This lemon blueberry bundt cake is incredibly moist and bursting with fresh, juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor! It’s simple and easy to make, yet impressive enough for any occasion; it’s perfect for brunch, dessert, afternoon tea, or to cap off a holiday meal. One bite and you’ll be instantly smitten with this cake!

Overhead photo of three slices of lemon blueberry cake on their side in front of whole cake.

I positively adore Bundt cakes. They're simple and classic… easy, yet impressive. They're supremely moist, and the flavor varieties are absolutely limitless. Over the years, I've made rum cake, root beer float cake, chocolate bundt cake, eggnog bundt cake, gingerbread bundt cake, but bright flavors during the warmer months are absolute perfection. Enter this amazing lemon blueberry cake. 

It's easy to throw together, very low-maintenance, bakes up beautifully, and is positively bursting with plump, fresh blueberries. This is the perfect ending to any spring or summertime meal.

Over a decade ago, I saw this triple berry summer cake and couldn't take my eyes off of it for days; it definitely fit my need for a gorgeous summer Bundt cake. I changed it up a little bit since I love my blueberries significantly more than any other type of berries, but the beauty of this cake is how easily adaptable it is.

Ingredients and Substitutions

A large part of the beauty of this cake is its simplicity; there are no obscure or hard-to-find ingredients.

Ingredients for lemon blueberry bundt cake prepped and labeled.

There are three key ingredients to the cake, and I’ve shared some substitutions and adaptations below in the event you want or need them:

  • Buttermilk You can substitute ¾ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup whole or 2% milk (whisk them together).
  • Lemon Zest – You could use orange or lime zest in place of lemon, or leave it out entirely if citrus isn't your thing. 
  • Fruit – Use all blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, strawberries, or a mixture of your favorite summertime fruit. You could even combine strawberries and blueberries for a red, white, and blue dessert! You can also use frozen blueberries  in place of fresh – do not thaw them, and toss them with the flour before folding them into the batter.
  • Glaze – While the glaze is a simple combination of confectioners’ sugar, milk, and butter, you can turn it into a lemon glaze to amp up the lemon flavor; to do so, replace the milk with fresh lemon juice.

A Quick Step-by-Step Overview

This blueberry cake comes together easily; here is a quick overview of how it’s made:

Step 1: Prep the Pan – Grease and flour a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. 

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 3: Infuse the Sugar – In your large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until the lemon zest has completely moistened the sugar. (This was a method I first discovered in Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours and I was blown away and how simple it is, but how it ensures that the zest flavor is completely infused throughout the baked good, and not just in spots.)

Step 4: Mix Together the Batter – Cream the zest-infused sugar with the butter, then add the eggs and vanilla. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk on low speed until just combined. 

In a separte bowl, toss the blueberries with the reserved 2 tablespoons of flour until evenly coated (this helps to ensure that the blueberries are evenly distributed throughout the cake and do not sink to the bottom), then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Side by side photos of the batter for lemon blueberry cake being mixed together and then spread into a Bundt pan.

Step 5: Bake the Cake – Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and bake until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a platter to cool completely.

Icing being drizzled on a blueberry cake.

Step 6: Ice the Cake – Once the cake is cool, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, and milk. It will be pretty thick; if you’d like it thinner, you can whisk in more milk a tiny bit at a time. Spread or drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, nudging it down a bit if necessary.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

The cake should be kept in a sealed cake carrier or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

If you wish to freeze this cake, I recommend wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap, then placing them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. The slices will keep well in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, at room temperature, or microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.

Close up photo of slice of lemon blueberry bundt cake leaning against cut side of the cake.

More Fresh Blueberry Desserts

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Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This lemon blueberry bundt cake is incredibly moist and bursting with fresh, juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor! It's simple and easy to make, yet impressive enough for any occasion.
4.60 (35 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2½ cups (325 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1¾ cup (347 g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
  • 3 cups (465 g) blueberries

For the Glaze:

  • 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (reduce temperature to 325 degrees F if your pan is dark/non-stick). Grease and flour a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together 2½ cups of the all-purpose flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), use your fingertips to rub together the sugar and lemon zest until the zest is completely incorporated and the sugar is evenly moistened. Add the butter and cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a minute after each and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
  • With the mixer still on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined, followed by ½ the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and the remaining flour.
  • In a large bowl, combine the blueberries and the remaining 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, tossing together so they are evenly coated. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the cake batter. Spread the cake batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving platter and let cool completely.
  • Once the cake is cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and butter until smooth. The icing should be quite thick (if you'd like it thinner, you can add more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get it to the consistency you want). Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze on top of the cake, giving it a little nudge down every so often. The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

  • Bundt Pan – I recommend this 12-cup Bundt pan.
  • Buttermilk You can substitute ¾ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup whole or 2% milk (whisk them together).
  • Lemon Zest - You could use orange or lime zest in place of lemon, or leave it out entirely if citrus isn't your thing. 
  • Fruit - Use all blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, strawberries, or a mixture of your favorite summertime fruit. You could even combine strawberries and blueberries for a red, white, and blue dessert! You can also use frozen blueberries  in place of fresh - do not thaw them, and toss them with the flour before folding them into the batter.
  • Glaze - While the glaze is a simple combination of confectioners' sugar, milk, and butter, you can turn it into a lemon glaze to amp up the lemon flavor; to do so, replace the milk with fresh lemon juice.
  • Storage – The cake should be kept in a sealed cake carrier or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
  • Freezing – If you wish to freeze this cake, I recommend wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap, then placing them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. The slices will keep well in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, at room temperature, or microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Calories: 478kcal, Carbohydrates: 76g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 231mg, Potassium: 169mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 53g, Vitamin A: 610IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Photography by Dee Frances

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