Signs of spring are popping up all around. There aren’t many thing that say “spring” to me more than lemon and blueberry flavor combos. While looking for something fresh and springy to make for an upcoming baby shower, I ran across Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake from Tasty Kitchen member vbunnell. The cake is quick to put together, full of fresh lemon and blueberry flavor. And I think will be just perfect for a springtime baby shower.
Let’s get started. You’ll need basic ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, an egg, buttermilk, and fresh blueberries.
Begin by whisking together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl beat together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar for about 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, egg, and beat well.
On low speed, alternate adding flour mixture in three batches, with two batches of buttermilk, until just combined.
Right about now it should be smelling like lemon fresh springtime.
Time for the berries! Fold in the blueberries.
Pour batter into a sprayed and lined cake pan. Spread batter evenly in the pan and smooth. Sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar.
Bake until golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. I baked the cake a little longer than the time called for in the recipe, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack and continue to cool for another 10–15 minutes.
When cooled (if you can wait that long), invert onto a plate, cut and serve.
What a delightful dessert! It disappeared quickly.
I think we need to make another.
Enjoy! And thanks so much to Valery for sharing the perfect dessert to welcome spring! Valery is an amazing photographer, and if you like beautiful babies and adorable family portraits, you should go visit her photography site.
Printable Recipe
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Description
So delicious! This is perfect for a brunch, party or weekend breakfast side.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- ½ sticks Butter, Softened
- ⅔ cups Sugar Plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons For Sprinkling On Top
- ¼ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1 whole Egg
- ½ cups Buttermilk, Well Shaken
- 5 ounces, weight Fresh Blueberries
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle of oven. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan and line with waxed paper. Spray the waxed paper.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches, mixing until just combined. Add berries and fold in with a spoon. Pour batter into cake pan, spreading and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (this makes it a little crispy on the top)
Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate and cut into 8 slices.
Serve plain or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.
52 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Lisa on 7.11.2011
You make it sound so simple to do….I think I will try this recipe because I just love anything with blueberries.
Judy on 5.20.2011
I saw your reciept for blueberry cake.I just wondewred if you wanted the berries to fall to the bottom during baking?If you wish to keep them in the mixture during baking, dust with flour before adding to the batter. I will try this receipt some time.
Regards, Judy
janice on 4.18.2011
Oh my, that looks scrumptious. Can’t wait to try. Just bought me a whole bunch of blueberries too!
Jackie M on 4.5.2011
I make pretty much the same cake, except my recipe is large enough to fill a 9 x 13 pan, and mine doesn’t have any lemon juice in it, just the zest. Still, it’s always been a winner when I make it. Oh! And I also don’t mix the blueberries into the batter. I prefer to sprinkle them over the top and push them down into the batter a bit. It makes for a real stunning presentation when you do it this way, especially with the sugar sprinkled on top.
fitzwoman on 3.31.2011
made this cake twice now-delicious!! The second time I put a brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, & butter crumb topping on. It tasted so much better with that topping(other than sprinkling of sugar). My daughters agreed. Just thought I’d share!
marie on 3.30.2011
I made this today…kind of.
Don’t you just hate it when someone claims to have used your recipe but they CHANGED it?
Well, I got started making it when I discovered that I didn’t have any lemons OR lemon extract (as a possible substitution) OR lemon zest (canned). So I made it, anyway but increased the vanilla just a bit.
Bottom line, it was STILL great! My husband (a man of few words) like it a LOT!!!
Thanks for sharing. Next time I may even follow the recipe.
Karen on 3.28.2011
I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 cake pan and it was wonderful. Received many compliments. Took about 10 minutes longer to bake. Used frozen blueberries and added them while they were still frozen and coated with a little bit of flour.
Katrin on 3.28.2011
OMG … all I can say is CAKE HEAVEN. That cake is the best. I also used frozen blueberries which worked perfectly. I could barely wait until the cake cooled down a bit to have a piece. Definitely a keeper. Thank you sooooo much for sharing!!!
Lori P on 3.28.2011
I made this and while it was very good, it didn’t have a strong lemon taste. Do you think using lemon extract would do the trick? If so, would it be a one to one substitution or should I use equal amounts of vanilla and lemon extracts?
+jakirt on 3.27.2011
Made this recipe today. Instead of baking as a cake, I made muffins. The hit of Sunday brunch! (I always dust the blueberries with flour before stirring them into the batter, then they don’t sink to the bottom.)
Jo Anne on 3.27.2011
I made this delicious recipe this morning to serve as a breakfast coffee cake. It was absolutely delicious! I had to make several changes (I didn’t have an 8″round cake pan – used a 7 x 11 rectangular. Also used frozen berries instead of fresh.) and it still came out perfectly! I had to bake it about 5 minutes longer to accommodate the frozen berries. Great recipe. Thanks, Ree!
okiemommy35 on 3.25.2011
Off to the store to buy blueberries!
Katy B. on 3.25.2011
I made this last night for dessert and my husband and I loved it! It has a very fresh flavor because of the lemon zest. The grocery store didn’t have any fresh blueberries so I used frozen – and they worked great! Thanks for the recipe!
Wenderly on 3.25.2011
Oh my lemon and blueberries does this cake look like a slice of heaven!
