Your family and friends will be thrilled when you bake them this delectable Blueberry Pound Cake!
This mouthwatering dessert combines the rich, buttery goodness of classic pound cake with bursts of succulent blueberries and a tangy glaze making it incredibly popular with both young and not-so-young. You won’t regret making this tried and tested recipe today!
The traditional pound cake created in England consisted of a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. It was a huge cake! Like Italian Pan di Spagna, no rising agents were used and the cake relied on the air beaten into the butter, sugar and eggs for a lift. You can imagine how difficult this was considering there were no electric mixers!
Today pound cakes vary greatly but many still use the basic pound cake ingredients though rarely in such large quantities! This Blueberry Pound Cake, based on a recipe by my friend Greg Patent, consists of a lemon pound cake filled with fresh juicy blueberries. My family loves all types of fruit filled cakes for dessert like this German Plum cake and my old fashioned fresh Apple Cake. If you prefer a fruitless cake, why not try my very similar Lemon Yogurt Cake?
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Flavor: This lemon pound cake with blueberries is a delightful combination of buttery, moist cake and bursts of sweet-tart blueberries, creating a heavenly taste that appeals to everyone.
- Texture: The dense yet tender texture of pound cake, complemented by juicy blueberries, makes it delicious and satisfying to eat.
- Guilt-Free: The addition of blueberries gives this cake a healthy boost of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber to the cake making it a guilt-free indulgence.
- Keeps Well: Lemon blueberry pound cake stays fresh for several days when stored properly, making it a convenient treat.
- Versatility: It can be enjoyed as a delicious dessert after a meal, a delightful afternoon snack, or even as a scrumptious breakfast option.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Blueberries - When buying blueberries check that they’re not withered or soft and mushy. Choose blueberries that are plump and dark in color. The silvery coating on blueberries is perfectly normal.
- Lemon - You’ll need both the zest and the juice for this. Choose firm lemons, bright in color and heavy for their size. If you have a loaded backyard lemon tree, as I do, you’ll know that it’s super fresh because you picked it. Use the extra lemons to make chicken limone, lemon curd cookies and my Italian lemon cake.
- Butter - I prefer the taste of unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter, it’ll be fine. If using salted butter, there’s no need to add salt to the cake batter.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar is best in this recipe. If you can find superfine (castor) sugar, use that. However regular granulated sugar will also work well.
- Eggs - There are quite a few eggs in this recipe so buy the best quality you can afford. Be sure to use fresh eggs. Stale eggs won’t give the lift needed for this blueberry pound cake recipe.
- Cake flour - You’ll find cake flour in the grocery store near the all purpose flour. Cake flour has less gluten than all purpose flour which is important for making lighter, more tender cakes, cookies and pastry. Cake flour doesn’t have any rising agents added. Don’t confuse it with self rising flour.
- Baking powder - I like to add just a little for insurance. You can omit the baking powder if you prefer more dense cake and are experienced in making traditional pound cakes.
- Vanilla extract - avoid vanilla essence which is not a natural product. Vanilla extract will give you the best flavor. Substitute with a teaspoon of vanilla paste.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Wash the blueberries and remove any stems or bruised, mushy fruit. Spread out on a kitchen towel or paper towel to dry.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Butter and flour a bundt pan. Be extra careful if your cake pan doesn't have a nonstick coating. Set aside.
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of the flour. Then sift or whisk the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat butter until creamy. Then gradually beat in the granulated sugar along with the lemon zest and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture followed by the lemon juice and remaining flour.
Spread ¼ of the batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Then using a spatula, fold ¾ of the blueberries gently into the batter.
Spoon most of the batter over the plain batter in the bundt pan. Before scraping the last of the batter into the pan, stir in the remaining blueberries Once all the batter is in the bundt pan, smooth off and tap two times on the work surface to remove air pockets.
Bake 350ºF/180ºC for 40-45 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Cool the blueberry pound cake in the pan for 20-30 minutes. If you're using a pan that doesn't have a non stick coating, allow it to cool a little longer. To remove, shake a little to check if it has loosened from the bottom then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Combine the sieved powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to create a pouring glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and top with extra fresh blueberries.
Hint: From time to time, use a spatula to scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.
Substitutions
- Blueberries - Frozen berries can be used however the cooking time will be longer.
- Cake Flour - Use plain all purpose flour if that’s all you have.
- Lemon - Use limes instead.
Variations
- Raspberry Pound Cake - Substitute fresh raspberries for the blueberries.
- Chocolate Chip Pound Cake - Use chocolate chips instead of blueberries, substitute the lemon juice with sour cream or yogurt and leave out the lemon zest.
- Lemon-infused blueberry pound cake - make a syrup with ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Pour over the warm, freshly baked cake while still in the pan. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and drizzling with the glaze.
Equipment
To ensure that enough air is incorporated into the butter and sugar, it’s essential for this blueberry pound cake to use an electric mixer. A stand mixer is great but a handheld electric mixer will be fine.
