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
Best cake ive ever made, banging 10/10 thank you
yummy!!! your recipes are always my go to<3
BEST EVER CAKE!!! LOVE, LOVE LOVE!
Can I freeze this cake? Frosted or un frosted?
Hi Natalie, yes! Here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cakes.
I made this cake couple of times. Just wondering for halve recipe, is it enough to make 6 inch 3 layers cake? Thanks Sally.
I followed the recipe and heeded all warnings, but my cake layers were far from light and fluffy.
I weigh all my ingredients and I have a feeling, as another recipe was also a fail, that perhaps the recipes are meant (tested) for metric conversion. I will stick with measuring with cups going forward.
I
I loved the taste. Is it normal for it to not rise very much?
I’ve tried a variety of blueberry lemon cakes. This one is fantastic! Moist flavorful cake, I added a teaspoon of lemon extract to the cake batter, but that’s only alteration I made. I have so many allergies and thank The Lord I can still enjoy lemons and cream cheese. Very very very good!!
I made this cake today for my mother’s birthday and she loved it! I don’t own any round cake pans (bc almost everything I bake tends to be single serving and handheld) so I ended up using 2 8×8 glass square dishes instead of the recommended 3 9in rounds. It took my two layers about 55 minutes to bake fully through, the tops were definitely crunchier than I would have preferred but they didn’t burn and the inside texture was wonderful. <3 (I also ended up cutting that part off anyways to make the layers flat and use the tops as a decorative crumb layer on the outside of my frosting.)
To anyone who tries this recipe I would like to loudly urge patience for the cooling process!! "Cool enough" is not good enough as I unfortunately learned, make sure your layers are fully cooled!! I jumped the gun a bit on adding my frosting and one of my layers opened up like the maw of a frightening creature. I was able to patch the hole with my leftover frosting once I let my monster properly cool but the scar was still rather obvious. Alas, a lesson learned is better than one ignored!
For me the most fun part of the recipe was tossing the blueberries in flour and folding them into the batter 🙂 Thank you for the recipe Sally and friends, it was lovely as always! Longtime blog enjoyer, first time commenter, M.A.E.
I didn’t love this cake. It’s too thick and not sweet enough, also the lemon blueberry combo didn’t compliment each other. I enjoyed the frosting though
Just baked the cakes. Could you add lemon zest or lemon juice to frosting. Or do you not recommend because the cake should have enough flavor? Thanks!
Hi Gail, you certainly could try that if you want more lemon flavor. Enjoy!
I made this recipe for my sister’s birthday and everyone loved it. I was extra careful to follow directions after reading all the comments. I even bought brand new baking powder to be on the safe side! It was wonderful.
Hello Lexi I have 2 round 9 inch pans, would it be ok to bake two pans first, then wash/clean and do the last third layer cake instead of baking all 3 pans together? Or will the batter go bad waiting to be baked for the last third layer?
Hi Danielle, that will work perfectly!
Hi! Love your blog and appreciate all you do. Your buttercream for this recipe looks significantly whiter than mine. Any idea why that would be? I followed your recipe and only used one TBSP of heavy cream.
Hi Lee, the exact ingredients and their brands can often have an impact on the color. Some butters are more yellow than others, some confectioners’ sugar brands or vanilla brands can give off a darker color, etc. If you’d like, try adding a (very!) tiny drop of purple food coloring. It sounds odd, but it will help offset the color and brighten it up a bit. Thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
This is the best Easter cake We ever ate. Second time I make this cake and it never fails. Thanks
I made this recipe about two years ago and it was a huge hit! My fiancée wanted to make again for her birthday this week. I needed to make it dairy free due to allergies and it still worked! It was just as delicious even with the dairy free substitutions. Even her parents (who eat dairy) loved it. That really speaks to how great and versatile this recipe is. Thank you!!!
Also for those who may be wondering – I added 1 tbsp white vinegar to 1 cup of Silk Nextmilk (whole) to sub for buttermilk. For the butter I used miyokos unsalted and country crock olive oil sticks. And for the cream cheese, I used Violife. I did find that it needed about 5 extra minutes in the oven but other than that, not much difference between this and the regular recipe.
