Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
The Secret Behind Perfect Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe If someone asked me to name one cake that always brings people to the kitchen, it would be this Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. I first made a version of it for a summer picnic years ago, clutching a grocery…
The Secret Behind Perfect Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
If someone asked me to name one cake that always brings people to the kitchen, it would be this Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. I first made a version of it for a summer picnic years ago, clutching a grocery list that included 3 cups cake flour (360 grams) and 2 teaspoons baking powder because I was convinced texture mattered more than anything. The smell when it bakes — warm lemon, sugared butter, and the faint pop of berries — is the reason I keep making it. If you like the idea of cream cheese frosting, you might also enjoy my take on a classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which taught me a lot about balance early on carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
How I Make the Batter Sing
There are a few ingredients I always measure out before I start: 3 cups cake flour (360 grams), 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to build the structure, and for the tang I use 3/4 cup buttermilk (180 ml), room temperature combined with 1/3 cup lemon juice (80 ml), freshly squeezed. For the base I soften 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams) to room temperature and mix it with 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (350 grams) and 2 tablespoons lemon zest until it’s light and fluffy. I add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 4 large eggs, room temperature, one at a time. Two cups blueberries, fresh recommended, get tossed with 2 teaspoons cake flour or all-purpose flour so they don’t sink. For the smaller frosting batch I sometimes use 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened, with 8 oz brick-style cream cheese (226 grams), plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed, and 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams), sifted and smoothed with 1 tablespoon whipping cream as needed. If I want a larger batch to cover layers, I’ll reach for 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened, and 12 ounces brick-style cream cheese (340 grams), full fat, with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed and 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar (495 – 605 grams), sifted; add 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream as needed for the right spreading consistency.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan. For a layer cake, line the bottom of cake tins with parchment paper rounds and grease and flour the sides. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. Combine the buttermilk and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a separate bowl, whisking them together to create a slightly thickened mixture and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl sides after each egg to ensure even mixing. With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk-lemon juice mixture. Turn off the mixer and scrape the bowl. Repeat with another third of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the last third of the flour mixture. Avoid overmixing to maintain a tender cake texture. Toss blueberries with 2 teaspoons of flour to prevent sinking, then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula or rubber spoon. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake 30-35 minutes for a 9×13 inch pan or 25-30 minutes for layer cakes. Cake is done when the top is set, a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Let the cakes cool in the pans. For layer cakes, avoid inverting while still hot to prevent breakage. Beat butter until soft, then add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, then gradually beat in powdered sugar starting at low speed and increasing as the sugar is incorporated. Adjust frosting thickness with whipping cream as needed. For a 9×13 inch cake, frost the cooled cake and garnish optionally with blueberries and lemon slices. For layer cakes, level domed tops if necessary. Frost between layers, crumb coat the entire cake, chill 20-30 minutes, then finish frosting the top and sides with swirls. Optionally decorate with blueberries. Slice with a thin, sharp knife to serve.
A Few Things I’ve Learned
When I first tried this, I overmixed and got a rubbery crumb. Now I follow the sequence above and stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated; it keeps the cake tender. A little trick: toss the blueberries with that 2 teaspoons of flour and fold them in gently so they don’t bleed all over the batter. Another tip I swear by is warming the cream cheese slightly so it blends silky with the butter — beat butter until soft, then add cream cheese and mix until smooth, and add lemon juice before the powdered sugar so the frosting remains bright and tangy. If you want a floral lift, I sometimes brush a hint of lavender into the buttercream and it nods beautifully to this cake’s lemon notes, which is a technique I borrowed after experimenting with a lavender buttercream recipe lavender cake recipe with lavender buttercream frosting.
Three more quick tips: use room temperature ingredients so everything emulsifies properly; if using frozen blueberries thaw and pat dry to avoid extra moisture; and chill the crumb coat before the final frosting to get clean edges. I also often compare how this frosting comes together to the cream cheese frosting I use on carrot cupcakes when I want a slightly sweeter, more spiced version carrot cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting.
When It’s Time to Frost and Finish
Frosting can feel like the moment that makes or breaks the cake. I make the larger frosting batch when I’m doing a layer cake: 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened mixed with 12 ounces brick-style cream cheese (340 grams), full fat, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed and 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar (495 – 605 grams), sifted, and 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream as needed gives me a spreadable, stable frosting. For a 9×13 inch cake I often stick with the smaller version because too much frosting on a sheet cake can overwhelm the lemon-blueberry balance. When I want to make it extra festive I add a ring of fresh blueberries around the top and a few thin lemon slices. If you’re after presentation tips, leveling domed tops and doing a thin crumb coat that chills 20-30 minutes before finishing helps a lot. If you like extravagant tiered cakes, I learned a few structural tricks working on a big birthday cake project that leaned on the technique used in a showpiece carrot birthday cake the ultimate carrot birthday cake with cream cheese frosting.
The Small Moments That Make It Mine
This cake is my go-to when someone needs cheering up or when guests show up unexpectedly. I once baked it for a neighbor recovering from surgery; the lemon and blueberries felt bright and restorative, and we ate it while the house smelled like summer. How to know when it’s done right? Besides the toothpick test — cake is done when the top is set, a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed — the edges will start to pull slightly from the pan and the center should feel springy. Serve it with a simple cup of tea or a dollop of whipped cream for extra decadence. Leftovers keep well in the fridge — I wrap slices tightly and they stay moist for up to four days; you can freeze frosted slices on a tray and transfer to a container for up to a month, thawing overnight in the fridge.
If you want variations: swap some lemon zest for orange for a sweeter citrus note, fold in a handful of chopped strawberries instead of blueberries for a summer twist, or add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter for a nutty undertone. I’ve also adapted this into cupcakes when time was short — same batter, shorter bake — and they disappeared in a flash.
Conclusion
If you want a different approach or more photos and a slightly different technique for a layer version, I like the thorough walkthrough on Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake – Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan. For layer cakes, line the bottom of cake tins with parchment paper rounds and grease and flour the sides.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Combine the buttermilk and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a separate bowl, whisking them together to create a slightly thickened mixture and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Beat in the vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl sides after each egg to ensure even mixing.
- With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk-lemon juice mixture. Turn off the mixer and scrape the bowl.
- Repeat with another third of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the last third of the flour mixture. Avoid overmixing to maintain a tender cake texture.
- Toss blueberries with 2 teaspoons of flour to prevent sinking, then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula or rubber spoon.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 30-35 minutes for a 9×13 inch pan or 25-30 minutes for layer cakes. Cake is done when the top is set, a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans. For layer cakes, avoid inverting while still hot to prevent breakage.
- Beat butter until soft, then add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, then gradually beat in powdered sugar starting at low speed and increasing as the sugar is incorporated. Adjust frosting thickness with whipping cream as needed.
- For a 9×13 inch cake, frost the cooled cake and garnish optionally with blueberries and lemon slices.
- For layer cakes, level domed tops if necessary. Frost between layers, crumb coat the entire cake, chill for 20-30 minutes, then finish frosting the top and sides with swirls. Optionally decorate with blueberries.
- Slice with a thin, sharp knife to serve.
