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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Thank you for your awesome recipes! I made this recently and it turned out perfect! My question is, could I double up the recipe to make 2 loaves?
Glad you liked it! Feel free to double all the ingredients and bake in two loaf pans.
The flavor was fantastic, but the blueberries sunk to the bottom. They were rather large berries and I had to mix them in quite a bit to get them in the batter, not on the batter.
Did I over mix the cake and cause the berries to get wet and sink?
Hi Amy, Sorry to hear the berries sunk! It doesn’t sound like you overmixed it. While it’s not a cure-all, I love King Arthur flour (it’s got a slightly higher protein content which makes the crumb a little sturdier) and when I’ve used it in this recipe, the berries don’t sink. It may be worth a try if you want to make this again.
I have made your lemon bundt cake and it is delicious! I would like to make this one with blueberries on bundt pan. Will it work and what changes would I need to make?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Nancy — I think there’s a really high likelihood that it will stick to the pan — sorry!
I made this cake and it was utterly tasty. I bake primarily for my sister and brother-in-law, who thankfully has a sweet tooth that doesn’t quit. They loved the blend of tart lemon and fresh sweet blueberries, and thought the glaze was the yummy topper. He said flat out that this cake recipe is a keeper. Thanks, Jenn!
I have a lot of blueberries I froze from my blueberry bush last summer. I know freezing changes berries a lot. Can I use them for this recipe? If so, what adjustments should I make.
You can use them with no adjustments (just don’t defrost them or the batter will turn purple). Hope you enjoy!
I’ve just made this. I left it for 10 minutes after cooking, and it collapsed coming out of the tin. No worries though. Just gave me the chance to taste it a lot sooner! It might not look too good now, but it really does taste nice! Think I’ll try it as muffins next time.
Hi Jenn, I made this cake today and love the flavor. The cake had a very heavy, dense bottom 1/3. Could I have over mixed the batter? My batter looked like your picture and the cake didn’t stick to the pan. The toothpick came out clean after 55 minutes. Any ideas?
Hmmm… did the blueberries sink to the bottom? If so, the moisture from them could’ve made that part of the cake more dense.
Made this just as written and it’s fantastic. My girlfriends all asked for the recipe. High praise to you! If I were to make this in mini loaf pans….6×3…how long would you suggest baking time? Thank you for this recipe!
Glad you liked this! I haven’t made this in mini loaf pans so I’m not certain how long they’ll take to bake, but I would start checking them at about 35 minutes (just keep a close eye on them). I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Followed directions. Made no ingredient changes. Flavor is good, but have never before had ALL the blueberries sink to the very bottom. And cake is dry and crumbly. My loaf was checked at 50 minutes with toothpick and center was very loose, wet and jiggling, and very pale. At 60 minutes, checked with toothpick and while more light brown was still wet. Another 10 minutes and it looked done and toothpick inserted came out clean. My oven temps have been checked and I used the correct size pan. All in all, not a recipe I would repeat.
Hi Patricia, Sorry you had a problem wth this! What you described is a bit of a head-scratcher. It sounds like it was overbaked (with all the blueberries, it definitely shouldn’t be dry). What brand of flour did you use? Is there any chance you may have measured something incorrectly?
Hi Jenn,
Made this tonight and my blueberries mostly sunk to the bottom of the pan. What is the tweak you made to prevent this from happening? The blueberries were evenly mixed within the batter. I usually use King Arthur Flour, but can’t get it at this time. Can that really make that much of difference? Otherwise the taste was wonderful. I will try it again and maybe try to keep the blueberries on top of the batter?
Hi Tammy, sorry to hear your blueberries sunk! When I tweaked the recipe, I added 3 more tablespoons of flour (giving the cake a little more structure so the berries don’t sink) and a touch more sugar and lemon juice. And while it’s not a cure-all, I love King Arthur flour (it’s slightly higher in protein which makes the crumb a little sturdier) and when I’ve used it in this recipe, the berries don’t sink.
Delicious ~ great treat for us. Thank you.
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.
I made this today. Everyone loved it. It was gone instantly. Thanks for the recipe!!
This made a great Mother’s Day cake for dessert. The lemon flavor comes through clearly. I amped up the lemon flavor with a drop or two of lemon essential oil in the glaze because I like being knocked over the head by the lemon flavor. It’s the perfect size for a brunch and would make a great breakfast cake. It would also be a fabulous gift to take to a neighbor. It’s now my Mom’s favorite cake. The fact that you can use frozen blueberries in this cake makes it so convenient as most of the other ingredients are pantry items. It’s a cinch to make. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Delicious! Easy to make!
I made these as muffins. They are fabulously good, lemony and full of blueberries! I’ll make them again!
Jenn told me to use muffins liners, but I just sprayed the pan. It didn’t work! They were hopelessly stuck. But I put the whole pan in the freezer for a couple of hours then took it out and turned upside down under hot water for a little bit. Then I kind of twisted on the frozen muffins, one by one, and they came out, not perfectly, but good enough to give away. Next time, muffin liners!
This was so good. One of those batters where it was so light and fluffy that I wanted to eat it out of the bowl before baking. I did not make the glaze, but sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on top.
This tasted so good! My blueberries still sunk to the bottom and I wonder if there was anything else that might have affected it. I did toss them in flour. Still tasted great, and mine needed less time.
Hi Annie, Glad you enjoyed it! I don’t think you did anything wrong. A few readers mentioned that they had this issue so I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe that I think will help.
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for this beautiful recipe. I made it today for my mother on Mother’s day and it turned out well and tastes delicious. I noticed all the blueberries sank to the bottom of the cake though, what do you think caused this? Did I not stir through enough? Any tips you have is very much appreciated.
