Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze
I hadn’t made a Bundt cake in ages but all of a sudden I just had to make one.
I couldn’t get it out of my mind until I did, and it had to be a blueberry Bundt cake.
I dusted off my Bundt pan, adapted the most trustyworthy cake base I’ve ever created, adapted it to incorporate lemon, and I was in business.
It’s an easy, no-mixer cake that’s as easy as making muffin batter and takes just minutes to get in the oven.
I love this cake base because cakes always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. It’s impossible to have a dry cake with that trio of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients.
I don’t have an army to feed and made the cake in a 6-cup Bundt pan, sometimes called a half-Bundt pan. The recipe works in an 8-inch square pan, baked for approximately the same duration. You could likely double the recipe and bake in a standard 12-cup Bundt, and you’ll need to increase the baking time, but I haven’t tried.
I used frozen blueberries because they’re cheaper and readily available year round. I almost always bake with frozen. If you have fresh, they’d be lovely and you’ll likely need to reduce the baking time.
The cake is soft, moist, fluffy, and dense enough to be satisfying without being heavy. It’s packed with sweet, juicy blueberries and while there’s lemon in the batter, it’s the lemon glaze that really brings out the tartly-sweet lemon flavor that complements the blueberries so well.
I shoveled this soft, juicy, moist cake in bite after bite.
And I was tempted to lick the tangy-sweet glaze right off my plate.
Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze
The cake is packed with sweet, juicy blueberries and while there's lemon in the batter, it's the lemon glaze that really brings out the tartly-sweet lemon flavor that complements the blueberries so well. This easy, no-mixer cake is soft, moist, fluffy, and dense enough to be satisfying without being heavy. I love this cake base because cakes always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. I used a 6-cup Bundt pan, and the recipe works in an 8-inch square pan, baked for approximately the same duration. You could likely double the recipe and bake in a standard 12-cup Bundt, and you'll need to increase the baking time, but I haven't tried. I used frozen blueberries and if you have fresh, they’d be lovely and you’ll likely need to reduce the baking time.
Yield: one 6-cup Bundt cake, 8 generous pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 50 to 55 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, for cooling
Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream (lite is okay; Greek yogurt may be substituted)
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided (if using frozen, keep frozen so they run and bleed less)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon zest or to taste, for garnishing
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 6-cup Bundt pan (sometimes called a half-Bundt pan, measuring 8 inches in diameter) very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan. Recipe works in an 8-inch square pan, baked for approximately the same duration. You could likely double the recipe and bake in a standard 12-cup Bundt, and you'll need to increase the baking time, but I haven't tried. Set pan aside.
- Cake - In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- In a 2-cup measuring cup or medium bowl, add the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Lumps will be present and this is okay. Don't overmix or try to stir them smooth.
- Add 1 1/4 cups blueberries (reserve remaining 1/4 cup), lemon zest, and gently and briefly fold to combine; don't overmix or batter will turn blue and cake will be tougher.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup blueberries, tapping them down very slightly with fingertips or a spatula.
- Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until center is set, top is lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. I used frozen berries and baked for 52 minutes. If using fresh, baking time will likely be closer to 45 minutes. If at any point the cake is beginning to look a bit too golden on top before you suspect it's cooked through, tent with a sheet of foil laid across top of pan. I tented the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 1 hour (overnight is okay) before inverting. Inverting too early can result in a cake that sticks to the pan, falls apart, or doesn't release neatly; I urge you not to rush the cooling duration. Shortly before inverting, make the glaze.
- Glaze - In a medium bowl, add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and whisk until smooth. As necessary, add additional sugar (or lemon juice) to reach desired glaze consistency. Glaze should be pourable, but not too thin or it will slide off.
- Carefully invert cake onto a cake stand or serving plate.
- Slowly and evenly drizzle glaze over cake.
- Evenly sprinkle with lemon zest before slicing and serving. Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Extra glaze will keep airtight at room temp for up to 1 week or in the fridge for many weeks. Glaze will soak in as time passes and if I still have cake left after a couple days, I add any leftover glaze.
Adapted from Blueberry Muffin and Buttermilk Pancakes Cake
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
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