Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake is filled with tart lemon and juicy blueberries. Step-by-step photos help you make this loaf cake, don't forget to top it with a lemon glaze and good luck putting the fork down!
Do you have a lemon tree? If you don't go plant one now! Seriously one of the best investments. Especially here in So Cal when we have sunny weather pretty much year-round.
I love being able to go pick a fresh lemon for my morning hot tea or when I feel like whipping up some lemon loaf.
Like I did here in this Blueberry Lemon Loaf.
Guys, I think this is one of my all-time top 10 recipes. The lemon glaze is just drinkable and then the lemon cake. Ugh yes, I am all about it.
So were my sisters. Katherine "Literally I could have eaten the whole cake in one sitting" Lydia "Where is the rest of that cake, why would you take it away from me?!"
Let's get to the recipe.
Jump to:
What ingredients do you need
Mostly pantry staples which is great.
- All-Purpose Flour. Flour binds everything together and builds the structure. We'll also toss the blueberries in a little flour this helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Baking Powder. This dry chemical leaving agent helps provide lift and lightness to the loaf cake.
- Salt. Just a smidge helps balance out all of the flavors.
- Granulated/ Caster Sugar. Wouldn't be cake without sugar.
- Fat. For this cake we use both butter and oil, just a little bit of oil helps make sure this cake stays moist for days! But all oil would not provide good flavor, so use the butter!!
- Eggs. Eggs not only add color they also add structure to the baked cake. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature so that they can evenly combine with the rest of the ingredients.
- Lemon. Zest your lemon first to get all of the lemon zest you need then juice it.
- Sour Cream. I've also used Greek yogurt. Both provide an insane amount of moistness to the cake!
- Blueberries. You can use fresh or frozen but if using frozen do not let them thaw, otherwise, they will bleed and give you a weird blueberry color all over the cake. Another easy blueberry recipe is my banana blueberry muffins.
The lemon glaze is optional, if you're trying to cut back but come on, its soo good!! DO IT!
- Confectioners/ Powdered Sugar
- Fresh lemon zest and juice
If you love blueberries you gotta try my blueberry pie recipe.
How do you make a blueberry lemon loaf cake
While we are calling this a cake you could also call it a bread if you wanted. But I think it's sweet enough to be referred to as a cake.
Start by preheating your oven and greasing a 9X5 loaf pan.
Then in a medium bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl or liquid measuring cup mix together the sour cream and lemon juice set aside.
Mix together the blueberries and flour, so each blueberry is evenly coated, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with handheld electric mixer combine sugar, butter, and oil for 3-4 minutes.
The mixture should be very thick and fluffy. Add in the first egg and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl then add the next egg.
Gently fold the prepared dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture, it will seem awfully thick, that is totally fine.
Next, gently fold in the sour cream lemon mixture, and finally the blueberries.
It's important to be careful with the mixing, you don't want to overmix and overdevelop the gluten.
Then pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cake is cooling make the lemon drizzle.
How do you make a lemon glaze
This is stupidly easy. It's also stupid good.
In a large bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Mix together and if the mixture is too thick add a splash of lemon juice at a time until desired consistency. You may not use the full remaining tablespoon of lemon juice.
Drizzle on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer.
I prefer to store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
The loaf cake is moist, soft and the juicy blueberries add to every bite. I prefer to keep this cake in the fridge and eat it chilled. Trust me do it. So darn tasty.
My mom even found the loaf cake in the fridge and clearly, there were fork marks all over it so she decided to eat some to clean it up so you couldn't see any more fork marks.
When someone leaves a fork inside the container you know its good because clearly every time you walk past the fridge you need a bite.
If you love lemon and blueberry together try this Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Recipe or my Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake
Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake is filled with tart lemon and juicy blueberries make this loaf cake delicious, top it with a lemon glaze and good luck putting the fork down!
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Loaf Cake
- 187 grams (1 ½ cup) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 266 grams (1 ⅓ cup) Granulated/ Caster Sugar
- 5oz (10 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1oz (2 Tablespoons) Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Heaping Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 4oz (½ cup) Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- 6oz (1 cup) Blueberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen do not let them thaw)
- 1 Tablespoon of All-Purpose Flour
Lemon Glaze
- 180 grams (1 ½ Cup) Confectioners/ Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
Instructions
Loaf Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9X5 loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup mix together the sour cream and lemon juice then set aside. Mix together the blueberries and flour, so each blueberry is evenly coated, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine sugar, butter, and oil for 3-4 minutes. The mixture should be very thick and fluffy. Add in the first egg and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl then add the next egg.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then gently fold in the sour cream mixture, and finally the blueberries. You don't want to overmix and overdevelop the gluten.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack in the pan for at least thirty minutes then place the wire rack on top of the cake and gently and carefully flip upside down to invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Once the cake is cooled prepare the lemon glaze. In a bowl combine powdered sugar, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk together if the mixture is too thick add a splash of lemon juice at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle on top of the cake. Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: loaf cake, lemon glaze, lemon blueberry cake, lemon recipe, blueberry recipe, quickbread
This recipe and photos were updated as of January 22, 2020. The original was posted on March 2, 2016.
