 3/4 cup, instead of 1 cup. The cake is still extremely moist without tasting heavy and wet.
Key Ingredients in Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Granulated & Brown Sugar: Use a mix of sugars. Brown sugar provides moisture and a little extra flavor. White granulated sugar adds sweetness without weighing the cake down.
- Eggs: You need 4 eggs, which provide structure, enhance the cake’s rise, and create a richer, more flavorful bite.
- Buttermilk: Known for providing exceptional moisture in baked goods, buttermilk leaves each bite tender. If you don’t have buttermilk, there’s no need to make a buttermilk substitute. You can use whole milk with no other changes to the recipe because there is enough acid in the lemon juice and brown sugar. (For the baking soda to react.)
- Fresh Lemons: Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the cake batter. A citrus juicer and citrus zester are equally helpful here!
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is ideal in this batter; skip cake flour because it’s simply too light to hold up to the heavy butter, oil, buttermilk, and blueberries.
- Fresh Blueberries: I strongly recommend using fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries often let off too much moisture, which will weigh down the cake’s crumb.
I love this lemon blueberry cake because the blueberries DO NOT sink to the bottom of the cake. Why not? The batter is thick. When you have a thin batter, heavy fruit or add-ins will sink to the bottom. Still, toss the blueberries in a little flour… for extra insurance!
I recommend using 8-inch round cake pans, which produce thick, lofty cake layers. 9-inch pans can work in a pinch, but expect thinner layers.
Use Parchment Paper Rounds for Cakes
Line your cake pans with parchment paper rounds. I do this every single time I bake a round cake, whether I’m making a 1-layer sprinkle cake, a 9-layer Smith Island cake, or today’s lemon blueberry layer cake. Store-bought pre-cut parchment rounds are convenient, but it’s really easy to trace your pan on parchment and cut it out. You can cut the exact pan size you need, whether you’re making a 6-inch cake, an 8-inch cake, or a 9-inch cake.
Very lightly grease the cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. Place the parchment paper round inside, and then grease the parchment, too. Yes, you grease the pan and then also grease the parchment. This creates an ultra-nonstick environment for your cake. The cake won’t stick to the pan, and the parchment round won’t stick to the cake.
Once the cakes have baked and cooled, trim the tops using a cake leveler or a large serrated knife to create an even surface. A flat top ensures a sturdier and more stable layered cake. Here’s my how to assemble and decorate a layer cake video and tutorial if you want extra help.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch on this soft lemony cake—it tastes like spreadable cheesecake!
It’s light and creamy, so it glides onto the cake pretty effortlessly. I use a large flat icing spatula to frost the layers and exterior of the cake.
Crumb coat? While you can certainly add one, there’s no need for a crumb coat; the cake isn’t super crumbly and the frosting is ultra soft and creamy.
Decorate with blueberries, lemon zest, lemon slices, florals, coconut, and/or whatever you like!
You need 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest. To extract that much juice, 3 or 4 medium to large lemons is usually enough. For the zest, you’ll only need about 2. Zest the lemons first, and then cut open to juice them.
I recommend using 8-inch round cake pans, which produce thick, tall cake layers like you see in the photos. 9-inch pans can work in a pinch, but the cake layers will be thinner than what is pictured, and the cake will be shorter.
Yes, absolutely! Same amount. Toss them in flour before using, just as you do with the blueberries.
Need cupcakes instead? Use my recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes. Or perhaps breakfast? Try my lemon blueberry muffins. How about pie? My lemony blueberry galette will hit the spot! Cookies? You’ll love these lemon blueberry cookies.
More Lemon Recipes For You
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Homemade Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Raspberry Jam Cupcakes
- Lemon Blueberry Babka
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This better-than-ever lemon blueberry layer cake is bursting with sunshine-sweet flavor and filled with juicy berries in every bite. Its tender, moist crumb is perfectly balanced with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. Finished with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting, this is a delightfully fresh and luscious dessert that’s perfect for spring and summertime.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120ml) lemon juice (3–4 lemons), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh blueberries (I do not recommend frozen)
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the oil and beat until combined and light and creamy, about 3 more minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for a few seconds, then beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice *just* until combined. Toss the blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Batter is thick. Do not over-mix.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for about 22–26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before assembling and frosting.
- Make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Turn mixer up to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.
- Assemble and frost: (Note: See my how to assemble and decorate a layer cake video & tutorial if you want extra help with this step.) First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn’t make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cakes at room temperature, covered tightly. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Bring frosting to room temperature before spreading as it will be quite stiff after refrigerating. (Add a splash of cream or milk to thin out, if needed.) Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cake Turntable, Cake Stand, or Large Serving Plate | Straight Icing Spatula | Offset Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage) | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Sheet Cake: The batter makes a perfect sheet cake! Simply spread into a 12×17-inch half sheet/jelly roll pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. It also fits nicely into a 9×13-inch cake pan. Bake for about 30–35 minutes or until cooked through.
- Bundt Cake: I recommend making my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. You can leave out the poppy seeds and add 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh blueberries. I also have a lemon berry yogurt cake recipe. You can use all blueberries.
