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
Walking down the street in Manhattan about 5 or 6 years ago my daughter
shows me a picture of a beautiful cake on
her phone. I ask her if she wants me to
make it for her upcoming birthday..so I made it and have been making every year since. My grandson makes me your carrot cake and I make him your red velvet cake and I make your marble cake for my other grandson. Tomorrow is our family St Patrick’s celebration and I’m making your Guinness chocolate cupcakes again this year…they were a hit last year. Thank you Sally for such great recipes that never disappoint.
This cake is so impressive! Delicious, moist and flavorful! My favorite cake for spring and summer!!!
This cake is a hit everytime I make it. I do have a question, though. Can it be made with a gluten free flour and still keep the same flavor? I have a request for this cake for a wedding, but I’ve never made it gluten free. What gluten free flour would work the best? Thank you
Hi Lauren, We are so happy this cake is a hit! We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
Going to make this soon! Sounds really good! For those who want to make this with GF flour, the kind that I use for some of my farmers markets, is Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix! Mixes in real nice to bread batter and anything else!
My family loves lemon! If I used lemon curd between the layers and the icing on the outside, would it be too sweet?
Hi Christine, lemon curd would be lovely between the layers. Or you could drizzle it on top of the slices if you wanted to control the amount of lemon flavor. Hope your family loves it!
OMG, I cannot properly express how perfect this cake is. Thank you so much for your hard work and providing this platform for free!
This is hands down the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten. I made it in a Bundt pan and did some attractive frosting piping. I used lemons and left out blueberries. The cake is rich and buttery and the edges almost don’t need frosting!
Sally, I find it difficult to get, or keep buttermilk in the house, so have bought buttermilk powder.
Any opinions on using buttermilk powder instead of whole milk?
Hi Karen, you can use buttermilk powder to create the buttermilk. You can follow the directions on that package to yield the 1 cup of buttermilk needed for this recipe.
My family loves this recipe but was curious if it could be made without the lemon. Like a blueberry cake?
I made this recipe as a sheet cake and it did not disappoint. It was amazing! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made this cake at least 5 times. With mixed results! I’ve gotten raves for it. But the times it hasn’t turned out right, I just don’t share it with anyone. I guess my take on it is, it’s a very iffy investment of your time, labor and expense. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s good it’s SO gratifying…..just don’t know why I can’t get it to be consistent.
Baking this cake now. Recipe was easy to make. Checked my pans at the 21 minute mark and the cake is totally still batter . Bake time is way off for me. Used fresh blueberries so I am not sure the issue
This was delicious! I do have a question though. I want to make another cake but just lemon flavor. The lemon cake recipe on this site is a tad different (brown sugar vs regular,etc). Why wouldn’t they be the same, since they are both lemon cakes?
I liked this recipe however found that there was too much baking powder causing the middle to take longer to cook.
I’m a fan of the buttermilk cake with blueberries but was asked to make one instead using strawberries. Would I substitute using the reduced strawberries like in the strawberry cake recipe at 258g? They still want the lemon just with strawberries vice blueberries. Thanks in advance!
Hi Adrienne, you can certainly use chopped strawberries in this batter instead.
Can I sub out the heavy cream and buttermilk for a dairy alternative? I have dairy free cream cheese.
Hi Sue, we haven’t tested this recipe with dairy free ingredients, but please let us know if you do!
I made this recipe as a sheet cake. It disappeared quickly! It was delicious and moist. Thanks for the great recipe!
Flavor is awesome!
This has been my birthday cake for 3 years in a row now! Always turns out perfect! I always add a little fresh lemon juice to the frosting to enhance the lemon taste (and only 1tbsp of heavy cream). The cake is always a big hit!
I have made this and the flavor is awesome. However, my cakes did not rise well. Should baking soda be used instead of baking powder since buttermilk and brown sugar are used? Both acidic ingredients which normally call for baking soda.
This cake is amazing! I have made it 4 times and making again this week. I follow the exact recipe and it has always turned out. I also made cupcakes once and they were just as amazing! 🙂
The cake itself is highly delicious however in my opinion the flavors and textures of the whole cake itself with the frosting leaves a bit to be desired. On my second time making this cake I paired with with Sally’s lemon curd filling and swiss meringue buttercream frosting. That took the flavors and textures from a solid 6 to a 10 in my opinion
Hi can we make blueberry lemon cake like the wedding cake – a two tier cake?
Hi Emma, This cake batter will work great for a whole three tier cake. We suggest using our lemon blueberry cupcake batter for a 6 inch top tier simply because that cupcake batter makes the perfect amount for a 6 inch cake. Use whichever batters will work well for the size of cakes you’re making! This cake pan sizes and conversions guide may be helpful, as well as our guide to making a homemade wedding cake with details on stacking cakes properly. Happy baking!
The buttermilk is missing in the instructions and could be the reason for the failed attempts in the comments. I caught this however and it turned out amazing!
Hi K, the milk is added in step 3 with the lemon zest and juice. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake!
Would this work with Swiss Meringue Frosting instead of cream cheese?
Hi Donovan, absolutely. Swiss meringue buttercream would be wonderful on this cake.
Hi, I was reading your recipe and it says at the end to leave the cake in the pans to cool instead of taking it out after a few minutes. By leaving it to cool directly in the cake pan, wouldn’t that continue to bake the cake?
Hi Ren! Cake pans are thin enough that they will cool just fine in the pans. The cakes are too soft to remove when hot.
Would I be able to swap blueberries for raspberries?
Hi Alexa, Absolutely! Simply swap with the same amount of raspberries.
Hello! Sally’s lemon layer cake is my very favorite cake. Question: would this cake be good substituting in cranberries for blueberries for a holiday spin? Thank you! Would there be any baking considerations when making this substitution? Thanks!
Hi Danielle, we haven’t tried it with cranberries but readers have had success swapping the blueberries for other berries. If you can, try using smaller cranberries as large cranberries may result in “wet” pockets in the cake. Or for another recipe, you might enjoy this cranberry cake instead!
Thanks for the baking tips, I only have a hand mixer which makes me think I over mix it.
This cake was so easy to make and my guests raved about it! Not too lemony and light and fresh. I sent all my guests your link Sally. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Now one of my faves!
Hi! I want to make this cake but with a dairy free frosting. Do you think I should go with a lemon buttercream or a plain/vanilla buttercream? TIA!
A lemon buttercream would be lovely!
I made this cake a couple of days ago using two 8 inch pans. It came out great. I did not have cream cheese so only used powered sugar, butter, vanilla, and whipping cream. It was delicious. I will use the same recipe for making large cupcakes this weekend. Thank you for your recipe. I wish I could upload my picture.