Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake is a rich, buttery cake with sweet blueberries scattered throughout and a hint of fresh, brightness from the added lemon. It’s a simple, classic dessert that everyone will love. 

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Pound cake is a classic dessert that is traditionally made with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs and a pound of flour, hence the name “pound” cake. It was a regular at my family’s home when I was growing up, but mostly store-bought.

In this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, I added a little salt and baking powder to add structure to help support the addition of the berries, as well as lemon for added brightness and citrus flavor. Blueberry and lemon make a delicious pair!

This recipe is almost identical to my Blueberry Pound Cake recipe, but with the added lemon juice and zest.

If you love blueberry baked goods, be sure to also try these Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes and Blueberry Oat Muffins.

Why This Recipe Works

It’s an old favorite with a sweet twist. The addition of blueberries and lemon gives traditional pound cake a sweeter, fruitier flavor and adds moisture.

This recipe is easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Besides blueberries and lemon, this pound cake is made with all pantry staples. It’s easy to prepare, but does take a bit of time to bake.

You can enjoy Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake as a dessert with coffee, tea or milk, or even grab a slice for a quick breakfast on your way out the door in the morning.

How To Make Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour: we highly recommend using high-quality baking products like King Arthur brand for the best results.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature and very soft)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries: fresh is best, but frozen, thawed blueberries can be used.

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

Be sure to set your butter and eggs out at least an hour ahead of time to come to room temperature.

Chef’s Tip: it’s important that the butter is very soft so that it can be whipped smooth.

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Coat the inside of a loaf pan with shortening or butter and lightly dust with flour. You can also line it with parchment paper to make it even easier to remove the cake when it’s done baking.

Note: if you plan to use a bundt pan, you will need to double the recipe.

Create!

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Ensure that it’s mixed together well.

Chef’s Tip: measure the flour by gently “fluffing” the flour in its container, then spooning it into a measuring cup without packing. Overfill the cup some, then use the back of a butter knife to level it off. 

Cream the butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle until light, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy. 

Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until evenly blended. 

Gradually add all but 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over mix.

Gently toss the blueberries in the remaining flour then carefully fold in the blueberries and any loose flour with a spoon or silicone spatula.

Chef’s Tip: tossing the blueberries with some of the flour will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 70-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This typically takes me about 80 minutes.

Chef’s Tip: do not open the oven door until the minimum bake time has passed. Then check the pound cake with a toothpick. If a crack forms in the center (normal), it may appear wet. This is not an indicator of cake doneness. 

Present!

Allow the pound cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Once removed allow to fully cool then slice and serve.

Optional: you can add a vanilla glaze to the top of the pound cake after removing it from the pan. The vanilla glaze recipe can be found in this post for Mixed Berry Scones. Simply drizzle the glaze over the cake and let set before slicing.

Tips and Techniques

• Measure flour by gently “fluffing” the flour in its container, then spooning it into a measuring cup with out packing. Overfill the cup some, then use the back of a butter knife to level it off.
• Do not open the oven door until the minimum bake time has passed. Then check the pound cake with a toothpick. If a crack forms in the center (normal), it may appear wet. This is not an indicator of cake doneness.
• Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature. Use within 5 days for best results. Do not refrigerate this cake, as it will loose some of its flavor and the texture may change.

FAQ’s

How Do You Keep Blueberries From Falling in a Cake?

Tossing blueberries gently with 1-2 tablespoons of flour before folding into cake batter will help keep them from falling in a cake. Remember to subtract the flour used to coat the blueberries from the total amount of flour in the recipe.

Why Is It Called Pound Cake?

Pound Cake is named so due to the fact that the original recipe was made with just 4 ingredients – a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.

Is Pound Cake and Loaf Cake The Same Thing?

A loaf cake is any cake that has been baked into a loaf form. A pound cake is a specific type of cake generally made with a pound of each ingredient. Pound cakes are often baked in loaf pans.

More Blueberry Recipes

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