Lovely, moist and full of blueberries, this blueberry sour cream cake is lightly sweet, so it’s perfect to enjoy any time of day.
Full of flavour and blueberries, this Blueberry Sour Cream Cake is the perfect snacking cake to have on your counter. Not only does it keep well for several days, it also freezes well.
This cake bakes in a tube pan (see below, if you’re not sure what that is). The benefit of baking in a tube pan is that it bakes right side up, as opposed to a bundt pan, which bakes upside down. Baking this cake right side up, means you’ll get to enjoy a pretty, blueberry topped cake, that is sure to entice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Sour Cream: This is a sour cream cake, so sour cream would be the recommended ingredient here :) For best results, use a full-fat sour cream. I haven’t tested this cake with a low or no-fat sour cream.
Oil: Any neutral-tasting oil is fine here, such as vegetable, canola, sunflower etc. I don’t recommend olive oil.
Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries for this cake. There is no need to thaw the frozen blueberries.I think frozen blueberries actually hold their shape a little better, especially the smaller wild blueberries (used in the main photos here). Fresh blueberries will tend to burst, especially larger ones (as shown in the step-by-step photos, where fresh blueberries were used). You can use whichever you prefer.
What is a Tube Pan? Can I use a Bundt Pan instead?
A Tube Pan is not a bundt pan. A Tube pan is usually in two pieces, with a centre tube, attached to a round base. This centre tube part then sits inside of an outer piece that makes the sides and has a lip at the bottom to hold the centre tube. Tube pans sometimes come in one piece, as well. They are essentially the same, though I find the two-piece easier to remove the cake from.
A tube pan will bake a cake right side up, as opposed to a bundt pan, which is baked upside down and then flipped over.
I haven’t tested this cake in a bundt pan. At the very least, to bake it in a bundt pan, you wouldn’t be able to add the blueberries to the top of the cake, since the top of the bundt cake will become the bottom of the cake when it is flipped out. If you wanted to try it in a bundt pan, you would have to just fold the blueberries directly into the batter.
While both bundt pans and tube pans have a centre cone, tube pans are used either for more delicate cakes that might stick to a bundt pan or in cases where you want to bake a cake right side up, instead of the inverted style of a bundt pan.
In the case of this Blueberry Sour Cream Cake, we are using a tube pan to be able to load the top up with fresh blueberries, for a pretty cake. If we were to use a bundt pan here, the bottom of the bundt pan would end up as the top, so all the blueberries would be on the bottom of the cake. I think the only way to make this cake work with a bundt pan would be to just fold the blueberries directly into the batter.
As noted above, a two-piece tube pan makes it easier to remove the cake, but if you only have a one-piece tube pan, it will work here as well. Grease well, line the bottom with parchment (with a hole cut in the centre) and allow to cool in the pan slightly longer before removing from the pan.
Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: Start this cake by adding the sugar, eggs and sour cream to a large bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat this mixture for a FULL 3 MINUTES!. You’ll only be able to beat it at about Speed 4 or medium, as it is quite liquid and will splash out of the bowl otherwise. The mixture won’t thicken much, but will be quite foamy with lots of small bubbles.
Step 2: With the mixer on low, slowly add the oil and mix in.
Step 3: With the mixer still on low, gradually add the flour and mix until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Spoon the batter into your well greased tube pan and level.
Step 5: Sprinkle the fresh or frozen blueberries on top of the batter, sprinkle with a bit of white sugar and bake. Note that the top of the cake will stay very pale, so don’t judge to the colour of the top of the cake when assessing when it is done. Test with a skewer. The skewer should come out clean.
Recipe Tips
- You’ll want to be sure to follow the technique of this cake closely, for best results. In particular, be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure your flour (or better yet, use a scale and the gram measurements). Have your eggs and sour cream at room temperature and most importantly, be sure to beat the eggs, sugar and sour cream for the full 3 minutes (set a timer!).
- If you’d like to add a touch of lemon to this cake, add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter.
- Don’t skimp on the blueberries. Put as many on top as you can. Some will sink into the cake a bit as it bakes.
- This cake stays very pale on the top, so don’t judge the done-ness of the cake by colour on the top of the cake, as there will next to none when the cake is actually done. You can check the edges of the cake for some colour though and to see if the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan. That’s a good time to test with a skewer. A skewer should come out clean.
Storing and Freezing
This cake keeps well for several days stored wrapped or covered on the counter. This cake will also freeze well up to 3 months.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Seasons and Suppers.
Get the Recipe: Blueberry Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, measured using the stir, spoon and level method
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, full fat, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoon vegetable oil, or canola or other neutral tasting oil
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, or frozen blueberries (not thawed), for topping
- 1-2 Tablespoons white sugar, for topping
- Confectioners/icing sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340F (regular bake/not fan-assisted) with rack in centre of oven. Grease a 9-inch, two-piece tube pan (*see note) and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, eggs and sour cream at medium speed (Speed 4 on stand miser) for A FULL 3 minutes. *Don't skimp on this process, as it is important for the finished texture of the cake. The mixture won't thicken a lot, but will become lighter in colour and be foamy, with lots of small bubbles).
- With mixer on low, slowly add the oil and mix in until combined. With mixer still on low, spoon in the flour mixture until combined, then beat the mixture at medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Spoon batter into prepared tube pan and smooth the top. (*Note that the batter will only fill the pan about 1/3 the way up).
- Scatter the blueberries on top of batter, then sprinkle with the white sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 55- 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. **The top of the cake will stay very pale, even when done, so don't judge the readiness of the cake on the colour of the top of the cake. Look at the very outside edges, which should be golden and pulling away from the side of the pan, then test with a skewer.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the cake, then gently push up from the bottom, removing the cake from the sides, but still sitting on the base. Allow to cool a bit more, then carefully run a knife around the centre tube. Gently lift the cake off the base/tube and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Serve dusted with confectioners/icing sugar, if desired.
Notes
More Blueberry Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This is a great recipe. I made it and gone same day. Just wondering if anyone has tried it with gumdrops.
So glad you enjoyed it, Barbara :) I haven’t tried it with gumdrops myself, but maybe someone has and will weigh in. Thanks!
can i use spring mold 8″ or 9″ insted the tube form?
Hi Miki, I haven’t tried it myself, but an 8″ springform might work. Baking time would change (longer), so be sure to test the centre well and bake until it tests clean.