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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This recipe is absolutely delicious. It’s a family favourite!
The lemon blueberry pound cake is delightful!
I just made this delicious cake, following all directions and it came out perfectly. It was hard to limit ourselves to just one slice each day. It has kept really well for a few days also. Definitely in my ‘keeper’ file!! Thanks Jenn!
Love this bread, so moist and lemony!
I made this several times and each time it was a huge success. Yet another amazing recipe from this chef!
Yummy! Lemon and blueberry together is amazing.
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was delicious! The recipe takes a little extra time and planning but worth it. Everyone loved it, especially my mom!
Made this as a quarantine treat for my husband who loves all things lemon. He loved it. Tightly wrapped in plastic, it stayed moist for a week. Like all of Jenn’s recipes that I’ve tried, it was fantastic.
Together with the lemon pound cake, this easy lemon blueberry pound cake has become a house favorite. It’s a simply wonderful addi(c)tion to a cup of coffee with friends! 🙂 Thank you for yet another super yummy recipe!
I look forward to blueberry season just to make this loaf cake. It definitely says spring and my lemon loving friends really enjoy it for breakfast, snack time or anytime of the day!
This is one of my favorite recipes. It freezes very well so when I make it, I slice and put in the freezer to have often with afternoon tea. It has a wonderful lemony flavor.
Great recipe… lemon and blueberries are one of my favorites and this pound cake is a keeper. I sometimes reduce the sugar to 1 cup and it works fine! I’ve also made this with orange and fresh cranberries and it’s yummy! Both are great with a cup of coffee any time of day.
I was a little nervous about trying this recipe, because I live at high altitude (6500′) and baked goods can be finicky up here. I’m so glad I decided to try it, though, because this ended up being the most impressive dessert I’ve ever made. I didn’t adjust any of the dry ingredients, but I did increase the lemon juice and zest by about 50% because I love lemon and was willing to risk it! The blueberries, dusted in flour as directed, remained suspended and evenly distributed throughout the cake, and the flavors and texture of the cake itself were heavenly. I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
Made this to bring to a birthday party. Was nervous because I hadn’t done a trial run but it turned out perfect!! Beautiful texture and taste.
I fixed the Lemon Blueberry bread the other day and it was/is delicious. My family loved it. It did not last long. It was moist, had the perfect lemon taste, and the blueberries just burst in your mouth.
I had fresh blueberries that were going to go to waste a few weeks ago and also happened to have lemons so made this cake for a friend who loves lemony treats. It was a HUGE hit and was super easy! I did add more powdered sugar to get the glaze to a thicker consistency but otherwise made it exactly per Jenn’s recipe. Definitely another winner!
I made this exactly as written and it was fantastic! Sometimes quick breads can be dry and crumbly but this was nice and moist and didn’t fall apart. I brought it to a get together and everyone liked it. I’ll definitely be making this one again!
This recipe has become one of my go to recipes. We absolutely love it, and sent it to friends for Thanksgiving meals that I made for friends. The key to making this quickly, is to have all the lemon juice and zest made before hand.
I am allergic to all dairy products and use rice milk, and canola oil instead of butter and regular milk. The cake is still wonderful, and no one notices the lack of butter. Make sure to follow the directions for the parchment paper and spraying the pan twice. Doing this makes the cake pop right out. The glaze is awesome. People are fooled into thinking I am a great baker, but I always give Jenn credit and use the sheet from this website if I pass the recipe on.
Being a follower and avid user of Jenn Segal’s recipes, I saw this lemon blueberry pound cake and thought I would try it. I have two picky teenagers in the home, so my expectation was that only my husband and I would eat this. I was so wrong! My entire family LOVED this pound cake and demand it often! It’s so good that I have begun using it as my “go-to” gift given to friends and neighbors to welcome, cheer, or just to love on them!
I made this cake last summer and was such a hit, really yummy and fluffy – couldnt get enough so have had to come back to make it again! Really nice simple recipe to follow, thank you!! sending love from from UK
If you’re considering making a double batch, do it!!! Used a aluminum baking pan and baked for 1hr 20mins. Came out perfect. For the glaze, I didn’t have powdered sugar, so I got creative and used condense milk with lemon juice and zest, you can add water to this mixture to thin it out some. Amazingly good, thanks for sharing this recipe.
I loved this recipe. I don’t ususally make cakes but this recipe is really lovely. I reduced the sugar slightly (1 cup instead of 1 1/4 cup) and it still tasted delicious. The kids loved it too. Will definitely make again. Thank you.
AH-MAZING!!! So soft, fluffy, sweet enough and a family hit! Thank you for sharing from your heart & kitchen.
Made this cake and it was absolutely gorgeous!!! It was light and fluffy, and it tasted beautiful, def making this again!!!