- Cupcakes: Here are my lemon blueberry cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting.
- 6-Inch Cake: Use my lemon blueberry cupcakes batter and follow my 6-inch cake baking instructions.
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are recommended because they mix easily and quickly into the cake batter, reducing the risk of over-mixing. Place eggs into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using or set the eggs out when you set out your cream cheese and butter for the recipe.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps produce a supremely moist cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, use whole milk instead. No need for a buttermilk substitute. You can use lower-fat or nondairy milks in a pinch, but the cake won’t taste nearly as rich and moist.
- Cream Cheese: Use brick-style cream cheese, not cream cheese spread.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat gives the frosting the creamiest texture. Milk will work in a pinch!
- Updated in 2025: Based on reader feedback about the cake baking up flat and tasting too heavy, I made 3 small tweaks. The updated recipe is what you see above. To make the original recipe, leave out the oil and baking soda. Increase the butter to 1 cup (226g/16 Tbsp), the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon, and the buttermilk to 1 cup (240ml). The bake time is the same.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’m making this in the next day or so for daughters birthday. The video shows you lightly flouring the baking pans but the instructions merely state greasing and parchment paper. ?? Thank you!
Hi Cindy, Since this video was filmed we have found the absolute best way to guarantee any cake won’t stick is to spray your pan, line with a round piece of parchment, and then spray again. Works every time!
Simply the best. I’m about to make it for a 3rd time.
Hey Sally I have made this recipe many times and it is phenomenal thank you for sharing such an delicious recipe. I do have a question though did you by chance revise the lemon zest from 3 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons in this recipe or am I just going crazy lol? I have always used 3 tablespoons but I see that your recipe says to use only 2.
Hi Jeff, The recipe hasn’t changed 🙂
I made this and used a bundt pan. Turned out beautiful. A wonderful cake recipe. I have blueberry plants and now have this great recipe to put them in. Thank you for this cake.
Would it be possible to make this recipe gluten free? Any help would be amazing
Hi Steph, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
So I made this gluten free and used gluten free plain flour and 1/4 tsp xantham gum and I got great feedback from this! Thanks so much for the recipe
I’m so sorry Sally if this has already been asked but I love the look of this recipe but am desperate for a taller cake, if I doubled it all do you think it would hold the extra weight for a 6 layer cake?
I’m hoping to make for my son’s birthday tomorrow, thank you!
Hi Hannah, For the best texture it’s best to make the recipe twice instead of doubling it. Use the same amount of sifted cake flour instead of all purpose for a lighter texture if you are worried about the weight!
This cake is amazing as it is . Wondering if I could use cake flour for a softer cake ?
Sure can! See recipe notes.
Hi Sally, can I use swiss merigue butter cream instead of cream cheese frosting?
I made this with a small modification. I piped a border of icing between the layers and filled them with lemon curd. I appreciated your tips on how to avoid a dry or dense cake. The tops of the cakes still looked shiny and under done at 20 minutes, but the toothpick was clean so I pulled them out, and they were perfect. The cake was absolutely delicious and a big hit! I’ll definitely be making this one again.
I made this for my husbands birthday. I used two round cake pans instead of three. It turned out amazing. I only baked it for about 8 mins longer than the recipe stated. My husband also loved the icing. It is a bit fluffier than standard cc frostings. Thanks for this recipe. I am not an experienced cake baker by any means but this just turned out perfectly fluffy and delicious!!! 5 STARS!!!
Will i have enough to do a two layered 10inch pan? Instead of a 3 layered 9inch pan?
Hi Sean, You can use the post Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to help calculate how much batter you would need for different size pans.
Absolutely to die for! The combination of lemon and blueberries are perfect and so delicious!!
Hi Sally, I’m making this for a birthday and want a layered sheet cake. If I put it in a 12 x 17 half jelly roll pan, is there enough for two layers or should I double the batter?
Hi Mary Lou, my cake pan sizes and conversions page should help here. You won’t have enough batter for 2 half sheet cakes, so I recommend making this batter twice. (Doubling all at once risks over or under-mixing and could overwhelm your mixer.)
Two important questions…
I am about to bake this…
1) Can I use three 8-inch pans? Will the batter fit? How long to bake?
2) Would Kirkland-brand goat cream cheese work in place of the block cream cheese in the frosting? Will that be good? Disgusting?
Thank you so much!
Hi Monika, You can use 8 inch pans without changing the recipe – your layers will be a little bit thicker so may take an extra minute in the oven. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. I have not tried this frosting with goat cream cheese so I’m unsure how the flavor would change.
I find that most ‘lemon’ desserts do not taste like lemons. They are either bland or have an artificial flavor taste. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors so this is one of my pet peeves. This cake is the exception. I made this cake for my birthday and followed the recipe exactly with one exception. I don’t have 3 round cake pans so I used 2 cake pans. The cake was moist and had a delicious lemon flavor. My husband loved this cake and called it his birthday cake. Thankfully, we were able to share.
