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This delicious Lemon Blueberry Cake is made from a boxed mix and either fresh or frozen blueberries. This cake is based on my popular Lemon Bundt Cake and created upon request for the readers, and it was a great idea! It’s spectacular.
Lemon and blueberries are a classic flavor combination, and I especially love it for spring. Even though citrus has officially fallen out of season by the time blueberries arrive in June, the lemon-blueberry combo feels like a bridge between winter and summer.
I have a Lemon Bundt Cake on the site that is extremely popular, and people asked for years if they could add blueberries. Of course you can! I always consider recipes a starting point for negotiations, and you should always make them your own.
We tested the cake in a bunch of different ways and found that both fresh and frozen blueberries work. The only caveat is, you need to limit yourself to 6 ounces of blueberries. It is so tempting to go over and just load up the batter with more, but it doesn’t work out the way that you want it to.
So stick to 6 ounces, use fresh or frozen, no need to thaw frozen blueberries, and I hope you love it!
Table of Contents
Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Boxed lemon cake mix: This gives you a head-start on the cake and is the secret to ultra-lemony flavor. Yes, even restaurants use boxed lemon cake mixes.
- Instant lemon pudding mix: Add the dry pudding mix to the batter dry (you don’t prepare the pudding separately). Even if your cake mix says “pudding in the mix,” you should still add a box of instant pudding.
- Lemon zest and juice: Zest the lemon before cutting it in half for juice.
- Blueberries: Both fresh blueberries and frozen blueberries work here, just be sure to use only 6 ounces (not more). You don’t need to thaw frozen blueberries; just toss them in frozen.
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat large Bundt pan with shortening or nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together cake mix and dry pudding. Add water, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and stir to combine. Carefully fold berries into the cake batter.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Cool 15 minutes in pan. Invert on to a rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely. To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake and let harden for at least 10 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Lemon Blueberry Cake makes 12 servings (or 9 if you like large slices).
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the unglazed cake in 2 layers of freezer-safe plastic wrap. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before glazing.
- Made with yogurt: This Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake is a quick bread made from scratch in a loaf pan. Cut thick slices of the loaf cake for breakfast, bake sales, and snacks.
- More berry desserts: Try Blackberry Cobbler, Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Cake wtih Limoncello Whipped Cream, Blueberry Muffins, or Raspberry Pretzel Salad.
More Bundt cakes
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Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 package lemon cake mix (see note 1)
- 3 ounces instant lemon pudding mix (see note 2)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (see note 3)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs
- 6 ounces blueberries fresh or frozen (see note 4)
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons water or lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat large Bundt pan with shortening or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix and dry pudding. Add water, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and stir to combine. Carefully fold in blueberries.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Cool 15 minutes in pan. Invert on to a rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake and let harden for at least 10 minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Boxed lemon cake mix: This gives you a head-start on the cake and is the secret to ultra-lemony flavor. Yes, even restaurants use boxed lemon cake mixes.
- Instant lemon pudding mix: Add the dry pudding mix to the batter dry (you don’t prepare the pudding separately). Even if your cake mix says “pudding in the mix,” you should still add a box of instant pudding.
- Lemon zest and juice: Zest the lemon before cutting it in half for juice.
- Blueberries: Both fresh and frozen blueberries work here, just be sure to use only 6 ounces (not more). You don’t need to thaw frozen blueberries; just toss them in frozen.
- Yield: This Lemon Blueberry Cake makes 12 servings (or 9 if you like large slices).
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the unglazed cake in 2 layers of freezer-safe plastic wrap. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before glazing.
I made this over the weekend, and it was delicious. Gone in 1 day between the hubby and son!
I added bits of pecans on top for a bit of crunch. Great idea. Will try sliced almonds next time.
Making again today in muffin form.
Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Maggie! That sounds delicious! – Meggan
Recipe says to whisk dry ingred then add rest of ingred and stir then fold in blueberries,,,no mention of using a mixer?