Recipe recommends waiting 10 minutes to transfer out of the pan. I did that and cake fell completely apart. It seems like it would be a much better idea to wait for it to cool completely before removing from pan.
Too sweet. Did not turn out moist, was too dense and became dry after several hours. Let’s just put it this way, I’ve had way much better lemon and blueberry cakes. Disappointed.
This cake is perfection! My husband loves lemon desserts and this one is at the top of my list. It was flavorful, moist, and delicious. It also makes a great presentation.
So delicious. It took longer in the oven please I need your help. The temperature is with fan? or convention oven?. Thank you
Hi Patricia, I always develop and publish my recipes using the regular setting on my oven.
Made it this afternoon. It took about 55 minutes, but that was on 340 convection. I also added 1/4 ground ginger. It is great. I will make this again for co-workers when we go back to the office! Thank you
Can I use my Bundt cake pan?
I don’t recommend a bundt pan here. I’d be concerned it would stick to the pan. Sorry!
Hi jen❤️ first of all I’m a subscriber and I am in love with your recipes I made the clessic pound cake before and loved it it was delicious so I decided it would be good to make a blueberry lemon one and it turned out to be amazing super yummy 😋 and delicious but my only concern was the glaze it wasn’t smooth it seemed as the suger wasn’t blended but I did use powdered suger so I didn’t really like it the taste is good but the texture isn’t so when I make this again probably would skip the glaze.
This is by far the best lemon blueberry cake I made; I had tried others. I needed to do something with my almost overripe blueberries and thought I’d give this a try. Rather than using a regular loaf pan, I used 4 mini loaf pans so I can freeze a couple in case there were leftovers. I baked for 35 minutes. Love the versatility of this awesome recipe!!
The cake was delicious, but it is very dense. It didn’t rise very much. Does it need baking powder?
Hi Mary, Sorry to hear you had a bit of a problem with this. It doesn’t need baking powder. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
I am not sure what size my loaf pan is, its a williams Sonoma gold touch one. It had to bake much longer than the recipe said.. as 60 minutes it was still raw/dough in the middle. It has a large crack down the center. Will it still be edible? Just take longer to bake? Thanks!
I’m wondering if your loaf pan is smaller than the 9 x 5-inch pan that the recipe calls for. (That would account for it taking longer as the batter would be deeper.) If it sunk in the middle, it sounds like it’s underbaked. It may still be edible depending on how underbaked it is. 🙂
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh? I would love to make for my co-workers birthday tomorrow, but I only have frozen berries.
Sure! Just don’t defrost them first, or it will turn the batter purple. 🙂
What an amazing recipe!
So easy to follow. Absolutely loved it. Made it with my 5year old. She absolutely loved it. A big thank you from her ♥️❤.
Can’t wait to try another recipe of yours.
I wish there was a video too for beginners like me 😊
Hi Jen, I made this cake for work colleagues & the only mistake I made was there wasn’t enough! Wish I had made a double batch. I’m going to make it again this week for them but as it cherry season here in Australia I have a surplus of fresh cherries. Could I put cherries into this recipe or would that not work? Really really love your recipes. Thanks
Glad it was a hit! I haven’t tried this with cherries, but I think it should work. I’d chop them a bit though so they don’t sink to the bottom. Enjoy!
Would it make a difference with the recipe if I did not add the blueberries?
Hi Victoria, If you’d prefer a lemony pound cake that doesn’t have blueberries, I’d suggest this recipe. You can make it into loaves if you’re looking for a loaf cake (see the note under the recipe for guidance). Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Can this recipe be baked in mini loaf pans? If so, would it make two or three and how long would it be baked for? Thanks,
Hi Zozo, not certain if they will make 2 or 3, but you can definitely make them in mini loaf pans. I’d start checking them at 30 to 35 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out!
Thank you so much Jen for sharing the recipe. I made the cake a week ago for my aunt’s birthday and it was such a hit!! It stood out from the usual cake flavours and it was really moist and fluffy.
Fantastic loaf! I really liked the texture and consistency of it. I had to bake it for the entire time plus an extra 5 minutes and it came out perfectly. I did the parchment paper “sling” and it just popped right out of the pan. Didnt add the glaze, which I’m sure is delicious, but I just really liked it as is. This is a keeper. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Jenn! Curious if you have any thoughts regarding substituting cranberries for the blueberries in this recipe. Thinking of trying it for Thanksgiving.
I think it’d be delicious, Julie. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
So, so delicious. Thank you once again Jenn!
Hello. Can I substitute butter with oil. How much oil should I use. Thx
Hi Priya, the only kind of oil that I think would work here is (solidified) coconut oil. Keep in mind that I haven’t made it this way. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I accidentally added 1 1/3 C sugar instead of 1 1/4 C. Is there anything I can do to adjust the glaze to compensate? Would reducing the powdered sugar work or just make it too runny? Thanks so much – have loved all your recipes!
