This pretty poundcake captures the summery pairing of jammy blueberries and sunny lemon. The cake itself is a canvas enriched with butter, cream cheese and tangy lemon yogurt, our secret way of adding lemon flavor to the recipe without adding liquid. We fold lemon zest and blueberries into the thick batter and bake the cake in a fluted tube pan, also known as a Bundt pan, which gives the finished cake a fancy look with very little effort. Sweet and sour lemon glaze finishes the whole thing off.
Though it seems impressive, our lemon-blueberry pound cake recipe is quite beginner-friendly, and you can make the whole thing with only a hand mixer. Put it on the menu for your next warm-weather party.
Ingredients for Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake
- Butter and cream cheese: Softened butter and cream cheese whipped together with sugar hold some air to balance the richness of the batter with lightness. Note that it’s best to soften the cream cheese first.
- Sugar: Sugar balances the sharp citrus flavor in the cake batter with sweetness and ensures a soft, tender crumb.
- Eggs and egg white: Eggs provide the batter with richness and elasticity, and an extra egg white helps bind it together without weighing it down.
- Lemon zest and juice: Adding zest to the batter and juice to the glaze helps infuse this lemon-blueberry pound cake with citrus flavor. Make sure to zest your lemons first, before juicing them. Here’s our advice for how to zest a lemon.
- Vanilla extract: Pick up one of our recommendations for the best vanilla extract brands. You could also use homemade vanilla extract to give a lovely flavor to this blueberry-lemon pound cake recipe.
- Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen berries to give this cake its sweet polka dots. If you’re using frozen, don’t defrost them first. The juice they’ll release will stain the batter gray.
- All-purpose flour: Flour is the base of this pound cake recipe. You can substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the all-purpose if you need.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Two leavening agents work together to give this pound cake a fluffy lift while still preserving the tart flavor of the lemon in the finished product.
- Lemon yogurt: Just as with the buttermilk in buttermilk biscuits, the acidity of yogurt creates tender pound cake and works with the baking powder and baking soda to help it rise. Using lemon yogurt adds a layer of flavor, but you can also use plain yogurt.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Combined with lemon juice, confectioners’ sugar is the base for a sweet and tart glaze on top of the finished scones.
Directions
Step 1: Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add the eggs and the egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.
Step 2: Finish the cake batter
Toss the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the yogurt, and beating after each addition until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.
Step 3: Bake the pound cake
Transfer the batter to your prepared pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: Glaze the pound cake
In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake Variations
- Add some chocolate: Fold a handful of white baking chips into the batter along with the blueberries. The sweetness complements the tart fruit flavors beautifully.
- Try different flavors: Use the formula in this recipe to bake pound cake of a different flavor by substituting plain yogurt for the lemon yogurt and replacing the lemon zest and blueberries with a different combination. Try diced apple and cinnamon or cranberry walnut with orange zest.
- Use a different pan: Divide the batter into greased and floured loaf pans, mini loaf pans or muffin tins instead of the Bundt pan. Follow the same doneness cues, but note that because the batter is in shallower containers it will bake faster.
How to Store Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake
This lemon-blueberry cake does not need to be refrigerated if it will be consumed within a few days. You can leave it on the counter wrapped in plastic wrap or covered (find more tips on how to store baked goods). If the cake won’t be eaten right away, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze the cake for up to two months.
Can you freeze lemon-blueberry pound cake?
Yes, and pound cakes freeze beautifully. Freeze leftover slices of cake individually wrapped in plastic wrap or waxed paper, then transfer them to a freezer bag for storage. You can also freeze an entire blueberry-lemon pound cake, but if you know you want to make it ahead of time, hold off on adding the glaze until it’s defrosted, as the moisture released in the freezing and thawing process can make the glaze runny.
Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake Tips
What is the difference between a pound cake and a regular cake?
Pound cake is typically more dense than regular cake and topped with a glaze rather than frosting. Traditionally, it was made with a pound each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs—hence the name “pound cake”!
Why do my blueberries sink in my cake?
Blueberries sink to the bottom of cakes because they are most likely heavier than the batter and denser due to all the juices they contain. To prevent the blueberries from sinking in your lemon-blueberry pound cake (or other cake recipes), we toss the blueberries in a little flour before them adding into the batter.
What’s the best way to grease a Bundt pan?
The best way to ensure that your lemon and blueberry pound cake comes out of the pan cleanly is to grease the pan well from the start. We recommend using shortening to grease Bundt pans, even those with nonstick coating. To grease a Bundt pan, take a dollop of shortening on a paper towel and wipe the interior of the pan. You want to get into every nook and cranny. Then dust the pan with flour and tap away the excess.
