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.

Loaf of lemon blueberry pound cake with some slices removed.

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!”

Kacee

What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

ingredients for lemon blueberry pound cake

Step-By-Step Instructions

Begin by zesting the lemons.

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.)

lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest in measuring cup

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt.

flour, baking soda, and salt

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour. Set both aside.

tossing blueberries with flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the butter and sugar.

butter and sugar in bowl

Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

beating butter and sugar

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

adding the eggs one at a time

With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture.

adding the flour mixture

Next, beat in half of the milk mixture.

adding 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.

lemon pound cake batter

Add the flour-dusted blueberries to the batter and, using a spatula, fold until evenly combined.

folding the blueberries into the batter

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

lemon blueberry pound cake batter in loaf pan

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a tester comes out clean.

baked lemon blueberry pound cake

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

lemon blueberry pound cake cooling on rack

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.

confectioners sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in bowl for glaze

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).

mixed lemon glaze

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

glazing the cake

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.

Loaf of lemon blueberry pound cake with some slices removed.

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.

Servings: One 9x5-inch loaf cake (8 to 10 servings)

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  6. 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.
  7. When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving platter.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.)
  10. Note: You'll need 2 large lemons for the entire recipe. Be sure to zest them before you juice them.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • Absolutely love this recipe! I used 1/2 cup of buttermilk instead of milk and the cake came out just as good. I will certainly be baking this again!

    • — Briana on February 25, 2024
    • Reply
  • Yum yum yum. Absolutely delicious! Shared it round the club after a game of tennis and everyone loved it, thanks again Jen

    • — Yvonne D on February 21, 2024
    • Reply
  • So I have made this pound cake three times by now. I love it. This time I LAYERED the blueberries instead of folding them in, because every time I folded I felt like they were all at the bottom. And it worked!! They more evenly distributed. I also used a whole box instead of just a cup lol.

    • — Eric in LA on February 2, 2024
    • Reply
  • Not a bad recipe, but I think there are better ones out there. The batter is beautiful and when baked, it has a very pound cake-like texture, however I found it to be a little bland even after adding a teaspoon of lemon extract. For a lemon loaf cake that has an apparent lemon flavour, I recommend using Ina Garden’s recipe and optionally adding a splash of lemon extract, then toss a couple blueberries in flour before folding into the batter.

    • — Linda on January 28, 2024
    • Reply
  • I have mine in the oven, 65 minutes so far. Just as others have stated, the middle is not cooked and the edges are brown. I just covered it with foil and added 4 add’l minutes. Something is off and , maybe the pan should be larger.

    • — Christine on January 27, 2024
    • Reply
    • Do you have a oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven?

      • — lowandslow on March 7, 2024
      • Reply
  • I make this cake about once a week. It is our absolute favorite. Thank you

    • — Kim on January 26, 2024
    • Reply
  • So delicious! I was a little worried after reading some of the comments below, so I made sure to follow the recipe exactly-including using a metal loaf pan- and it turned out great. At 50 minutes, my cake was not quite done so I tented the top and baked the additional 10 minutes. Thanks Jenn for a great recipe! I will definitely make this again.

    • — Natalie on January 26, 2024
    • Reply
  • Half sorghum flour half wholewheat flour
    Too impatient to wait for butter to soften used olive oil, turbinado and date sugar. Screwed around with it quite a bit I suppose but it turned out perfectly and the icing is fantastic too. It did take an hour and 25 minutes because I used frozen blueberries. I will certainly make it again maybe half buckwheat next time….
    Thank you

    • — Tom Davidson on January 19, 2024
    • Reply
  • Agree with other commenters that the timing/temp is off somehow.
    It baked for well over an hour, had to cover it to prevent too much browning. The rise isn’t great and the edges get too hard while the middle is underdone.
    This is with a light metal pan as pictured, not dark or glass.

    • — J on January 17, 2024
    • Reply
  • I made my version a little Extra and it was perfectly delightful: subbed heavy cream for whole milk, this made it slightly denser and added richness. Used up about 1/4 c of brown sugar and added to the remaining needed, this probably didn’t change things much at all. I added about 1/2 TB more of the lemon juice because I had leftover juice and I wanted it to stand out, not just a background flavor. Finally I added 1/4 c of sweetened shredded coconut to the mix, which made the recipe my own and took it in a slightly different direction. Also I completely skipped the glaze, this bun was sweet enough as is. Spot on results.

    • — Danny Boy on January 17, 2024
    • Reply

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