I’m happy just looking at it!
Katrina on 3.25.2011
Lemon always makes cakes like this so fresh and tasty. I love the look of this too!
Judy on 3.25.2011
Hi – I used frozen blueberries. The trick is to keep them frozen, toss them in a bit of flour, then stir them in gently. No discoloured batter
Lisa Hutson on 3.24.2011
Made this tonight…didn’t have enough blueberries so I used half blueberries/half raspberries….oh my….heavenly piece of cake….Made 2 of them, gonna try to freeze one.
Happy When Not Hungry on 3.24.2011
What a beautiful cake! Love your blue plate too!
Sue G. on 3.24.2011
This really does sound very good.
Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 3.24.2011
Hey Sunflower Suzy!
There’s a link to the full printable recipe at the bottom of the post.
Happy Baking!
Amy
Pauletta on 3.24.2011
I made this cake for our mid-morning coffee break this morning. Delicious!
Sunflower Suzy on 3.24.2011
I don’t see the recipe — am I having a blonde moment?
Valery Bunnell on 3.24.2011
Wow what a fun surprise finding out about this. This is a favorite and definitely perfect for spring or baby/bridal showers. Thanks for the feature!
Ariella Fixler Alon on 3.23.2011
wonderful !
it looks so yummy !!
Crissy on 3.23.2011
I just baked this cake for my guys. I used frozen berries, so it isn’t quite as pretty (the batter was purple–the cake is grayish), but they all love it!
Debbie St.Germain on 3.23.2011
That looks so yummy, I love blueberries and lemon desserts.
Debbie
Emily on 3.23.2011
My wedding cake was lemon blueberry, and I don’t think I’ve had a lemon blueberry cake since then! This might be a very good way to use the buttermilk in my fridge before it goes bad…
laura @ alittlebarefoot on 3.23.2011
this looks like it came straight out of my childhood; totally the type of cake my mom would have made when i was little. can’t wait to try it!
EatLiveRun on 3.23.2011
that’s such a pretty cake! Perfect for Spring.
Melissa Lewis - Midwest Magnolia on 3.23.2011
Oh my, that looks scrumptious. Can’t wait to try. Just bought me a whole bunch of blueberries too!
Jenn Oates on 3.23.2011
Oh, my…
This looks so amazingly good I want to eat the computer. Mmmmmm!
Sue on 3.23.2011
Oh, I’ve got to make this but I will have to use Splenda since DH and I are both diabetics. Looks so yummy!
ali grace | cookies and grace on 3.23.2011
I absolutely love blueberries! I must make this. Soon! Thanks for the step by step!
Sara M on 3.23.2011
I always heard that tossing the blueberries (or any add-ins) in flour first stops them from sinking during baking…although what the addition of a little flour has to do with changing the effects of gravity, I’ll never know.
*note* Oh wait…I see now that “Kristen in the ATL” just posted the same tip – maybe that means it works….
Heather @ Heather's Dish on 3.23.2011
Lemon blueberry is a match made in heaven!
Diane on 3.23.2011
This cake looks wonderful! John would love it!
callimakesdo on 3.23.2011
Lemon, blueberries and buttermilk…. that has to be three of my favorite things! That looks like my perfect breakfast! I also love your plate. Thanks for sharing!
Laurie on 3.23.2011
I’m calorie counting right now, so I figure if I read your fantastic blog with one eye closed, it’s just like eating it with half the calories =)
clabbergirl on 3.23.2011
I love the Blue Willow plate. Looks like my mom’s house!
Kristen in the ATL on 3.23.2011
If you toss the blueberries in flour before adding them to the batter, it will help with them all sinking to the bottom. This also works with nuts, chocolate chips etc.
Michelle on 3.23.2011
Total Spring treat! Even the colors are fresh!
Jenny M. on 3.23.2011
The recipe calls for 1/2 stick of butter, but in the pictures it looks like more than that. (Almost a whole stick.) Is it an optical illusion?
Tracy on 3.23.2011
Try this with the small wild Maine frozen blueberries instead of fresh. I love, love fresh blueberries, but the small frozen ones hold up much better in baking and have a stronger, more concentrated natural blueberry taste, too!
AliciaC on 3.23.2011
Oh good Heavens…I love anything with blueberries and lemon.
I wonder if anyone has ever used the “freeze dried” lemon stuff that comes in a jar. In the spice aisle.
Tracy on 3.23.2011
Try this with the small wild Maine blueberries instead of fresh. I love, love fresh blueberries, but the small frozen ones hold up much better in baking and have a stronger, more concentrated natural blueberry taste, too!
DessertForTwo on 3.23.2011
I’m a sucker for anything with buttermilk! And since this has fruit it is healthy, nutritious, and breakfast! Yay!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) on 3.23.2011
I love lemony cake. Blueberries takes it to a whole new level. Yum!
missinthekitchen on 3.23.2011
Gotta try this! Lemon and blueberries are so good together.
d.liff @ yelleBELLYboo on 3.23.2011
oh YUM! I love buttermilk in baked goods – buttermilk pie is one of my favorite desserts – and blueberries and lemon? sold!
doemora on 3.23.2011
have you tried it using frozen berries?