I Just made this cake and it is cooling. It has turned out beautifully. I was thinking of putting some lemon curd between the layers with the icing. Would that be too overwhelming do you think?
I think adding lemon curd would be delicious! I like to put down a thin layer of buttercream and then thicker ring around the outer edge of the cake to keep the curd in and stop the layers from slipping – then frost the outside as normal.
Thanks. I will try it. I am making this for my sister-in-law’s birthday tomorrow . I will let you know. This could become my new favorite recipe!
Hi Sally,
Is it alright to used canned blue berries instead of fresh or frozen berries. Don’t have fresh or frozen. Any tips?
Thanks much
Hi Rich, we haven’t tested this recipe using canned blueberries. I recommend blotting them first so the blueberries juices don’t turn the batter blue (though you will notice a little blue coloration)!
The flavors of this cake are perfect. My cake seems to be very thin and not rising as much as I’d like (each cake is less than 1 inch high). I baked for 30 mintues! Any advice?
Hi Cassie, I’m happy to help. Are you using frozen berries by chance? Sometimes I find that they weigh down the cake’s crumb and add a significant amount of moisture, so that could be why the cake didn’t rise as much as you’d like. Could you try fresh berries by chance? If you want even more height, use cake flour and try reducing the baking powder down to 2 and 1/2 teaspoons and adding 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Okay I need to stop baking at 10:00 at night because this cake turned out way too dense. I assume I over-mixed it because I misunderstood this line:
“Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds”
I took this to mean “add a little of the dry ingredients mix, beat for 5 seconds, add a little more of the dry, beat for 5 seconds, repeat until all of the dry ingredients mix is added”, but was I actually just supposed to dump all of the dry ingredient mix in the bowl at once and then beat for 5 seconds just the one time? I could use some clarification because I do want to try this again if I messed it up. The only other thing I can think of was there wasn’t enough liquid because I didn’t realize the eggs I had were medium and not large…
Hi Liz, You can add them in one or two additions so you don’t have to mix as much. For a lighter texture you can use cake flour, see recipe notes. You can also visit my post on How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cakes for more tips.
Hey Sally!
Best recipe ever. Cool thing. I halved the whole thing and baked it in a 9×13 cake pan and it worked perfectly. I don’t usually follow a recipe exactly and I used 1/2 cup of cake flour but that’s the only change I made. Fabulous. Thank you
I made this today and it’s just lovely. I made it with two ten inch pans and didn’t change anything else.
Huge hit.
Hi Sally! I made this cake a few weeks ago and it tasted amazing!
How would you bake this cake in a high altitude area? I baked a cake recently and it was very dry and I realized it was not the recipes fault.
Hi Haley, I wish I could help, but I have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Thank you! I’ve made this recipe at home before for my birthday. It was really good. I hope it turns out just as good up north.
Can you bake this in a loaf pan?
Hi Emma, If you would like to try making cakes in different size pans you will find my guide to Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions helpful!
My daughter made it for our visit and it’s right even with the best I’ve had ! Five golden stars ⭐️
OMG! This is the most delicious cake I have ever made! The instructions & notes are easy to follow and it turned out beautifully!
This is an awesome recipe! I’m not a super good baker by any means, but I thought I would try out this recipe because it looked so good. This is by far the best cake I have ever made, everyone in the house agrees. Sally explains everything perfectly. Beautiful cake and tastes even better!
This cake is delicious! Such a great summer cake. Even though I accidentally put 1.5 cups of butter in the cake (had all three sticks out for room temperature , 2 for the cake and 1 for the frosting and put all three in the cake batter lol), still tasted wonderful. How should I store? I have it in my cake stand and dome cover on our counter but should it be refrigerated? How well does it keep?
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake, Christine! After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, I would definitely refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- I’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day
I’m planning to make this for my daughter’s birthday. From past experience, cream cheese frosting doesn’t pipe very well. I was thinking of using the cream cheese frosting as a filling between the cake layers, and possibly the outside of the cake? And pipe with lemon butter cream? Would that work? Or should I use just vanilla buttercream for piping flowers. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Hi Jenn, you’re right that cream cheese frosting doesn’t hold a piped shape as nicely as buttercream. You can use cream cheese frosting as the filling in the cake and lemon buttercream or vanilla buttercream on the outside. However, if you chill cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, it pipes much better.
Hi Sally! Great recipe. Since I am only making the cake for 4 people, I was wondering, can I half the recipe but still make a layered cake? If yes, what size pans and how many layers would you suggest? Thanks!!
Hi Arushi, My Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes are the cupcake version of this exact cake. It is the perfect amount of batter to make a 6 inch cake!
Omg this recipe is amazing. I baked it in 2 9 inch cake pans for about 35 minutes and they came out great. I also added a teaspoon of lemon extract which really brought out the flavor. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It’s perfect!
I made this cake for a camping trip ! The flavor was amazing , however, I felt it was a little dry , almost like a pound cake texture. Everyone ate it and loved it , what can I do next time for a moister cake ?
Hi Kristen, For a lighter texture you can use cake flour, see recipe notes. You can also visit my post on How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cakes for more tips.