Many thanks,
Linda
Hi Linda, I’m not sure what caused your blueberries to sink — there are so many variables in baking — but since another reader mentioned the same issue, I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe that I think will help.
Baked this today. Used buttermilk in lieu of regular milk since that’s what I had on hand. Turned out delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’m enjoying your cookbook, too.
Picked blueberries a few days ago, so the timing was perfect! My cake rose a bit higher than your photos. I baked it in a convection oven. Could that have made the difference? Also used a ceramic clay pan.
So glad you enjoyed it, Mary. The convection oven could definitely have given it a bit more of a lift.
ThankYou! This turned out great!!
Great texture and flavor
First of all, I hope you and your family are well during these trying times. You are my go to blog for new recipes that always turn out terrific. Can I use a sugar substitute, such as Swerve, as my husband is diabetic?
So glad to hear my blog is your go-to! I wish I could help but I’ve never worked with sugar substitutes so I can’t say for sure how it would impact the recipe. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it with Swerve!
Hello Jen, I made this cake for my mother for Mother’s day, she loves lemon and blueberries. I followed the recipe exactly as written, it was amazing!Moist,tender,full of blueberries,(that didn’t sink to the bottom of the pan)and perfectly lemony,from the cake to the glaze.My sisters loved it also,we ate it while social distancing.Excellent recipe!
I made this for my family for breakfast. As with all of her recipes, they are easy to follow, not a ton of ingredients or steps, and great. This is really good and worth trying.
Suggestions
I used frozen blueberries (because I had)and they were somewhat tasteless, use fresh if possible.
I cooked for 50mins and was still raw, put in for 10 minutes more and a little well for me. When close to end of cooking keep an eye on it.
Hi Jen,
What do you think can I substitute blueberries with? I live in the tropics and have to make do with tropical fruits. Love your recipes although I sometimes have to modify/change ingredients because of their availability. I want to try this one, though. Any suggestion? Mangoes, perhaps?Or pineapple maybe? Would these fruits work?
Thanks! Connie
Hi Connie, I’ve never tried this with mangoes or pineapple but I think it would work. Just make sure to dice them pretty small so they don’t sink to the bottom. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hey Jenn! This review is so late in coming but by making this lemony blueberry cake I feel I’ve come full circle. You see, I found your website about 5 years ago when I was looking for the perfect blueberry muffins and yours absolutely hooked me on your other cooking & baking. I have told friends, family and strangers about your recipes and many (including me) have bought your fabulous book! So thank you for all the great food we have been enjoying. Some of our favs are your chicken pot pies, ziti w/sausage, kale & brussel salad, turkey & spinach meatballs, Thai red curry chicken, sweet & spicy chicken w/carrots dates & of course that decadent granola. Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome — glad you like the recipes! ❤️
Easy recipe, note to self, use the correct size loaf pan. I used a smaller loaf pan which made it a bit dense. I had to extend the cooking time. The flavor is bright and the glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness.
This came out DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for your AWESOME recipes! 🙂
May I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter? Will it make a big difference?
Sure. While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
I just made this cake, this flavour was great but my cake had some holes (some bigger than others). Not really sure why that happened because I tapped the cake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. Do you have any idea why this happens? Thanks!
Hi Carissa, That’s definitely a head-scratcher as this is not the kind of cake that should have any air pockets (it should be more dense). Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? What brand of flour did you use?
Hi Jen,
Do you think almond milk will work here? If yes, how much?
Thank you
Sure, Janelle – I’d use the same amount. Please let me know how it turns out. 🙂
If you have no blueberries how would that change portions of other ingredients
Hi Ilene, The only change would be to reduce the flour to 1-2/3 cups.
Can you double the recipe to make a bundt cake?
Hi Jennifer, I don’t recommend it; this cake may stick in a Bundt pan.
YUM.
I made the glaze extra thick and it is soooo good. The blueberries really pop! Thank you!
We got so many blueberries from farmers market and This morning I made blueberry scones from your book. Turned out delicious. Thank you so much for sharing and creating these amazing recipes. Almost every day I make something from your site or your book. And with kids being at home at this time we all discover new foods that we love 😍 tomorrow we will be making this delicious cake!!!
Can you use cranberries here?
Hi Paula, Yes, I think they’d work.
Can I do poppy seeds instead of blueberry for this recipe? And how much can I put?
Hi Joyce, You could add 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds and leave out the blueberries. You might also check out this lemon poppy seed cake, which is very similar to this one.
Just baked this and it turned out awesome! Everyone at home loved it. Thank you Jenn!
Secoond time I have made this pound cake. This time I used buttermilk as I had some on hand I needed to use up, and it turned out quite nicely. Wonderful recipe.
Hi Jen. Can you use oat milk in lieu of regular milk?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
Your recipe calls for 1 stick of butter but the pictures show 2. Which is correct?
Thanks, Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, Those are half-sticks, so one regular stick. Sorry for the confusion!
Could you use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
Sure, Gen; just don’t defrost them.
Can you use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
Sure, Jojo, but I wouldn’t defrost them.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yep – enjoy! 🙂
Can I bake and freeze this ? Absolutely loved this recipe!
Yes, it freezes nicely. See the bottom of the recipe for Freezer-Friendly instructions. Enjoy!
can you use an equal amount of olive oil in lieu of butter?
Unfortunately, olive oil won’t work here — sorry!
Will frozen blueberries work? Love, love, love your recipes!
Yes, just don’t defrost them first or your batter will turn purple. Hope you enjoy!