Hi Erin, I don’t think it will make much of a difference so I wouldn’t worry at all, but you can just use a little less glaze overall (but keep the quantities so it’s not runny).
Thank you so much for the quick reply! I just pulled it out and it smells heavenly 🙂
Great flavor and texture. I think the blueberries I used were too large and heavy as they all sunk to the bottom. Next time I will mix in half the blueberries into the batter and sprinkle the other half on top so they will sink just a little under the surface.
Thank you for that great idea.
I had that problem too sometimes.
I made this cake last week and it was the best cake I have ever eaten! Thanks so much for posting it. One problem, if I make it I end up eating most of it! Would it work to make as muffins?
Thanks so much.
Chana Gray
So glad you liked it! For muffins, you may want to use this recipe (it’s almost identical and for the lemony taste, you could add about 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the batter).
Hi Jen, Today is the first time I made a cake and I chose this recipe. The flavour is great and the blueberries didn’t sink. However the texture in the middle is very dense and heavy – do you have any idea how I can correct this for next time to make it light and fluffy throughout please?
Could it be that it’s underbaked? It was in the oven for 60 mins but it was still raw in the middle so I cooked it for a further 15 mins and the top is very very brown so I didn’t want to leave it longer. I also added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice as I love lemony flavour but didn’t think it would affect the texture.
Or could it be that I didn’t beat the butter and sugar fluffy enough? Or is it the flour? I lived in the UK so we don’t have King Arthur brand as you suggested. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely recipes! X
Hi Ole, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! I don’t think the way you beat the butter and sugar would’ve caused a problem and while you did add a little extra liquid to the recipe with the additional lemon juice, I don’t think that would’ve had a big impact. If anything, it sounds like it may have been a little underbaked. Did you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan?
The best pound cake EVER. Perfect flavors. Don’t skip the glaze.
Wash the blueberries and buy organic or non-gmo for best flavor when possible. It does make a difference.
And a few times I have used a small portion of the glaze when the cake comes out of the oven and poked a few toothpick holes in the cake to put a light coating till it cools more. I like it because I want a moist outside too.
Exactly how mine was!!! ☹️
Buonissima!!!!
This was great. Everybody loved it and wants me to make it again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
This is by far the best recipe. It is so precise and absolutely fantastic. This chef is not ordinary. I try internet recipes all the time- and I can tell you Jenn Segal is fantastic!! I am a fan.
Wonderful!!!!!
Hi Jenn, Not too sure where I went wrong but my cake didn’t rise? Do you think I might have over worked it ?
Hi Paula, sorry to hear you had a problem with this! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Is your baking soda very old?
Absolutely delicious made this cake twice in a week! Found needed to cook it for 68 minutes – perhaps it’s my oven.
Yes, me too. Going to make it in a different oven this week and see how it goes.
Hi Jenn – I would like to add poppy seeds to this recipe. How many tablespoons would you recommend? Thank you. Cindy
I’d recommend 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons. Hope you enjoy!
This was wonderful!! Followed the recipe exactly and everyone loved it. This is a keeper.
Love all of your recipes and the videos are so helpful as well.
Hi JENN! I want to try this but have a few questions. I do not have unsalted butter only salted, and we only have almond milk. Do you think it would be ok? Also, I do not have a zester or a hand grater. Can you suggest something else I could use to zest the lemons? I have a potato peeler with teeth on the sides. Would that work? I’ve never been a baker but this recipe looks so good, I wanted to try it.
Hi Sharon, Regarding the butter, 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. Almond milk will be fine and regarding the lemon zest, I’m not familiar with the teeth on side of a potato peeler, so it’s hard to say for sure. You just want to make sure you have very fine pieces of lemon zest, so if you can achieve it with that, I’d try it. Hope that helps!
Jenn – I made this lemon blueberry pound cake late yesterday. I am a casual baker, meaning that I sorta mix things up without a lot of precision but since I’ve baked for over 50 years I have a feel for it. I had beautiful huge sweet blueberries, maybe a cup and a half. Also have the smaller loaf pans, not the 5 1/2 inch. Nevertheless, this cake turned out photo perfect. It is absolutely delicious and laced with beautiful blueberries. It was a little sweet for me (maybe due to the sweet blueberries) so I made the drizzle thin and heavier on the tart lemony side. I just had a piece with my coffee this morning and it is perfection. And beautiful. I love reading and using your recipes. Thank you!
Jenn, just followed your instructions and when I took the cake out it fell a bit and wondered why that might have happened. Might it be too many blueberries? And also going to try it again but wondered how it freezes? Thank you! BTW, although it fell, it’s still delish!
Hi Caroline, It sounds as if it might have been slightly underbaked. Was it a bit wet in the center?