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 made this as a sheet cake for a church event, and it was a hit! It has the most perfect lemony punch. My new favorite recipe!❤️
Can I half the recipe?
Yes, you can halve the recipe. Enjoy!
The flavor and texture of this cake gets five stars. The lemon wasn’t overpowering but it was still definitely a lemon cake (I have found this to be a hard balance to find in some recipes). The blueberries gave it that little extra and the cream cheese frosting is the perfect frosting for this combo. The reason I gave this four stars was the presentation. Even with flouring the blueberries they sunk to the bottom and the cream cheese frosting was so soft the layers kept sliding off of each other. Luckily it was a family birthday party and my in-laws are kind people so they didn’t care but I’ll look for a cream cheese frosting with more structure next time. OVERALL VERY GOOD!!
An amazing recipe! I opted to frost this cake with some lemon zest whipped cream instead and it was amazing! Another great cake recipe from Sally!
SO GOOD!!! Made this for Mother’s Day, with the help of my sous chef;) and it was quickly inhaled! Thank you!
I’ve made the original for years – always a big hit. Over the weekend, this recipe became my nephew’s wedding cake. 18 batches of cake batter to make a hugely successful wedding cake. So much so that the small gluten-free version I made for the best man’s girlfriend also got eaten up by those looking for seconds. A real keeper! I used a half-shortening vanilla bean buttercream as it was outside in FL.
Is the by chance another icing that would go well with this cake? Im absolutely hate cream cheese, but I really want to make this cake!
Hi Tre, regular vanilla buttercream or this lemon buttercream frosting would be delicious on this cake. Let us know what you try!
I made this cake today, and it blew everyone away! I’m not sure I’ve ever had a cake so delicious before. My husband is the kind of person who doesn’t care about dessert, and he loved it. My son said this cake must make the regular rotation! I followed the recipe verbatim and didn’t change a thing. The frosting is also perfect. Not too heavy on the cream cheese flavor and whips up nice and fluffy. I’d give this recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love to read this, Krista! Thank you so much for giving this cake a try.
How many of us have 3 cake pans? Why have layers cakes all grown to 3 layers? Please bring back the two-layer cake!
Hi Trudy, if you do not have 3 cake pans, you can always bake the layers in batches, leaving the leftover batter covered at room temperature until there is a cooled pan to use. Hope this helps!
My layer cake came out great. Did a 9X13 for a graduation party—–it sunk in the middle! Still tasted great! covered with Xtra frosting and cake topper!! LOL
So glad this was a hit for you, Cynthia! Sinking usually happened when cakes are under-baked. We’d try increasing the bake time by just a minute or two next time to see if that helps. Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh, too, for optimal rise—we find they start to lose their effectiveness after about 3 months, even if not technically expired. Hope this helps for next time!
Hello
I plan on making this next week. Can I use the recipe for the whipped lemon cream cheese frosting, from the cupcake recipe? Think it will be enough frosting?
Hi Kim, you sure can. You’ll want to 1.5x or 2x the cupcake frosting, depending on how heavily you’d like to frost your cake. Enjoy!
Hi there! I saw the comment about too much cake for 2 pans. However, what if they were 2, 9” rounds instead of 8”? Would the bake time still be about the same?
Hi Kaitlin, this recipe is written for three 9 inch cake pans. In two pans, your thicker layers would take much longer to bake in the oven.
Hello
I’m wondering if the whipped lemon cream cheese frosting from the lemon blueberry cupcake recipe would yield enough frosting fur this cake?
Can you make this recipe with two cake pans instead of three?
Hi Marianne, there is a bit too much cake batter here for only 2 pans. If you only have 2 pans, you can leave the last third of the cake batter at room temperature while the two cakes bake, then use one of the pans to bake the remaining batter once it’s cool enough for a three layer cake.
Can I substitute the blueberries with raspberries?
Hi Kara, yes, absolutely!
Made this recipe multiple times. It’s always a winner. Something to take it over the top is to make Sally’s lemon curd, then add a tablespoon of that to the cream-cheese frosting, as well as a filling between layers. Guests swoon. Thank you, Sally. Fantastic.
This recipe is a win for us. Made this for my son’s birthday and he enjoyed it and everyone that tried it as well.
Was looking for something with blueberries in it since he loves blueberries.
This cake was the bomb at my Easter celebration – just delish!!!
Hello! How would this cake pair with your not so sweet whipped cream?
Would be lovely!
This cake was the Best!! Definitely a repeat
Can I double this recipe with no issuee?
Hi Josie, for best results we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling, tripling, etc.
This was a perfect cake for a gender reveal I made for my Godson. They wanted blueberries if a boy and I loved how dense it was, allowing the berries to stay throughout the cake. The taste was delicious as well.
Made this cake for my mums birthday. One of the best tasting cakes I have baked. Very moist, colourful and the blueberries didn’t sink. The texture held being in the fridge for 24hrs too.
Very delicious cake!
I added lemon curd inbetween the sponges too which was a lovely touch! I did need to refrigerate the frosting as mine was a bit runny.
The instructions were very well written too.
Would 100% recommend! Thank you x
Hey! Will this frosting be able to hold decorations? I want to create a ombre look on the outside of the cake and stick some sea shells out of fondant to it for my son’s birthday .
Hi Michelle, Cream cheese frosting doesn’t hold it’s shape super well when piped, but should be able to hold some fondant for decoration.
If i dont have buttermilk, can i substitute with sour cream?
Hi Taylor, buttermilk helps produce a supremely moist cake and you need the liquid to help thin out the batter. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk instead.
I am an experienced baker. I am not sure what went wrong for me, but the bake was off – my experience with Sally’s recipes is that the bake times are way off (yes, I have an oven thermometer). I had to scrap one layer due to underbaking. I admit, cakes are not my strength and when I retire, I will give them more attention. But, even with the bake being off, I did not like the flavors and I especially did not like the frosting flavor. It is a beautiful cake, just disappointed. I did “make lemonade out of lemons” with the scrapped layer, I made a cake jar! Not sure who I will give it to since I did not like the flavor. Stick to the coconut cake on this site. Spectacular!
hi, can I just grease round pans if I don’t have the parchment rounds?
Hi Barbie, yes, you can. We’ve found that lining the bottom of the cake pans with greased parchment paper helps release the cakes more seamlessly.
My cheese frosting seems to be very runny, after following the recipe. How do I get it to be more stiff?
Hi Sioned, it sounds like your butter and/or cream cheese may have been a bit too warm. You can try adding a bit more confectioners’ sugar to help thicken it. Placing it in the refrigerator for a few minutes before using will be helpful, too.
Can I use this recipe for a sheetcake?
Hi Josie, see recipe notes for 9×13-inch pan details, or here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
I made this cake for a baby shower at work yesterday, and I think it got more attention than the mom-to-be, lol. I used half blueberries and half raspberries, and topped the cake with sugared blueberries. It was so tangy and sweet and creamy and delicious! I will definitely be making this again, thank you!
I’m excited to make this cake. Seems like people really like it. I saw in your notes this recipe makes a sheet cake as well. I’m going to try it first as a sheet cake. Would you bake two thinner layers or just frost the top?
Hi Michelle, we make just one layer and frost the top. Enjoy!
Help! I accidentally used expired buttermilk (though newly opened). Do I need to remake them?
Hi Jane, that’s entirely up to you!