Slicing into this lemon blueberry cake is a special occasion in itself! With its vibrant pockets of blueberries, golden sponge and creamy frosting, it's the perfect showstopper.

I'm really proud of this cake, as you can probably tell. It's a delicious and beautiful dessert that is perfect for any occasion!

The tartness of the lemon combined with the sweetness of the blueberries creates a perfect balance, while the cream cheese frosting adds a lovely smooth, cool creaminess.

This lemon blueberry cake is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it.

To create your lemon blueberry cake, you'll start by making the sponge batter.

This involves a pretty traditional approach, starting by creaming together butter and sugar, then whisking in eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest before folding in flour.

Now a common issue with blueberry cakes is that the blueberries can be rather prone to sinking to the bottom of the sponge during baking, leaving a jammy layer on the base of your cake, but no blueberries dotted throughout the sponge.

I've tested this recipe to make sure you'll get a perfect distribution of blueberries throughout your sponge and it's really rather simple and involves three simple tricks.

First, you'll spread some of the batter into your prepared cake tins to act as a cushion for the blueberries. Second, you'll chop any large blueberries into smaller pieces and finally And third, you'll toss the blueberries in a touch of flour before folding into the cake batter and then piling into the tins.

It really works! Your cake tins will then go into the oven for 1 hour to bake low and slow to perfection, with lovely flat tops, perfect for layering up.

Once your sponges are ready, you'll take them out of the oven and leave them to cool completely while you prepare your frosting and filling mixture.

To make your cream cheese frosting, you'll add the softened butter to a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Whisking the butter on its own introduces air and ensures a lovely light frosting.

You'll then sift in the icing sugar, add the vanilla extract and whisk until very pale, creamy and increased in volume. Once combined, you'll add the chilled cream cheese and fold through gently.

Now you're ready to assemble your cake and serve a real showstopper at any birthday or get together! The frosting should be super smooth, making it a doddle to layer up your lemon blueberry cake.

Once assembled, I like to chill it for 1 hour to ensure it's perfectly firm and ready to slice.

The full recipe with plenty of pictures and tips is below, but if you have any questions, drop me a comment and I'll get right back to you.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients

For the sponge

250 g (8.8 oz) slightly salted butter
250 g (8.8 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
4 medium free range eggs
2 lemons zest and juice
250 g (8.8 oz) self-raising white flour (self rising flour) plus 2 tbsp to toss the blueberries in
250 g (8.8 oz) blueberries larger ones cut into halves or quarters

For The Cream Cheese Frosting

400 g (14.1 oz) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
200 g (7.1 oz) slightly salted butter softened
220 g (7.8 oz) full fat cream cheese chilled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon zest

Equipment

Weighing scales
Measuring spoons
Large mixing bowl
Electric whisk
Sieve
Silicone spatula
Sharp serrated knife
Round loose-bottomed, high-sided 19cm (7.5") nonstick cake tin
Parchment/baking paper
Kitchen knife
Chopping board

Instructions

Make the sponge

Preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan, 340F).

Grease and line two 18 cm (7 inch) cake tins.

Your blueberries should be about the side of chocolate chips. Chop any larger ones into halves or quarters and set aside.

Put the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk together until pale.

Add the eggs one by one, whisking as you go.

Add the lemon zest and juice.

Whisk again

Sift in the flour.

Fold together.

Put a couple of large spoonfuls of batter into the base of each prepared tin - this creates a cushion for the blueberries to discourage them from sinking.

Level off.

Toss the blueberries in 2 tbsp flour and add to the bowl.

Fold the blueberries into the cake batter.

Spoon the batter into the lined tins, sharing evenly and level off.

Put the tins into the oven, ideally on the same shelf, and bake for approximately 1 hour or until a finger pressed lightly on top springs back and a skewer pushed into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin until safe to touch, then release onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Don't forget to remove the baking paper from the bases.

Make the cream cheese frosting

Put the softened butter in a bowl.

Whisk until pale and creamy.

Sift in the icing sugar, add the vanilla extract.

Whisk until very pale, creamy and increased in volume.

Add the chilled cream cheese.

Fold through gently. Don't overwork it as it will loosen. If it looks like it’s starting to loosen, pop in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.

Assemble the cake

Put the first cake on a board.

Pile about one third of the frosting on top and spread to the edges.

Place the second cake on top.

Pile another third of frosting on top and use the remaining frosting to neatly frost the sides.

Finely grate the lemon zest over the top of the cake

Place the whole cake in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up before slicing and serving.

Print this Lemon Blueberry Cake

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4.4 from 24 votes

Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe

This lemon blueberry cake its own special occasion! With juicy blueberries, golden sponge and creamy frosting, it's a true showstopper.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Emily Leary