Easy Lemon Blueberry Cake
- PREP 20min
- COOK 1hrs
- TOTAL 1hrs 20min
Our lemon blueberry cake has a texture very similar to pound cake. Thanks to melted butter, eggs, and cream, the texture is tight-knit, moist, and very tender. We make this in a square baking pan, but a tall (at least 2 inches) round 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan will also work.
To minimize all the blueberries sinking to the bottom of the cake (some will, anyway), we first add plain batter without any blueberries added to the bottom of the baking pan. Then, we combine the blueberries with the remaining batter and spread it on top of the first blueberry-free layer.
You Will Need
8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ⅓ cups (170g) all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (240g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
2 cups (280g) fresh blueberries, about 1 pint blueberries
2 cups homemade whipped cream, optional
Directions
Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350°F (177°C). Butter and flour an 8-by-8-inch square pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, rub the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract together until the sugar is moist and fragrant. (We use our fingers to rub aromatics into the sugar.)
Whisk the eggs into the flavored sugar until blended, then whisk in the cream.
Switch to a large rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Fold in the melted butter in 2 parts. The batter will be smooth and thick.
Spread about 1/3 of the batter in the bottom of the prepared baking pan (we will add blueberries in the next step).
Fold in all but a handful of the blueberries to the remaining batter left in the bowl.
Layer the blueberry-batter mixture on top of the batter in the baking pan. Smooth the top, then scatter the remaining blueberries over the batter.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. When baked, transfer the cake, still in the pan, to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the cake and place it right-side up on the rack.
Cool completely, and then serve with whipped cream.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Bake the cake as directed and cool completely. Wrap the unfrosted cake tightly with plastic wrap or place it into a resealable plastic bag. Keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you have added whipped cream to the cake, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or two.
- Freezing: Bake the cake as directed and cool completely. Add to a baking sheet and freeze (uncovered) until hard, about 4 hours. When frozen, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then wrap it again with foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
- Using frozen blueberries: Use frozen blueberries; do not thaw them.
- Tip for even baking: Place your baking pan on an insulated baking sheet or two regular baking sheets stacked on the other before baking in the oven (this helps even baking).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did not include additional whipped cream in the calculations. For reference, 2 tablespoons of whipped cream is about 50 calories.