I’ve been using this recipe for 5years. It’s absolutely amazing. Soft fluffy moist and yummy. Always a crowd pleaser. One of my all time favourite cakes..
GOOD MORNING Sally & fellow Sally Addicts!
I made the cake into cupcakes as WHO knows what happened to my pans! ANYNWAY…I made them for my sister in law & she LOVED them! She said…come here, I THOUGHT she was goong to hug me but instead she LIGHTLY slapped me saying…do you realize how much weight I just gained cause of you! I simply smiled & blamed YOU! LOL. So, from HER & ME THANK YOU for such a GREAT recipe! I’ve made this cake for YEARS & it NEVER gets old. OH…I also added lemon zest to the frosting as another addict suggested & it was GREAT!
Hi Jenny, while you certainly can try, it will change the consistency of the frosting so you’ll need to tinker with the other ingredients, too, in order to bring it back to the right consistency.
I made this recipe as written and it came out perfect. I decided I was going to try the bundt cake version to take to work (more servings) and added the blueberries. I am not sure what the blueberries did, it was like they formed a Labor Union and decided they were going to divide and conquer the cake! They all ended up in the middle of the cake and when I turned the cake out only half came out! There was a neat layer of blueberries separating both layers. I managed to get the top half out and it looked like an earthquake, but I just frosted it and no one was the wiser. I covered the berries in flour and folded them in gently.
If i cut this recipe in half could I just use two 8″ pans? It will just be my husband and me. Thx
Hi JM! Half this recipe wouldn’t be quite enough batter. You may love our lemon blueberry cupcakes recipe that can also be made in three 6 inch cake pans for a smaller cake. Or you can adapt this recipe using our Cake Pan Sizes post.
Hi Sally,
I’ve made this cake before and love it! I’m going to make it for Easter and wondered if kefir would work instead of buttermilk.
Hi Michelle, We’ve never tested it, but unflavored kefir may work. Let us know if you give it a try!
I don’t have 3 8″ round pans. Can I use round foil pans instead? If so, would temperature and bake time still be the same?
Thank you!
Hi Alkie, round foil pans of the same size should work well, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time. It should be similar, and the baking temperature will be the same. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I never bake well and this came out perfect it’s soooo yummmmyyy and fun to make!! Moist and not too sweet! Made my day!
Made the lemon blueberry cake for our card group last year. It was a big hit
Im allergic to cheese, can you provide an alternative frosting?
Hi Cheni, absolutely. Swiss meringue buttercream would be wonderful on this cake.
I’ve been making this wonderful cake for almost as long as Sally’s had it online! It NEVER c eases to amaze me how much it NEVER gets old! I love making it for those who’ve never had it before & WATCH as they take that first bite! They simply EXHALE before taking a bigger bite! THANK YOU Sally for making baking so much fun!
This recipe is amazing. I received so many compliments from my coworkers when I brought this one in.
This recipe is fantastic! I made it for my niece’s cutting cake for her wedding in 2021. Converted it to gluten free and decorated it as a naked cake with cream cheese frosting and placed sugared blueberries and fresh rosemary on the top and bottom icing borders. It was gorgeous and delicious!
Can I halve this recipe without compromising the result of the final product? Thx.
Hi Bea, Yes, you can halve the recipe. Enjoy!
If I could leave 500 stars on this cake I would. It is the best cake ever. And beautiful as well. I do make a bit more frosting as my family likes (not me) a bit more. We crave this cake and I make it for every special occasion and in between. We never get tired of it. It is a hit with company and they think I have special purchased it. No way. I bake everything from scratch. I always spread the cream cheese smooth so it does look professional while leaving the top a bit more fluffy. In the Spring time I add a few fresh pansies on top and you should see it… Thank you for sharing this no fail recipe. It’s my favorite go to 3 layer cake.
I would prefer to make a two layer cake, not three, any recommendations on how long to bake the cakes for?
Hi Mary-Ellen, There is too much batter for two pans. Overfilling your cake pan will lead to the cake not baking properly, it will be too heavy to rise and will likely overflow. You can use the extra batter to make cupcakes if you’d like!