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Donna R. Luis

Tender Lemon Blueberry Cake

A soft, moist lemon cake layered with juicy blueberries and finished with tangy cream cheese buttercream. Fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, yoghurt, butter, and oil create a tender crumb, while blueberries add bursts of fruity sweetness throughout the layers.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 12 People
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Lemon Blueberry Cake
  • 2⅓ cups 295 g all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup 30 g cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp 86 g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup 141 g unflavored vegetable oil, such as canola oil
  • 1⅔ cups 333 g white granulated sugar
  • 2½ tbsp lemon zest from about 2 lemons
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp 26 g milk, room temperature
  • ¾ cup 185 g plain, unsweetened yoghurt, room temperature
  • ¼ cup 55 g fresh lemon juice
  • 1½ cups 250 g fresh blueberries
  • 1 –2 tbsp flour for coating the blueberries
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 batch cream cheese frosting

Equipment

  • Two 8-inch cake tins
  • Parchment paper
  • Fine grater or zester
  • Mixing bowls
  • Whisk
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Toothpick
  • Sifter

Method
 

  1. Prepare the Oven and Cake Tins: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) using the conventional setting, then grease two 8-inch cake tins and line their bottoms with parchment paper because the cake can stick to the base.
  2. Combine the Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl, whisk them together until evenly combined, and set aside.
  3. Cream the Butter Mixture: Place the room-temperature butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl, then beat with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture becomes light and creamy.
  4. Add the Eggs: Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition before adding the next.
  5. Mix the Wet Ingredients: Add the milk, yoghurt, and fresh lemon juice to the mixture, then mix until everything is well combined.
  6. Fold in the Dry Mixture: Set the mixer aside, add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and gently fold with a spatula until just combined, taking care not to overmix the batter.
  7. Coat the Blueberries: Toss the blueberries with 1–2 tablespoons of flour, coating them lightly so they are less likely to sink toward the bottom of the cake layers.
  8. Fold in the Blueberries: Add the flour-coated blueberries to the batter, leaving behind any excess flour, and gently fold them through with a spatula until just incorporated without overmixing.
  9. Fill the Cake Tins: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared 8-inch cake tins, distributing the blueberries as evenly as possible so some remain toward the top of each cake layer.
  10. Bake the Cake Layers: Bake for 35–40 minutes at 180°C (350°F), or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool in the Tins: Remove the baked layers from the oven and let them cool in their tins for about 20 minutes.
  12. Cool Completely: Carefully turn the cake layers out onto a wire rack and allow them to cool completely, handling them gently because the baked layers are soft and delicate.
  13. Frost the Cake: Once the cake layers have cooled completely, frost and assemble them using the prepared cream cheese frosting.

Notes

  • Use room-temperature butter, eggs, milk, and yoghurt as specified so the batter combines smoothly.
  • When zesting the lemons, grate only the thin yellow outer layer and avoid the white pith, which can add bitterness.
  • Fresh blueberries can be used directly in the batter after being coated with flour.
  • If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before folding them into the batter.
  • Coat the blueberries in flour immediately before adding them to the batter, then discard any excess flour.
  • Fold the dry ingredients and blueberries gently and only until combined to avoid overmixing.
  • Line the bottoms of the cake tins with parchment paper because the soft cake layers can stick.
  • Allow the layers to cool completely before frosting so they can be handled carefully.
  • For a convection oven with a fan function, bake at 160°C (320°F) instead of 180°C (350°F).