Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
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Bursting with juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor, this lemon blueberry pound cake is the perfect brunch treat or sweet pick-me-up any time of day.
This lemon blueberry pound cake makes a lovely brunch or anytime cake. It has a tender, delicate crumb, and the flavor is extra bright thanks to lots of lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a tart lemon glaze. You’ll need two large lemons for the whole recipe. Be sure to zest them before you juice them, as it is impossible to do afterwards. Also, in case you’re considering it, I don’t recommend making this cake in a Bundt pan; it releases easily from a loaf pan but tends to stick to a Bundt.
If you love lemon baked goods as much as I do, be sure to check out my lemon poppy seed muffins and lemon pound cake—both recipes are bursting with bright lemon flavor!
“Absolutely delicious! Looks stunning and tastes even better!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by zesting the lemons.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let sit for at least 10 minutes while you proceed with the recipe. (It will curdle; that’s okay.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour. Set both aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the butter and sugar.
Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture.
Next, beat in half of the milk mixture.
Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining milk mixture, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix briefly to make sure the batter is evenly combined.
Add the flour-dusted blueberries to the batter and, using a spatula, fold until evenly combined.
Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a tester comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving platter and make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Add more confectioners’ sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you’d think, about the consistency of molasses or honey).
Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Let the glaze set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Slice with a serrated knife. The cake will keep on the countertop for up to 3 days; store in a covered container or wrap in plastic wrap.
Video Tutorial
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Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
Bursting with juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor, this lemon blueberry pound cake is the perfect brunch treat or sweet pick-me-up any time of day.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, packed (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, do not defrost)
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
For the Glaze
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, packed
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9x5-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then spray the pan again.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let sit for at least 10 minutes while you proceed with the recipe. (It will curdle; that's okay.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour. Set both aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk mixture. Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining milk mixture, followed by the remaining flour mixture, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the flour-dusted blueberries to the batter and, using a spatula, fold until evenly combined.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
- When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving platter.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add more confectioners' sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you'd think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Slice with a serrated knife. The cake will keep on the countertop for up to 3 days; store in a covered container or wrap in plastic wrap.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen (without the glaze) for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
- Note: You'll need 2 large lemons for the entire recipe. Be sure to zest them before you juice them.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 323
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 97 mg
- Cholesterol: 26 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen, Today is the first time I made a cake and I chose this recipe. The flavour is great and the blueberries didn’t sink. However the texture in the middle is very dense and heavy – do you have any idea how I can correct this for next time to make it light and fluffy throughout please?
Could it be that it’s underbaked? It was in the oven for 60 mins but it was still raw in the middle so I cooked it for a further 15 mins and the top is very very brown so I didn’t want to leave it longer. I also added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice as I love lemony flavour but didn’t think it would affect the texture.
Or could it be that I didn’t beat the butter and sugar fluffy enough? Or is it the flour? I lived in the UK so we don’t have King Arthur brand as you suggested. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely recipes! X
Hi Ole, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! I don’t think the way you beat the butter and sugar would’ve caused a problem and while you did add a little extra liquid to the recipe with the additional lemon juice, I don’t think that would’ve had a big impact. If anything, it sounds like it may have been a little underbaked. Did you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan?
The best pound cake EVER. Perfect flavors. Don’t skip the glaze.
Wash the blueberries and buy organic or non-gmo for best flavor when possible. It does make a difference.
And a few times I have used a small portion of the glaze when the cake comes out of the oven and poked a few toothpick holes in the cake to put a light coating till it cools more. I like it because I want a moist outside too.
Exactly how mine was!!! ☹️
Buonissima!!!!
This was great. Everybody loved it and wants me to make it again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
This is by far the best recipe. It is so precise and absolutely fantastic. This chef is not ordinary. I try internet recipes all the time- and I can tell you Jenn Segal is fantastic!! I am a fan.
Wonderful!!!!!
Hi Jenn, Not too sure where I went wrong but my cake didn’t rise? Do you think I might have over worked it ?
Hi Paula, sorry to hear you had a problem with this! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Is your baking soda very old?
Absolutely delicious made this cake twice in a week! Found needed to cook it for 68 minutes – perhaps it’s my oven.
Yes, me too. Going to make it in a different oven this week and see how it goes.
Hi Jenn – I would like to add poppy seeds to this recipe. How many tablespoons would you recommend? Thank you. Cindy
I’d recommend 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons. Hope you enjoy!
This was wonderful!! Followed the recipe exactly and everyone loved it. This is a keeper.
Love all of your recipes and the videos are so helpful as well.
Hi JENN! I want to try this but have a few questions. I do not have unsalted butter only salted, and we only have almond milk. Do you think it would be ok? Also, I do not have a zester or a hand grater. Can you suggest something else I could use to zest the lemons? I have a potato peeler with teeth on the sides. Would that work? I’ve never been a baker but this recipe looks so good, I wanted to try it.
Hi Sharon, Regarding the butter, while it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Almond milk will be fine and regarding the lemon zest, I’m not familiar with the teeth on side of a potato peeler, so it’s hard to say for sure. You just want to make sure you have very fine pieces of lemon zest, so if you can achieve it with that, I’d try it. Hope that helps!
Jenn – I made this lemon blueberry pound cake late yesterday. I am a casual baker, meaning that I sorta mix things up without a lot of precision but since I’ve baked for over 50 years I have a feel for it. I had beautiful huge sweet blueberries, maybe a cup and a half. Also have the smaller loaf pans, not the 5 1/2 inch. Nevertheless, this cake turned out photo perfect. It is absolutely delicious and laced with beautiful blueberries. It was a little sweet for me (maybe due to the sweet blueberries) so I made the drizzle thin and heavier on the tart lemony side. I just had a piece with my coffee this morning and it is perfection. And beautiful. I love reading and using your recipes. Thank you!
Jenn, just followed your instructions and when I took the cake out it fell a bit and wondered why that might have happened. Might it be too many blueberries? And also going to try it again but wondered how it freezes? Thank you! BTW, although it fell, it’s still delish!
Hi Caroline, It sounds as if it might have been slightly underbaked. Was it a bit wet in the center?