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 the family cake baker, so for every birthday I ask what flavors they’d like, and when my brother-in-law said blueberry, it stumped me for a minute. I always love Sally’s cakes, so this is the first place I turned to, and I’m so lucky I found this cake! My sister and brother-in-law both said that this was the best cake they’ve ever had. I used frozen blueberries, and followed the recipe exactly. I was really careful not to over mix, and the cake turned out moist and soft. This is a huge cake mind you. I barely got it to fit into my cake taker, and it was heavy too! Be really careful of your blueberries. You need great, in season, flavorful blueberries to stand a chance against the lemon in this recipe. I made this again and used Trader Joe’s frozen Boreal blueberries, and they did the trick! I’m making this again this year for my sister’s birthday. It’s now a family favorite!
OMG This was sooooo good! I usually don’t like lemon things so much but a coworker loves lemon and I made this for her birthday. It is just the right amount of lemon and the blueberries give it a lighter feel. Everyone couldn’t stop raving! Thanks for such a great recipe.
Do you have any gluten free recipes?
It’s certainly not my focus but I do have a few! https://route-span.live/category/gluten-free/%3C/p%3E
What did I do wrong? I made this cake using sifted all-purpose flour but cake turned out too dense. I was very disappointed. I read in your notes where cake flour could be used but decided to stick with all-purpose flour since that is what your recipe called for. It seems to me whenever I use cake flour, the cakes turn out soft and fluffy. I followed all ingredient measurements and am very sure I didn’t over beat. Do you think the flour was the culprit? What else could have gone wrong?
I just made the whole thing by hand it came AMAZING.
Do I mix the dry ingredients for five seconds or should that be five minutes?
Hi Cindy– add the dry ingredients, mix for around 5 seconds (won’t be completely mixed in), then add the milk, lemon zest, and juice.
Absolutely lovely! I am the main dessert baker at my brother’s cafe and I wanted to do something different tonight so I picked this recipe and ran with it. I made a lemon curd (your recipe too, it was perfect!) and I did some of the cream cheese frosting and some of the curd in both layers. I discovered there was not really enough frosting, and I didn’t love the consistency of the frosting for this, so I made a whipped cream cheese frosting (8oz cream cheese, whipped cream, powdered sugar, vanilla) and used that to finish off the outside of the cake. It’s gorgeous inside and out and I actually bought myself a piece because why not? I used those little blueberries (forget what they’re called) and I think it would have been better to use the larger ones or more of the smaller ones. I also wish there was a tiny bit more of a kick of lemon – perhaps a little lemon extract in the frosting or something. But I mean, I’m really splitting hairs here. One thing I love is that it’s not too sweet. I am sure that our customers will love it as much as I do!
Hello made this cake last week and loved it. I made it again tonight for my sister babyshower on Saturday. How would you recommend that I store it and when should I frost it? Should I leave it out all night and then tomorrow refrigerate them and then frost on Saturday morning?
You can leave it tightly covered for one day at room temperature. If you need it to sit longer you can store it in the refrigerator (either frosted or unfrosted is ok!).
Hi Sally! Love this recipe, but my fam is asking for nuts in a cake. Do you think I could add any kind of nut to this?
I haven’t tested this recipe with nuts but I would think that pistachios would pair lovely with the lemon flavor!
Used this recipe to make my nephew’s wedding cake. Cake was perfect density for assembling. And many, many people made a special effort to tell me how delicious the cake was. One of the catering staff said that it was the best wedding cake he had ever tasted (and he had eaten a lot of wedding cake over the years)!
Sally,
This was a great addition to Easter! I just posted a photo for you on Instagram. Mine is the one with the Easter bunny on top. Delicious flavors! One tiny suggestion: adding lemon zest in the cream cheese frosting is fabulous!
This recipe was super simple and ridiculously good. Sharing the recipe with so many people!
Leslie
Hey sally! Thinking about adding a layer of lemon curd between layers…thoughts? Making it tomorrow for Easter and I’m excited!!
Yes! I’ve done it before with my lemon coconut cake. (Similar recipe to this one.) It’s fantastic!
Yep, this recipe yields 3 cake layers. Level off the cakes if they are domed on top before layering and frosting. Sorry if that was confusing!
Hi Sally, I can’t find cream cheese in brick form in UK anywhere. Can I use Swiss meringue buttercream to layer and frost with instead, do you think?
Absolutely!
Dear Sally, trying this recipe out today
I have a question, how long can it be stored for and how do you store it best?
Greetings from Belgium
Hi Rania! Leftovers are great for up to about 5 days. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Hi Sally! I would love to make this for my sister’s bridal shower but unfortunately due to my work schedule I would have to make it 2 days in advance.. would you recommend making it 2 days in a advance and leaving the cakes out at room temp for that long or would it be better to freeze the cakes? Thank you!!!
Hi Gabriella! You could really do either, but I recommending storing in the refrigerator as opposed to on the counter. 1 day at room temperature is fine, but 2 days is pushing it. If freezing, make sure you thaw completely at room temperature before frosting.
Cut this recipe in half to make a basic single layer cake, a perfect amount for my partner and I to have some weekend cake! Didn’t have buttermilk but I put the recipes lemon juice in regular milk along with a tablespoon of plain yogurt, for tang. I’m almost always a chocolate cake girl, so when I had an itch for lemon and blueberry this hit the spot. Nice recipe, soft, moist cake, creamy frosting. Will make again someday.
This is by far the most popular cake among my family. Simply delicious!
Hi Sally, Your website is my ‘go to’ whenever I want to try a new dessert. Yesterday I made the Blueberry and Lemon cake for an early Easter celebration. Everyone loved it! It’s the perfect balance of richness without being too sweet. I particularly enjoyed the density of the cake…it makes for a nice change from the fluffy variety.
Thanks Sally! I baked them for 21 minutes, then roatated the pans in the oven and baked for another 5 minutes and they were done in the center. The cake turned out beautiful!
I love lemon and blueberry making this for a friend’s birthday for 9 ladies in my wine club, one is gluten intolerant. I wonder if it’d turn out ok with gluten free flour, which I’ve never tried either!
Hi Julie, I haven’t personally tried this cake with gluten free flour. Let me know if you do!
This is a fantastic recipe Sally and the instructions are very clear. The cake turned out great and compliments all round from work colleagues, one said it changed her life!
They don’t do block cream cheese where I live (I even wrote to Mondelez who own the Philadelphia brand to ask if they would do it but no such luck!) so I used the spreadable version; it was a bit sloppy but not a complete disaster.
I’ll definitely be trying out more of your recipes! Can’t wait!!!
Fabulous cake. I have made it to share with my colleagues at work. This will get onto my list of cakes I make regularly.
This cake turned out amazing! I made it for my sister’s birthday party and everyone loved it. Nice texture and mouth-watering!!
Wonderful recipe! Easy to make. Delicious. Will definitely make again.
This is our favorite cake ever! Follow the recipe exactly. LOVE your blog!
Can this amount of batter be used for a 2 layer cake using cake pans, or would amounts need to be changed?
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday because he loves anything blueberry. I made the layers and frosting the day before and assembled the next day. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect! I LOVE the cream cheese frosting and lemon!
This is my second time using this recipe and I love it! It’s not too sweet so it’s been a hit in my house. Thank you!