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 Jenn,
I have King Arthur bread flour on hand. Do you think it would work instead of AP flour?
Thanks,
aylin
Hi Aylin, Bread flour isn’t optimal here but in a pinch, it should work (just keep in mind that the texture of the bread won’t be as tender). The batter may be a little thicker; if it appears to be too thick, add 1 to 2 tsp. of water per cup of flour. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I am so sorry to be giving this only two stars because Jenn’s recipes are wonderful. The flavor is very tasty, however I have attempted to bake this twice in two different ovens using two different pans (metal and glass). Both times, my batter is thick and difficult to incorporate the blueberries without breaking them. At 35 minutes, the top is beginning to get very brown whereas I have to cover with foil. After 60 minutes with a toothpick coming out clean, the finished, cooled cake is very dense and doughy with a raw middle.
Made this cake today. It turned out wonderfully. Moist but tasteless. I went back over receipe to see if I left something out but I did not. I can only hope the problem was with my lemons. The cake had very little lemon flavor. I will try again.
Were your lemons old ? Did you pack the zest into the measuring spoons or loosely sprinkle the zest in? For the lemon juice I used a lemon juicer with a tablespoon measurement on it. Sometimes when I make this cake, I do a little bit of extra lemon juice than called for.
I made this cake for 4th of July and everyone LOVED it. Everyone was asking for the recipe, which I gladly passed along. I’m curious if adding more lemon juice would affect the recipe? I personally love a very strong lemon flavor but I’m worried that adding more liquid could affect the structure of the cake.
Glad you liked it! You could add 1 to 2 more Tbsp. of lemon juice; adding more lemon zest is fine and will also help to boost the lemon flavor.
I just made this today and it came out amazing. I used frozen blueberries because we use them a lot for smoothies and they didn’t sink. I think the extra tablespoon of flour also helped. Lovely recipe, will definitely use again. Thank you.
I have made this recipe several times (each time without the glaze) and everyone really likes it, especially my daughter’s family. My wife wants it glazed but I prefer it without so that all of the flavors of the cake can be enjoyed without the sweetness of the sugar masking them.
One of the hottest days this summer and what am I doing? Again, baking this blueberry lemon pound cake. So far, these will be the fourth batch I’ve made in mini loaf pans. I get three loaves from the recipe and they are wonderful gifts to give to brighten up someone’s day! I’ve used the glaze and it’s great, but the pound cake on its own is also perfect! Thanks, Jenn, for another winner! Love your cookbook and look forward to your newsletters. Happy 4th and stay safe!
Happy 4th to you! 💗
Hello,
I’ve made a few of your recipes and they all came out great. I did have an issue with this one; the inside of the cake wasn’t cooking and it took almost 75 minutes so the outside was really browned. I didn’t have a metal loaf pan so I used a glass loaf pan. Do you think that is why it took so long to bake? I’m a novice, and did double check to make sure I added all the ingredients. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Chris, sorry to hear that you had a problem with this one. I suspect it had to do with the glass loaf pan – – glass conducts heat better than metal which can cause the outside to brown before the inside is fully baked. If you make this again and are using glass, I’d reduce the oven temperature by 25°F. it will likely take a few more minutes in the oven; if you notice the top or edges starting to brown too much, loosely lay a piece of foil on top of the cake for the remainder of the baking time. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your response. I will definitely make this cake again. Even though the cake took a long time to bake and was really brown on the outside it still tasted delicious! I love your recipes and the pictures and instructions are perfect for those of us who need explicit directions lol!
Love this recipe! Made a packaged version from Sur la Table that called for sour cream and butter which made it extremely moist. Can you incorporate sour cream into this recipe?
Hi Jennifer, For the best results, I’d stick to the recipe – sorry!
Hey I am making the cake now and I am having the same issue. My pan is metal and it’s going on 80 mins of baking on 350 and the middle is still doughy in the middle. What is the problem?
Hi LaToya, Did you by chance use an 8.5×4.5-inch pan instead of 9×5?
Jen – wanted to tell you I made this as muffins and used buttermilk instead of regular milk. Also used almost double the blueberries. Came out great!
Easy to make, and a marvellous taste. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Can I substitute the milk with half and half cream?
Sure, Judy, that will work. Enjoy!