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
Hi, Made this wonderful Blueberry, Lemon cake this afternoon and just finished eating a slice of it after dinner. It is moist and very light which surprised me. The note of lemon is just right along with the blueberries which were frozen after picking during the summer. It was a good idea to dust with flour and incorporate them into the batter rather than thaw them. They did not fall to the bottom of the batter as advised. The cake makes a delightful presentation and hope to make it again in the near future for company. My sister would like me to mail her a slice. Will see how that will work. Thanks for the great recipe.
Oh love it! Sunday I made this from another recipe, but definitely going to try yours too!
Can I make the frosting with less confectioners sugar? I just find 420g so much… it seems so sweet..
Hi Freya, I hope you love the cake when you make it! Keep in mind for the frosting the less sugar you add the thinner your frosting will be. You can add more salt to help cut the sweetness or for a different type of frosting that isn’t as sweet you can try Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Hi
I’ve been making this cake for a couple of years for my birthday, but have recently been diagnosed as allergic to wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, oats, potatoes, milk and eggs whites. So, I was wondering if anybody had any good ideas for subs? Has anybody had success with flax eggs? I’m going to try einkorn flour as I’ve been told that with less chromosomes than modern wheat I might be able to tolerate it.
Hi Sarah, I have not tested this cake with any of those alternatives. I hope you find a recipe that works for you!
No wonder this has been a top recipe for years!
So easy to follow and such amazing results! Definitely a favorite of mine and one that has now become a regular.
Can this be made in 8 inch round pans? If yes, how does the cooking time change?
Hi Carrie, You can make this is three 8-inch round cake pans. Your layers will be slightly thicker and may take an extra couple of minutes bake time.
This is the fourth (or fifth) time I’m going to be baking this cake, so I figured I should finally give it the 5 star review it deserves.
I’m going to mix it up a little this time and substitute raspberries for blueberries and maybe sprinkle some white chocolate shavings in there.
This is a fantastic recipe and really my holy grail layer cake
This recipe was sooo good! The buttercream had the perfect amount of cream-cheesiness to complement the cake and wasn’t too sweet like some other buttercreams I’ve made. The cake was a little dense (more of a pound cake texture) but was perfectly moist and tasted AMAZING! (like my mom took the first bite and was completely shocked amazing). I made this for my birthday with a drip and lemon slices, blueberries, and meringues on top. It was probably the best cake I’ve ever had, to be honest.
I made this for Mother’s Day today n it came out fantastic! I made a few easy subs to make it vegan, n made it a “naked cake” by just frosting the layers and not the sides. Garnished with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, n dandelions n it came out sooo beautiful
I just made this cake for my mama today! (Mother’s Day) and she LOVED it!
THANK YOU!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Didn’t have the patience to make multiple layers, not when I only had one 9 inch pan available, so I chose to use my bundt pan instead! Had it in the oven for 50 minutes and it turned out great, though a little dense. I forgoed the icing, my family has a couple of diabetics, and this cake was perfect! Not too sweet, perfect lemony flavour, and it’s definitely one I’ll make again!
I made this today and the cake came out super thin. It should have been divided into three 8” pans or two 9” pans. Really disappointed
This is my favorite of all your cake recipes. I made this for Easter a year ago, and my in-laws are still talking about how moist and delicious it was.
I want to make this today but I only have 2 mine inch pans. How long should I bake them? Thanks for your help.
Hi Marcia, You can bake two layers and leave the batter for the third layer covered at room temperature to bake when the first two are finished.
This cake turned out great I loved it! Well worth the effort. Mine came out a little dense also, but I’m chalking that up to a leaning curve and 10 years of making only box cakes. No matter the reason, this cake was 100x better than any box cake, and I made it all by myself . I’m so proud of myself. It was an accomplishment. I love your website and all of the help you offer. I can’t wait to make something new next week after I run off all of these calories. Thanks again. Happy baking!
Hi! I love your recipes! I’m planning to make this for my fathers birthday and I was wondering how I can make the cake fluffier and lighter? He hates dense and dry cakes, so I want to make sure I am doing the best I can to stay away from that. Would adding sour cream or using cake flour instead work?