Hi Jane, a mixer isn’t needed for this recipe. It can be done with a whisk and by hand. If you chose to use a mixer, you can, just make sure to not overmix the batter and still fold in the blueberries. – Meggan
In 2021 with the blueberry lemon bundt cake you stated that flour coating blueberries to keep them from sinking in batter…was a myth. In 2022 with the blueberry yogurt lemon quick bread/cake you stated that you forgot to add flour to your blueberries to keep them from sinking. I find always, that tossing blueberries in flour before adding to batter to keep them from sinking…is not a myth, regardless of what you are making, with the exception of pancakes LOL. You might want to figure this out in your kitchen xo
Hi Dee, you’re right. I absolutely said all of that! Here’s why. I read a post on Serious Eats about this (https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-stop-blueberries-from-sinking-muffin-baking) and they said the flour thing was a myth. I assumed they were right (because it’s Serious Eats, after all), so I said, don’t bother. But I continued to see this technique suggested by reputable food people (such as Sim Sifton in the New York Times), so I spent more time playing around with it. And I feel like at WORST, it doesn’t hurt anything. At best, I really think it helps. I think most of the time I see a difference, and I’m sorry for flip-flopping on the issue. I don’t know that all my blog posts are current with my ideas, but I’ll check around for anything with blueberries and see what it says. Sorry for the confusion. I am always learning, happy to admit when I’m wrong, and trying to update everything in my corner of the internet. -Meggan
Hi , I was wondering if I could do a brown sugar crumble on top instead of the sugar glaze . TIA.
Hi Nicole, I don’t see why not! I haven’t tried this on the lemon cake, but I would like to suggest the streusel topping from my Blueberry Muffins recipe. (Since I haven’t done it myself, it might make too much topping for the one loaf.)
For the streusel topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter cold
To prepare the streusel topping, in a medium bowl combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the topping is crumbly and coarse. Top the cake during step 3 after adding the batter and bake as directed.
Here is the link to the Blueberry Muffins incase you would like to check it out sometime: https://cash-surge.live/blueberry-muffins/%3C/a%3E Take care and please let me know how it turns out! – Meggan
Made this cake for a birthday now it is everyone’s favorite cake! I usually make all my cakes from scratch, but decided to give this one a try… so glad that I did! So moist & the icing is to die for! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Kelly! So glad it was a hit! – Meggan
Made this into 20 cupcakes in fancy cupcake papers, and iced with glaze and added three blueberries to top and a cute toothpick owl/birdie. Did not have lemon pudding, so used vanilla pudding mix but tripled the grated lemon peel. My five grand girls approved at their belated birthday picnic yesterday! They told me they were “delicious” – I had to agree!
Sounds amazing Elaine, so glad you all enjoyed! – Meggan
I made it . It came out perfect the aroma made me want to cut it but I held off.Ih my goodness it is so good .and it was a last minute decision to make it.
Thanks Stephanie! – Meggan
The best Lemon Blueberry cake ever. Love the fact that this cake stays moist for days. Of course it doesn’t last that long in our home.
Thanks Judy, so glad you all love it! – Meggan
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but can I replace the blueberries with strawberries? I’ve looked up strawberry lemon cakes, and none of them sound like what I’m looking to accomplish.
Hi Jennifer, that sounds delicious! I haven’t tried it myself but don’t see why not! I would make sure not to use too many strawberries, no more than 6 ounces, as it becomes troublesome in my tests with using blueberries. Enjoy – Meggan
This cake was delicious. I baked it as a double-layer cake, and I loved how it turned out! We saved the rest of it for Father’s Day this weekend! I do have a question, though, about making it a fluffier cake since it did come out dense. My brother mentioned that adding baking powder to the recipe would enable the batter to rise more. Do you have a suggestion about how much to add?
Is Duncan Hines a good choice? My Betty Crocker already had pudding in the mix.
Thank you
Hi Margie, yes! Great choice. I hope you enjoy the cake! – Meggan