Lemon Blueberry Spring Cake (Printable format)

Moist lemon and blueberry layer cake with luscious lemon cream cheese frosting, ideal for spring celebrations.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Cake Batter

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
09 - 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
11 - 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
12 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour for coating berries

→ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

13 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
15 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
17 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 - Pinch of salt

→ Decoration

19 - Fresh blueberries for garnish
20 - Lemon zest curls
21 - Edible flowers

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon zest and lemon juice.
05 - Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour to prevent sinking, then gently fold into the batter.
07 - Divide batter evenly among prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
08 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
10 - Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until fluffy and spreadable.
11 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with frosting. Repeat with remaining layers, then frost the top and sides.
12 - Decorate with fresh blueberries, lemon zest curls, and edible flowers as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The lemon flavor actually tastes fresh, not artificial or one-note, because you're using both zest and juice to layer the brightness.
  • Three layers with creamy frosting between them feels fancy enough for a celebration but comes together faster than you'd think.
  • Those blueberries stay suspended throughout instead of sinking, which took me two tries to figure out but now feels like a small victory every time.
02 -
  • Blueberries sink unless you coat them with flour first—this single step changed everything for me and stopped that disappointing empty-on-top situation.
  • The alternating method of adding dry and wet ingredients actually matters because it prevents overmixing, which is the enemy of tender cake layers.
  • Cream cheese frosting tastes better when both the cream cheese and butter are truly softened; cold cream cheese creates lumps that no amount of beating fixes.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients—eggs, milk, cream cheese, butter—are not just nice-to-haves; they're the reason your batter emulsifies properly and your frosting stays smooth.
  • A microplane zester creates the finest lemon zest possible, which distributes through the batter evenly instead of leaving big bitter chunks.
  • Sifting your powdered sugar takes thirty seconds and prevents your frosting from tasting grainy or having weird lumps that won't disappear.
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