Zesty and Moist Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
Treat yourself to a slice of sunshine! This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake recipe makes an extra rich buttery cake elevated with lots of bright and tangy lemon flavor and a burst of juicy blueberries in every bite. It’s a super moist cake that is topped with a light sugary vanilla glaze.
Do you have an abundance of fresh blueberries? Bake this fresh blueberry dessert! This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is a cinch to make with ordinary baking ingredients plus plenty of zesty lemon and tart and juicy blueberries.
As a trained pastry chef, I’ve made quite a few varieties of bundt cakes, and I can say this is indeed the quintessential flavor for lemon lovers. It’s delightful in the morning with coffee and tea or as a late afternoon sweet treat!
The cake is fluffy and moist and just like my lemon blueberry cupcakes, is studded with fresh blueberries and lemon zest throughout. It’s then topped with an easy and quick sweet glaze and garnished with more blueberries and lemon zest. The combination of flavors and colors is just so pretty!
If you’re a fan of lemon & blueberry flavored treats, don’t miss these lemon blueberry scones -and while you’re here, be sure to check out this lemon pudding bundt cake, its one of my top rated recipes! This lemon raspberry bundt cake is the same version but just with raspberries.
You can also make this orange bundt cake for a citrus burst or this 7 up cake for a lemon lime flavor and throw some blueberries in for some extra fun!
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE
- This is a low-fuss bundt cake with glaze recipe, perfect for baking beginners!
- The ingredients are simple, many of which you might already have in the pantry.
- Lemon plus blueberry is a HEAVENLY pairing of tart and fruity flavors perfect for summer and special occasions.
- When blueberries are out of season, you can use frozen blueberries with the same success.
- The simple sugary glaze is bliss, but a sprinkling of powdered sugar or thick, fluffy frostings are also fantastic on this cake.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Butter – Softened butter is key to creating an extra rich and tender cake. Learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Lemon & Sugar – You’ll mix lemon zest with sugar before creaming it with butter. The citrusy oils and aromas bring bold lemon flavor to the cake.
- Vegetable oil & eggs – This duo of wet baking ingredients plays a significant role in adding moisture and creating structure and stability. The eggs should be at room temperature for the best results. Otherwise the batter will be cold and wont bake as well in the oven
- All-Purpose flour – This element holds the structure together, creating a sturdy cohesive cake.
- Baking powder & baking soda – The leavening agents. They work concurrently to make the batter expand and rise into a soft and fluffy cake.
- Salt – Salt also plays a role in raising cakes while making everything sweet taste sweeter!
- Lemon extract – A little bit of lemon extract brings an intense tart citrusy flavor to the cake.
- Buttermilk – For the tenderness and the tang! Acidic buttermilk helps make super moist and delicate cakes with delightfully tangy flavor.
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries – I prefer fresh but you can use frozen. If frozen, make sure to give them a quick rinse with cold water to defrost quickly, then pat them dry before adding to the batter.
- Sugar glaze – You can use a simple mixture of confectioners sugar & milk to glaze the cake, or keep it simple with a dusting of powdered sugar. See below for elevated frosting and topping ideas.
Yield
It depends on how big you cut the slices of the cake but this can feed up to 15 people if you cut thinly.
How to easily make this cake
Prepare to bake bundt cake: Learn how to bake and get a bundt cake out of the pan. Preheat your own to 350F and spray a 10-cup bundt pan generously with baking spray.
Cream butter with sugar: In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute. Then, zest the lemon into a bowl filled with the sugar and mix so the sugar gets all nice and lemony! Next, add the lemony sugar to the butter and cream on medium speed for one more minute.
Mix wet ingredients: Add vegetable oil and mix again until combined. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed in between each.
Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Flavor buttermilk: Add buttermilk to a measuring cup and mix with the lemon extract.
Mix bundt cake batter: Then, alternate between mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture, adding about a third of each mixture at a time, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Add blueberries: Then coat the blueberries in flour, and mix them in by hand, doing your best not to smash the berries.
Bake bundt cake and cool: Pour the batter into your prepared bundt cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the sides of the cake pull away from the pan (45-50 minutes). Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack before decorating.
Decorate: You can dust powdered sugar over the top for a simple aesthetic or mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth to form a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cake once it’s cooled, and enjoy!
Don’t miss these tips!
- Mixing zest into sugar ensures you get all the oils from the zest and infuses bold citrus flavor into the cake. If you zest a lemon onto a plate you lose a lot of the flavor!
- Make sure all your refrigerated ingredients are at room temperature so the cake bakes evenly.
- Coating your blueberries in flour will keep them suspended within the batter instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan. Use this trick whenever you’re baking fresh fruit into cakes.
- This cake was tested for perfection in a 10-inch, 10-cup bundt pan. Of course, you can bake the batter in a different pan, but you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- The glaze is optional but recommended. Instead of the glaze, you can also sift powdered sugar over the top to improve your presentation.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Storing: Keep your blueberry lemon bundt cake in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. If it’s kept in the fridge, it will dry out quickly.
Freezing: If freezing, don’t glaze the cake just yet. Wrap the whole cake or individual slices securely in layers of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then go ahead and add the glaze.
Moist Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake with Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, (227g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups sugar, (400g)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 egg, s large
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour, 330g + 1 tsp separated
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup blueberries, or 150g
For optional glaze:
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and heavily spray a 10 cup bundt pan with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the 1 cup butter for 1 minute.
- Zest the lemon into a bowl filled with the 2 cups of sugar and mix well to make the sugar all lemony.
- Add the sugar to the butter and cream on medium speed for 1 more minute.
- Add the ¼ cup vegetable oil and mix again until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time on medium speed, mixing in between.
- In a separate bowl combine the 2 ¾ cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp kosher salt and mix lightly.
- In a measuring cup add the buttermilk and lemon extract.
- Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients by thirds starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Sprinkle the blueberries with the remaining 1 tsp flour and coat well.
- Add them to the batter mixing by hand so as not to break them up so much.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is set and the sides are pulling away from the pan.
- Dust with powdered sugar or make the glaze
For the glaze:
- Combine the powdered sugar and milk and mix until smooth.
- Drizzle over cooled cake.
Tried this recipe. Despite the top of the cake being a nice golden brown after 55 min in the oven, the middle was still raw. I threw it out and made a different recipe, which came out fine.
Hey Tracey! Sorry this recipe didnt work out for you. I’ve tested this cake many times and have never had any issues with it. It’s also the same cake as my Lemon Raspberry bundt cake but with the fruit switched out https://frostingandfettuccine.com/lemon-raspberry-bundt-cake/ and it has a rave review. Im wondering if you followed the recipe exactly? Also everyones ovens are different and it may just have needed a few more minutes to bake up. Thank you for trying this anyways!
This is one of my favorite cakes to make! I’ve made it three times so far and it’s always a hit with my friends and family. It’ll be gone in two days. Make this cake you won’t regret it!!
Aww Kathy thank you so much, so glad you love this recipe!!
This is the best lemon Bundt cake recipe I have tried. I made few different versions before. But this one is super moist and crumbly.
Thank you so much for this compliment and the 5 star review!
Turned out wonderfully! My family and I loved this cake! I paired it with a cream cheese glaze and it was delicious. Will definitely make again!
Ohhh that sounds like a great idea!! Thanks so much for letting me know, so glad you loved it!