This blueberry lemon bundt cake has a tender, lemon-flavoured cake, a crispy outside and a ribbon of blueberries through the middle. Yogurt in the cake ensures a lovely crumb and you can use fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries!

blueberry lemon bundt sliced on white platter

Why you’ll love this beautiful bundt cake!

  • The combination of lemon and blueberry is a classic and always a winning one!
  • This blueberry lemon cake has a lovely tender crumb, but a crispy outside, which makes for a great contrast of textures.
  • Using milk and yogurt in the cake contributes to a moist cake, without the extra fat of sour cream.
  • You can make this blueberry bundt cake with fresh or frozen blueberries.
  • While this cake is baked in bundt form, it’s a great coffee cake, so can be enjoyed any time of day.

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Lemon – The lemon flavour in this cake comes solely from lemon zest. You can add more lemon zest, if you like, but I don’t suggest adding lemon juice, as it can alter the liquid balance of the batter.
  • Blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this cake. For frozen blueberries, use from their frozen state (do not thaw).
  • Milk – A whole (3%) or 2% milk will give the nicest results, but a lower fat milk will work. I don’t recommend buttermilk, as buttermilk generally requires adjustments to the leavening agents.
  • I haven’t tested this cake with non-dairy milk, but I suspect it would technically work (though produces less rich results and perhaps results in a slightly different cake texture).
  • Yogurt – you can use regular or Greek yogurt. I don’t recommend fat-free. At least 2% b.f. yogurt will give the best results. No yogurt? Substitute sour cream for the yogurt.

Step-by-Step Photos

  1. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl and cream together at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions. *Tip! Scrape down the bowl a few times with a rubber spatula, as unmixed butter can stick to the sides or hide under the paddle attachment.
  3. Add the vanilla and the lemon zest.
  4. Add some of the flour mixture, while mixing on low.
  5. Add the milk, alternately with the flour mixture.
  6. The finished batter. Be sure not to over-mix after adding the flour. The flour should be mixed in, but stop once it is. (Don’t worry about a bit of flour on the paddle. It will easily mix in once stirred in the bowl).
  7. (Sorry I somehow missed taking photos of this part.) Grease the bundt pan well, then add 1/2 of the batter to the pan and level it a bit. Scatter the fresh or frozen blueberries on top of the batter, then top with the remaining batter.

Tip! When scattering the blueberries, try to keep the blueberries away from the sides of the pan (directly touching the pan), as they can scorch and become bitter and they can also stick and make releasing the bundt cake later a little more difficult.

blueberry lemon bundt sliced on white platter

Bundt Cake Tips

  • Make sure your bundt cake pan is perfectly clean. Sometimes bits of cake can remain in the narrow grooves on some pans. This can cause sticking later on when trying to remove the bundt cake.
  • Grease the pan well and thoroughly. I have had great success with Pam Baking Spray. Alternately, use a brush to brush a thin layer of neutral-tasting cooking oil on the pan.
  • If using spray, don’t spray the pan until you are right ready to put the batter in. If you spray early, the spray tends to run off the sides and pool at the bottom.
  • The colour of your bundt pan can affect the baking time of the cake. Darker pans will cook more quickly, so be sure to check and test the cake ahead of the suggested baking time.
  • After baking, the “sweet spot” for removing a bundt cake from the pan is 10 minutes after removing it from the oven (unless the recipe specifically suggests a different timing). Trying to remove the cake too early and any later than 10 minutes can cause the cake to stick to the pan.
  • Before flipping out the bundt cake, use a knife to gently loosen the outside edges and the edges up against the centrepiece.
  • To remove the cake, place a cooling rack over the top, then flip it over, allowing the pan to rest on the cooling rack. Gently lift up the pan a bit. The cake hopefully fell right out. If it didn’t, place it back down and gently tap on the sides of the pan with the blunt end of a knife until it loosens.
blueberry lemon bundt sliced on white platter

Get the Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

A delicious, tender lemon bundt cake, with a crispy outside and a ribbon of blueberries running through the middle.
5 stars from 4 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (150 g) butter, at room temperature , salted or unsalted
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • Zest of 2 lemons, about 2 Tablespoons
  • 3 cups (405 g) all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, reduce slightly if using salted butter
  • 1 cup (227 ml) milk, 2 or 3% recommended, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (113 ml) plain yogurt, regular or Greek yogurt, at least 2% b.f. recommended, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (340 ml) fresh or frozen blueberries, do not thaw, if frozen

For garnish:

  • Icing/confectioners' sugar, for dusting before serving

Instructions
 

  • I like to take the eggs, milk and yogurt out of the fridge at the same time I set the butter out to come to room temperature so they all come to room temperature before I start mixing. Keep in mind that "room temperature" is defined as about 67F.
  • Preheat oven to 350F. (not fan assisted) Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour. (I have had good luck with Pam Baking Spray. If using spray, don't spray until right before you add the batter). Set pan aside.
  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until light a fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in well between additions and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Bean in the vanilla and lemon zest.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the milk and yogurt.
  • Add the flour mixture to the batter, alternately with the milk/yogurt mixture, making 3 additions of the flour mixture and 2 of the milk mixture. Mix just until combined and do not over-mix after adding the dry ingredients. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
  • Spoon half of the batter into the prepared baking pan and level with a spatula. Scatter the blueberries over-top of the batter, taking care to avoid having any blueberries right up against the outside edge of the pan. Spoon remaining batter over-top and level the batter.
  • Bake for 55-60 minutes, checking regularly towards the end of baking and testing with a cake tester when it appears like it is close to done (pulling away from the sides of the pan, lightly golden on top and cracking a bit). The tester should come out clean.
  • Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes. Use a knife to gently loosen any bits along the sides that seem attached to the pan and also gently loosen the cake around the centre piece. Place a cooling rack over the top of the pan and invert the cake onto the cooling rack. The cake should just fall out onto the cooling rack. If it doesn't, place the pan directly on the cooling rack, tap the outside of the pan with the blunt end of a knife and try to lift the pan off then. *Do not let the cake stay in the pan more than 10 minutes, or the build up of steam in the pan may cause sticking. Let cake cool completely. Garnish with icing sugar before serving.

Notes

Be sure to read my tips for bundt cakes above this recipe card. You’ll also find Ingredient notes and step-by-step photos there, that you might find useful.
This cake can also be made in a metal 9×13-inch pan. If using this pan, baking time would reduce to about 45 minutes, but be sure to check regularly towards the end of baking.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Dessert
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 342kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 249mg, Potassium: 163mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 414IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg
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