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
I wish I had a lemon tree! What a delicious, summer treat!
Daniela says
This is such a good cake, omg amazing! I just made it! Super easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the recepie!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Aww thanks so much for the lovely review Daniela! I really appreciate you coming back to leave a star rating and review! XX Liz
Jacqueline Moldovan says
This is soooo good!!! My family absolutely loved it and they already want me to make the recipe again! Thank you Elizabeth for your bomb recipes that even a rookie baker can do!! <3
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks for such a lovely comment, Jacqueline! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! You've gotta try a layer cake next!! XX Liz
Rosie Burton says
I’ve just made this lemon and blueberry cake exactly to the recipe and totally disappointed, in fact I’ve just thrown it in the bin. The cake was heavy and dense. Even though I baked it for 65 mins at the given temperature, it was uncooked in the middle. Have you had any other followers with the same problems? Thank you
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Rosie, I am so sorry you did not enjoy the cake. The recipe is very similar to my Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake, which is much more popular meaning many people have made it any enjoyed it. The cake is a more dense cake, in general, it is not super light and fluffy. The cake usually bakes for me 50-60 minutes but since all of our ovens are different the probably just needed more time in your oven. If you want to try the recipe again I would bake it until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs, no wet batter. If you are baking it for longer the top my start to brown a lot before the middle is cooked in that case I would lightly tent the cake ( place a piece of greased foil on top to prevent the cake from browning too much). Feel free to reach out with any further questions, again I am truly sorry it did not turn out properly for you. XX Liz
Rosie says
Hi Liz
Thank you for responding to my query regarding the lemon and blueberry cake which I had problems with. As you suggested, I have made this again but instead of making a cake I made muffins. So glad to tell you that they have turned really good and taste lovely. I will certainly use this recipe for muffins in the future. Thank you again Liz
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Rosie, so glad you enjoyed the recipe as muffins, thanks for coming back to let me know!! 🙂 Take care!! XX Liz
Sarah says
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for coming back to leave a star rating and review Sarah, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! Take care. XX Liz
Gurpreet Kaur says
I loved the recipe and I already made it three-time. It's good warm as well as cold. One of my favourite breakfasts now with coffee. My partner is so happy to have it for a snack.
Thank you so much for recipe
★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Gurpreet, thank you so much for coming back to star rate and review the recipe, I Appreciate it more than you know!! So happy to hear you've enjoyed the recipe multiple times, and warm is so good too!! Take care. XX Liz
Sara MacKenzie says
I'm not sure if my blueberries were too big/heavy, but they sank to the bottom and then I had trouble removing from the pan. Once removed in one piece, it split and broke apart. I salvaged by cutting into smaller pieces. Very delicious, just not sure where I went wrong! Would love to make again. Wondering if you have any more tips! I greased well in advance and folded the blueberries in gently. I baked for 55 min and removed immediately (should I have waited)?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Sara, I am so sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Removing the cake from the pan right away can definitely affect the cake, I personally let the cake cool in the pan for at least thirty minutes before placing a wire rack on top of the cake and flipping it over to invert it onto a rack to cool completely. I think that will make a big difference. And as far as the blueberries did you make sure to evenly coat them in the flour, maybe you could try a half more tablespoon of flour if they aren't all coated? Coating the fruit always helps my loaf cakes have an even distribution of berries. Please let me know if I can help with anything else or if you try again I would love to know if you have better success! XX Liz
annie says
just trying to help.
Stary by preheating
should be start
★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for letting me know, just fixed it! 🙂 Thank you!! XX Liz
Regina says
Hi. May I know the unsalted butter we need (5oz) correct? As I’m confusing with 5oz butter (1o tbsp )
Thank you
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Regina, yes 5oz or 10 tablespoons! Sorry that o was meant to be a 0! Please let me know if you have any other questions and if you try to make the recipe. XX Liz
Belle Kipp says
Made this cake just before spring sprung and I love it. It’s always a hit with the neighbors and family.
The recipe is amazing and I always add a little bit of vanilla extract and a few extra berries on top
Kat says
I am intimidated by any recipe that involves an electric mixer but this recipe is actually easy to make and SO DELICIOUS! Baked this over the weekend and my daughter absolutely inhaled it and brought leftovers to work and all of my co-workers gave me so much praise! Definitely a crowd pleaser!
★★★★★