Made with blueberries and topped with an easy lemon glaze, this bright lemon blueberry loaf cake makes for a great snacking cake, breakfast, or dessert. This easy loaf cake is made with just 10 ingredients and comes together in one bowl—no electric mixer required! I made this loaf with fresh blueberries, but frozen will work, too.
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake Ingredients
This easy loaf cake recipe with lemon and blueberry uses just 10 simple ingredients:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon
- Milk
- Blueberries
Quick Tips for Prepping Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Room temperature butter and eggs are of the highest importance to this recipe. If the butter is too cold, it won’t cream properly with the sugar. That may result in a denser loaf.
The same goes for the eggs: Please make sure they are not cold when you mix them into the batter. I’m not usually a huge stickler for room temperature ingredients, but I have experimented with this loaf a few times and strongly recommend using room temperature eggs.
Will This Loaf Cake Recipe Work with Frozen Blueberries?
Yes, this recipe will work with frozen blueberries. You can thaw them in advance if you’d like, but you can also add them to the batter when frozen. It may add another five minutes or so to the bake time, but the loaf will turn out delicious!
Can I Substitute Lemon Extract for the Lemon Zest?
Yes, you can. Use 1½ teaspoons of lemon extract in place of one whole lemon’s zest. I much prefer the flavor and texture of real lemon zest in this loaf, but if you’re in a pinch, just the extract will do.
Do I Need to Make it in a Cocktail Loaf Pan?
No, you can make this loaf in a regular loaf pan with no issues! Proceed with the recipe as written, just being sure to add 15 minutes or so to the bake time.
The elongated walls on this cocktail loaf pan mean more of the batter is in contact with the pan at all times. That results in a significantly faster bake time. And the nonstick coating cleans like a dream, so you spend significantly less time at the sink, too!
This pan was gifted to me by USA Pan, and I have really come to love it. Each loaf makes the ideal small bite for appetizers or desserts made to share.
Quick Tips for Prepping the Lemon Glaze
The lemon glaze is easy and adds a strong lemony touch to the top of this lemon snacking cake. Each lemon naturally varies in juiciness, though, so it can be hard to get the perfect consistency right from the recipe.
If your glaze is a bit runny for your liking, add another ¼ cup of powdered sugar to the mix.
If your glaze is a little too thick (and you’ve squeezed that half of the lemon dry), add in a couple of drops of water until you reach your desired consistency.
Dish Cleanup: A Lil Messy
I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.
My lemon blueberry loaf cake recipe has a cleanup rating of a 3. This cake batter comes together quickly in just one bowl, and the majority of the dishes I had to wash were from holding ingredients I measured out in advance. The dishwasher made light work of those, and I highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking for a quick and easy loaf cake with lemon and blueberry.
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Made with fresh or frozen blueberries and topped with an easy lemon glaze, this bright, lemon blueberry loaf makes for a perfect breakfast, snacking cake, or dessert. Bonus: It's made without a mixer and comes together in one bowl!
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (195g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (7g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
- ½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup white sugar (150g)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- One lemon
- ⅔ cup milk (160 ml)
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (140g)
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar (100g)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C with a center rack.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a whisk. (No electric mixing required!) Then zest the lemon directly over the bowl and stir to combine, reserving the lemon. Add in the eggs and whisk together for two minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, with ribbons that dissolve slowly back into the batter.
- Juice half of the zested lemon into the milk, reserving the other half for the icing later on, then set aside. Add in all but two Tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. It will be thick. Add the blueberries to the remaining flour and roll them around until they are fully coated in the flour mixture.
- Add in the milk and lemon juice, then whisk together until just combined. Add the blueberries and fold them in gently with a spatula, just until large clumps of flour disappear. If in doubt, undermix rather than overmix to help the blueberries evenly disperse throughout the loaf (instead of clumped together at the bottom).
- If using a cocktail loaf pan, bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using a regular loaf pan, the bake time will be closer to 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
For the icing:
- Once the bread has cooled for at least an hour, remove from the tin. Juice the remaining half of the lemon into a small bowl with the powdered sugar. Whisk together until fully combined, then drizzle on top of the loaf.
Notes
Store this bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 192mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g
The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
Thanks for trying out my lemon blueberry loaf cake recipe! I’d love to see how it turns out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Still got a lemon kick? Try my lemon curd recipe for a delicious spread you can put on toast, berries, yogurt—the list goes on!
If cakes filled with fruit are your thing, I have a cherry almond cupcake recipe filled with fresh and canned cherries that is everyone’s favorite. Or, try my strawberry champagne cupcake recipe for a champagne-flavored cake stuffed with a strawberry champagne jam that I could eat by the spoon!