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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I made it today, turned out fab but the blueberries sank to the bottom! I covered them in flour so not sure what went wrong. But it was lovely, so light and fluffy and it was all gone by the end of the day!
Hi Leanne, Glad you enjoyed this despite the blueberries sinking! If you make this again, I recommend using King Arthur flour. Their all-purpose flour has a higher protein content than many other brands; this helps to give the cake more structure which may keep the berries from sinking. Hope that helps!
I made this 5-16-2020. Flavor was good. It was just too many steps that needed separate bowls to prepare. Also, I used a non stick bread pan, sprayed it heavily with Pam. Had a hard time taking it out of the pan. Part of the bottom of the loaf stayed in the pan. So, I won’t do it again. A friend wanted to try it so I made it for her. She liked the flavor.
Diane Tippett
Hi Diane, Sorry you had a problem with this sticking! Did you line the bottom of the pan with parchment?
Hummmm, so good!
The wonder of Jenn’s lemon-blueberry cake was
it tasted even better than it looked in the photo!
Another plus, it was easy to make with not too many ingredients.
Jenn’s onceuponachef.com website with its plethora of delicious recipes has become my Go To destination when planning a meal. Thank you, Jenn!
❤️
Hi Jenn,
I only came across you the past week and I already want to try so many recipes (and I’m not a big baker/cook). I’m interested in trying this cake and the carrot cake but I wanted to know about making them gluten free. Do you happen to know would all the measurements be the same if I used gluten free flour? Also on a separate question for a different recipe, we don’t have old bay seasoning in Ireland, is there anyway of mixing different herbs/spices to make up something similar? Thank you in advance.
Stay safe!
Hi Leanne, so glad you found the blog! While I haven’t made either of these cakes with gluten-free flour, I suspect you could with a good all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (with no additional adjustments). Please LMK how they turn out if you try them! And regarding the old Bay seasoning, it is a combination of spices including mustard, paprika, celery salt, black and red pepper and more. If you can’t find it in Ireland, here’s a recipe for homemade Old Bay seasoning. (And it’s a delicious seasoning for all kinds of other foods including popcorn, fries and egg salad.)
Thanks for getting back to me! I tried this recipe with the gluten free flour and it was so good! My blueberries sank to the bottom and we don’t have the flour you’ve mentioned in other posts here but you know what, it was so good anyway! I haven’t had a chance to try the carrot cake recipe but I will try it soon. I’ll be making this all the time now! 😄😄 and I’ll give the seasoning mix a go too! Thanks so much again!!
Looks luscious. Gonna try veganizing it. Any suggestions for vegan egg sub for pound cake? Thx!
Made this today and it is lovely. I added more blueberries because my husband likes everything to have a lot of fruit. Nice cake without a lot of work.
Made this loaf today, followed the recipe as it is written, turned out perfect! Didn’t have any of the issues some others experienced. Didn’t realize I was out of 10x so couldn’t make the glaze, but honestly I don’t think it really needs it! Not overly sweet, delicious!!
The cake was delicious! I made it in mini loaf pans, and both the cake and glaze came out perfectly. Thank you so much!
I made this recipe in late April. I followed the recipe to a “T”, and somehow the bottom half of the cake would not bake. It was in the oven 1.5 hrs and still the bottom was not cooked. (The top however was very dark) It was dense and soggy. My loaf pan was normal sized and not too dark. I am guessing my oven must have been off. The flavor was Amazing! But sadly the texture was not correct for a pound cake. Any ideas?? I am planning to try it again next week.
Hi Katherine, Sorry you had a problem with this! After spending 1-1/2 hours in the oven, I’m not surprised that the top was very dark, but the fact that the bottom half was dense and soggy leads me to believe there was too much liquid in the batter. Any chance you may have made a measuring error?
Hi, first off thank you for so many great recipes. I’ve made a few of your recipes with great success but I made this yesterday and it was pretty dry but I’m at 7000 ft elevation. I don’t normally bake so this was a bit of an adventure for me. Is there something I should do to modify the recipe so it’s not so dry. Also a minor point, in the written recipe you call for two cups of flour and a teaspoon but when adding flour to the berries it calls for a tablespoon. Of course it’s an easy solution to start with the smaller amount and add more if needed.
Thanks again
Hi Myles, I don’t have any experience with high elevation baking but I suspect it has something to do with the dryness, as this is a very moist cake (the blueberries make it so). I would try reducing the flour by a few tablespoons next time, or baking it for a bit less time. (And thank you for catching that typo; it has been corrected!)
Hi Jenn, I don’t know how I found your website, but since I’ve known it I’ve made a lot of recipes and they’re all very good. They are quite simple recipes with many practical recommendations. Last Sunday I made this cake and although it’s very good, everything stuck to me in the pan. I prepared the pan with non-stick spray and floured the blueberries. The only thing I did wrong was that I used a smaller pan, but I don’t think this influenced the fact that the cake got stuck in the pan. Could you give me a recommendation so this doesn’t happen again? Thanks a lot Jenn for all your time and recipes.
Hi Ana Maria, I’m so sorry you had trouble with the cake sticking! A few readers mentioned that their blueberries sunk to the bottom, which can cause sticking. I have made a few minor tweaks to the recipe to help prevent this, and I’ve also added instructions to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for extra insurance. A few more thoughts — for best results, I recommend using King Arthur flour, and it may also be time to update your loaf pans. I like these.
Made it. Very good and lemony. I should have used the wax paper in the tin. Next time.
Glad you liked it! Just to clarify, you’ll want to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (not wax paper).
Hi Jenn,
I was wondering why you don’t have a syrup in this recipe like you do for your lemon pound cake in the bundt pan? I made that a few weeks ago and it was delicious, but if you can get away with less sugar I’d love to since this recipe looks almost identical to your other one.
Thanks!
Hi Charlotte, the syrup adds moisture to the pound cake; the blueberries in this recipe add plenty of moisture, so the syrup isn’t necessary.