Lemon Blueberry Cake
A two-layer lemon sponge with fresh blueberries in the batter and a lemon cream cheese frosting, baked for 35 minutes.
Photograph credit: Lemon Blueberry Cake on Checkered Tablecloth by Giulia Botan · Pexels License · Pexels
How to Cook Lemon Blueberry Cake
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Heat the oven to 175°C / 345°F. Grease and line two 20 cm round tins.
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Rub the lemon zest into the caster sugar. Beat with the 225 g butter for 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
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Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
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Divide between the tins and bake for 35 minutes. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.
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Beat the cream cheese, 100 g butter, icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Sandwich the layers and cover the cake.
Things to Watch For
- Weigh the batter into the tins for even layers.
- Cool the cakes completely before frosting.
- Chill the cake briefly to set the frosting.
Ingredient Swaps
- Out of buttermilk? The usual stand-in is a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred into 250 ml of ordinary milk and left five minutes; it is thinner than cultured buttermilk, so a batter may need a little less of it.
The Short Version
Summer in a cake tin: sharp lemon, sweet blueberries and a soft, tender crumb. A layer cake is more of an event than a loaf, and this one suits a birthday or a garden gathering. The sponge is a simple butter cake, and the filling is as much blueberry as anything else.
The cake is made by the creaming method. Beat the butter with the lemon-scented sugar for a full 4 minutes until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour alternately with the buttermilk, in three goes, and finish with the blueberries. The buttermilk gives a fine, tender crumb and a gentle tang.
Line the tins with baking paper and weigh the batter. Two tins holding equal amounts of batter give layers of equal height, which is the first thing the eye notices when the cake is cut. A kitchen scale is quicker than guessing. The cakes are done when a skewer comes out clean and the tops spring back.
Cool the layers completely, trim the domes if you wish, and sandwich with lemon cream cheese frosting. Cover the top and sides, and decorate with a few fresh berries and a twist of zest. Chill the assembled cake for 30 minutes to set.
What to Serve It With
Fresh berries · Hot tea · Coffee · Sparkling wine
Storing Leftovers
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Quick Answers
How long does Lemon Blueberry Cake take to make?
25 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking, so at least 1 hour. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 12.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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