Hi Rachel, Be careful not to overmeasure your flour. This will result in a heavy cake. For a lighter crumb, you can use the same amount of sifted cake flour instead.
Update:
Cake came out great with the 3 eggs instead of 4 and the frosting came out good using the tub of cream cheese instead of the brick. I did end up making candied lemon slices for the outside of the cake. I was worried about not having enough frosting, so I had an extra bag of frozen blueberries. I boiled them down with some sugar and lemon juice to make a blueberry filling and used that between each layer of my cake and used the cream cheese frosting for the outside of the cake…I sliced my 2 cake rounds in half to make a 4 layered cake. Super good!!
Made this cake for my mother’s birthday and it came out wonderful 🙂 Followed everything as stated, but I decided to use Sally’s lemon cream cheese frosting recipe which is posted with her lemon layer cake. We love the lemon flavor. This cake won’t last long!!
Hi Sally,
Made this cake this past Easter and my whole fam loved it!
Now my 12-yo daughter has been bugging me to make it again!
Question: although very delicious, the cake was very dense and didn’t really rise, Is there a modification I can do to the recipe? Perhaps add baking soda?
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Anne
For a slightly lighter cake, feel free to reduce the baking powder to 2 and 1/2 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. I do this with my lemon cake.
The best!!!
This cake was delicious, dense and super moist. I substituted milk for buttermilk and used raspberries instead of blueberries since I had neither on hand. It was more the consistency of pound cake but absolutely delicious. Loved it!
I’m making this cake for the second time tomorrow morning. It was so delicious. I can’t wait to have some!
This was delicious! I made it today as a Bundt cake and baked for 1 hour. I read her recipe that she linked for the Lemon Poppy Bundt Cake and copied the lemon simple syrup to drizzle over the cake. The cake turned out so moist! I cut the cream cheese frosting recipe in half since I was only frosting a Bundt. It was a perfect frosting recipe that really complemented the tartness of the lemon! Perfect crumb, perfect taste!
Sally,
I just finished making the cake for my wife’s birthday and it is beautiful! Picked the blueberries yesterday and used everything as per your great instructions. I can’t wait to serve it.
Mike
This cake was amazing! So moist and flavorful! Like other readers, we’ve used many of Sally’s delicious recipes, but this is the first time I’ve felt led to comment. Besides being possibly the best cake I’ve ever had, my husband posed a challenge. He is not a fan of the blueberries…has anyone made this with strawberries or raspberries instead?
Hi Sally,
Is there a way for me to alter the recipe if I am only making this cake for 3 people. I don’t need as big of a cake., or maybe a way for me to only use half of the batter and freeze the rest for another time? Thank you!
Hi Haley! I recommend using my lemon blueberry cupcakes recipe to make a 6 inch cake. (Directions to do so are in the 6 inch cake post!) Or you can try halving this recipe for a 9-inch square baking pan. Same oven temperature, but I’m unsure of the exact bake time.
Hi! I love this cake so so much and have made it many times. I wanted to know if I could use this same recipe for just a lemon cake. I don’t have blueberries but have a ton of lemons.
Hi Gianna, Yes you can simply leave the blueberries out. I have a separate post for my Lemon Layer Cake which was adapted from this recipe without the blueberries 🙂
Made this today as I had lots of blueberries.
Absolutely gorgeous cake. It was easy to make although I only made half of the frosting to go between the layers.
Will definitely make again.
I absolutely love lemon desserts and this is definitely a great recipe! Loved by the whole family, my 11 year old said it’s her new favorite cake (which is HUGE cause she prefers cookies and cream over anything else) and my 3 year old ate it up (which is also a big deal since he normally just eats frosting, not cake).
Very easy to make and even easier to eat haha! Wish I could post a picture, my 11 year old helped decorate, to help celebrate spring and Easter. We colored the frosting a light blue and mixed some vanilla and cocoa powder to splatter on to make it look like a robins egg!
Is there a variation to make this a “boozy” cake? What type of alcohol would you recommend me to use and about how much?
This cake is PERFECTION!! My boyfriend said it was the best cake I’ve ever made!! The cake is so moist and the cream cheese frosting compliments it perfectly!