Moist, tender, and packed with juicy blueberries - this recipe is everything you could ever want out of a Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake. It is simple, fresh, and perfect for almost every occasion.
Made with sour cream and lemon juice, this pound cake recipe is extremely moist and tender. You will love the texture as much as the tangy blueberry lemon glaze. Something about blueberries reacts with the acidity in the lemon juice to make the glaze this beautiful, vibrant magenta hue.
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How to Make the Best Lemon Blueberry Cake
For this cake, we use a sour cream pound cake recipe that infuses lemon zest into the sugar. Sour cream adds both fat and acid that keep the cake moist and tender. It also uses the creaming method to add lightness by incorporating air into the cake batter.
As bakers, we know that the majority of the lemon flavor is in the lemon zest. Rub fresh lemon zest with sugar to release the lemon oil before getting started.
Toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Do not thaw if using frozen blueberries and gently fold them into the batter at the end to keep the batter from turning purple.
Ingredients
This is a sour cream pound cake. It uses the creaming method requiring softened butter and granulated sugar. You will also need:
- Fresh lemons - both the zest and juice
- Granulated white sugar
- Unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sour cream - see Substitutions
- Blueberries - fresh or frozen blueberries
- Powdered sugar - for the glaze
Tools and Equipment
- Electric mixer - hand or stand mixer
- Citrus zester or microplane
- Large rubber spatula
- Pastry brush - for greasing the pan
- 10-cup Bundt pan or similar
Instructions
Like any pound cake, this recipe comes together using an electric mixer. You start by mixing the butter and sugar until fluffy, followed by the eggs. From there, alternate adding in the dry ingredients and the sour cream and lemon juice.
For maximum flavor, massage fresh lemon zest into the sugar to release the citrus oil.
Mix together the lemon sugar and butter together until fluffy (3 minutes) before adding the eggs.
Alternate adding in the dry ingredients and the sour cream to keep from over-mixing.
Gently fold in the blueberries before scooping the batter into the prepared pan.
Substitutions
Sour Cream - You can substitute sour cream for ¼ cup cream and ½ cup Greek yogurt.
Variations
Never have I ever had a slice of tender lemon pound cake that I didn't adore. Flavored with zesty lemon and polka-dotted with blueberries, this one is no exception.
Lemon and blueberry are the perfect pair for any spring or summer dessert. I was inspired by my Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake to make another simple yet celebration-worthy cake.
Orange Blueberry Pound Cake - Use orange zest in place of the lemon zest, but keep the lemon juice.
Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake - replace the blueberries with raspberries
Vanilla Pound Cake - Skip the blueberries. Ice the cake with a vanilla glaze by substituting milk for the lemon juice and blueberries and adding vanilla extract.
Try it in a different pan! Bake the batter in two or three, 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Do not fill the pan more than ¾ of the way full. Bake times will vary.
Serving and Storage
Serve this cake at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If making in advance, wrap the Bundt cake without the glaze and store at room temperature.
To freeze the unfrosted cake, wait until it is completely cool then wrap well in plastic wrap. Freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cake in the refrigerator overnight before use.
Bake Like a Pro
Thoroughly blend the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Softened butter should be able to easily hold a fingerprint when lightly pressed. It should not feel greasy or be melted or it won't be able to hold in as much air.
For the best cakes, measure the flour accurately (preferably with a scale). Do not pack it in.
Use room temperature eggs, milk, and butter - unless otherwise noted. This will make the batter more homogenous and keep from over-mixing (which causes dry, dense cakes).
Bundt Pan Tips
- Liberally grease the inside of a Bundt pan. I recommend using very soft butter painted on with a pastry brush - making sure to get into any intricate nook and cranny.
- Spoon flour into the pan. Shake the pan around so that the inside is dusted in flour. Flip the pan upside down and tap out the excess flour.
- When the cake is done baking, immediately set a new timer for 20 minutes. You must remove the cake from the pan before it completely cools or it will stick in the pan. Too soon, and the hot cake will fall apart when you flip it out.
Tip 1.
Tip 2.
Steps for Making a Lemon Pound Cake
Prepare the Pan - When baking a Bundt cake, do not skip this crucial step. Liberally grease the inside of the pan with very soft butter or cooking spray. Sprinkle with flour then tap all around to make sure every nook and cranny is covered. Flip the pan and tap out any excess flour.
Cream the butter and sugar - Use an electric mixer (hand or stand) to mix the softened butter with sugar. This will make a tender, fluffy cake.
Bake the Cake - This is a longer baker, 50 to 60 minutes, so plan accordingly.
Unmold the Cake - Immediately after the cake is done baking, set a new timer for 20 minutes. Unmold the cake before it completely cools in the pan or else it will get stuck.
Frost it! - After the cake cools, make the lemon blueberry glaze. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cooled cake.
How to Get a Stuck Cake Out of a Bundt Pan?
If the cake is stuck or you forgot to un-mold it before it cooled, then start a kettle with some water. Clear out the sink and place a clean dish towel inside.
When the water is nice and hot, carefully pour it over the dish towel. Place the cake (in its pan) in the sink and carefully wrap the sides with the hot dish towel (use oven mitts if the towel is too hot - please don’t burn yourselves) to create a little nest.
Dampen a second dish towel with warm water (from the tap is fine), and wring it out so that it is not dripping. Lay the second towel on top of the cake and wait about 15 minutes.
This should create a little steam bath for the cake and help loosen up any stuck bits. Once the towels are cool, try inverting the cake out of the pan again.
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Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
For the Lemon Blueberry Glaze
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 to 4 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ to 2 cups powdered sugar
- blueberries and lemon slices for decorating
Instructions
To Make the Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally greased the inside of a 10 to 12-cup capacity Bundt or tube pan by smearing softened butter into to every crack and surface with a pastry brush. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour inside and shake around to cover. Tap out the excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Finely zest a large lemon. Add the zest (at least 1 tablespoon) and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Massage the lemon zest and sugar together until very fragrant and smells of fresh lemons.
- Add the butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, allowing each to blend into the batter before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Add in half of the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Add the sour cream and ¼ cup lemon juice then mix until smooth.
- Add all but one to two tablespoons of the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Toss the blueberries with the remaining tablespoons of dry ingredients. Pour the blueberries into the batter and fold to combine. Be gentle in order to not turn the batter purple.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or slightly moist - not raw batter.
- Immediately set a timer for 20 minutes. When it goes, carefully unmold the cake from the pan. Gently loosen the edges of the cake with a flexible spatula. Place a wire rack or cake plate on the top of the cake. Using oven mitts, flip the cake upside. Give a few taps until you feel the cake loosen and remove the pan.
- Allow the cake to continue to cool before adding the frosting and serving.
To Make the Blueberry Lemon Glaze
- Place the blueberries, water, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until it comes to a slight simmer. Reduce the heat and cook just to soften the blueberries.
- Remove from the heat and smash the blueberries to release any juice.
- Place the powder sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the blueberry liquid and stir until smooth. Discard the blueberry skins.
- If needed add more powdered sugar or lemon juice to create a thick, spoonable glaze.
- Spoon the glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Decorate with whole blueberries, lemon slices, and/or lemon zest.
Roseanna
Gotta love a pretty Bundt cake! All the flavor and still beautiful without all the work. Great recipe!
Crystal Neilson
Love this recipe. Easy and moist.
Birdie Scott
Perfect pound cake. Love the flavor and pops of blueberry.