Naturally, for a Blueberry bundt cake, you’ll need a bundt pan. The usual capacity of a bundt pan is 10 to 12 cups. Choose a high-quality metal pan remembering that a nonstick coating ensures your cake will slip right out. Avoid silicone ones that a floppy and tend to bake unevenly.
I haven’t tested this cake using a regular cake pan or a loaf pan. However, a 9 x 3-inch tube pan or angle food pan will work. Grease the base with butter and line with non stick parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
Storage
Store the blueberry pound cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Refrigerating a pound cake extends the shelf life but the butter in the cake hardens and the texture changes. Return the cake to room temperature before serving if it has been stored in the fridge.
This cake is suitable for freezing. Freeze Blueberry pound cake before adding the glaze and any toppings. Make sure that the cake has cooled completely then wrap it tightly in several layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to one month.
Top tip
To achieve a moist and flavorful blueberry pound cake it’s important to use high quality, fresh ingredients. While frozen blueberries can be used, fresh berries are best. Likewise, the tang of lemon zest is superior to lemon extract.
Measuring ingredients using scales is preferable however cups can be used quite successfully if you measure carefully. When measuring flour, stir the flour first to loosen then spoon it into the measuring cup without packing it in. Scrape the back of a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level.
It’s important that all ingredients are at cool room temperature. Butter that is too warm and almost melting won’t hold the air when beaten. Generally, removing ingredients from the fridge an hour before will be enough. If the butter is still hard after this time, chop into small pieces which will bring it to cool room temperature more quickly.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly to avoid an uneven texture. But don’t overmix! While it is essential to beat air into the butter and sugar, over mixing can cause problems. After adding the eggs, over mixing will cause the mixture to curdle. Some separation is normal though. When adding the flour, use the electric mixer until only just combined. Finish the batter by hand using a spatula.
Be sure to have the oven preheated and don’t open the oven door during the baking. All ovens vary so you will need to monitor the cake by looking through the glass oven door. The baking time for this cake is in a convection oven which means without the fan. If you are using a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 10 or 20 degrees.
Allow the cake to cool sufficiently after baking before turning out onto a wire rack. The cake will be very delicate while warm due to the high quantity of butter. As it cools, the butter solidifies ensuring the cake won’t break as you turn it out.
I have all the tips to keep blueberries from sinking in a pound cake below in the FAQ. While coating the berries in a little flour is the usual method, there is another trick that works better.
FAQ
To keep blueberries from sinking in a pound cake, I have found that the usual method of coating the berries in a little flour doesn’t work very well.
Instead, to keep berries distributed throughout the cake, first spoon a little of the plain batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Then fold most of the berries into the remaining batter. Be sure to leave some berries aside! Spoon ¾ of the batter onto the plain batter in the bundt pan. Fold the leftover berries into the last of the batter and scrape it all into the bundt pan.
This method ensures that the blueberries have the best chance of being evenly distributed. Naturally, gravity will cause berries to sink in the batter so some berries will sink into the plain batter. Coating the berries in flour does seem to stop the berries from seeping juice into the cake.
There are several secrets to a good pound cake. Firstly, measure the ingredients carefully, particularly the flour which must be loosened and then spooned into the measuring cup without packing. For best results, use a scale.
Also, have the ingredients at cool room temperature which means room temperature but not warm or melting. Then be sure to mix the ingredient thoroughly but don’t overmix!As with any cake that is high in butter, let it cool sufficiently before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While butter cakes and pound cakes are similar they are not the same thing. The modern butter cake is mostly likely a relative of the original pound cake. However, butter cakes are not as dense as a pound cake and instead have a lighter texture. Butter cakes use baking powder or baking soda to leaven the batter making it greater in volume than a traditional pound cake.
Serving Suggestion
Topping this cake with lemon glaze and fresh blueberries looks gorgeous and adds extra lemon tang. However, this Blueberry Pound Cake is still incredible without the glaze and just like this Pear Tea Cake makes a popular dessert.
This cake is an ideal dessert served after a summery Italian meal that will transport you to sunny Italy. Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells, Calamari Fritti and a Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad are my favorites. However, a slice of Blueberry Pound Cake is just as wonderful alongside Mini Fruit Tarts and Coffee Cupcakes for your next afternoon with friends!
Recipe
Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10 - 12 cup capacity non-stick bundt pan
- 1 stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 8 ounces (1 cup/225 grams) unsalted butter room temperature (See note 1)
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 mls/6 teaspoons) lemon juice
- 2 cups (250 grams) blueberries
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 mls/6 teaspoons) fresh lemon juice
- Extra blueberries for topping
Instructions
- Wash the blueberries and remove any stems or bruised, mushy fruit. Spread out on a kitchen towel or paper towel to dry.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Butter and flour a 10-12 cup capacity bundt pan. Be extra careful with this if your bundt pan isn't non stick. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of the flour. Then sift or whisk the remaining cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- Using an electric hand held mixer, beat unsalted butter in a large bowl until creamy on medium speed. Alternatively use a stand mixer.
- Add ¼ cup granulated sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and increase the speed to medium high and beat for a minute. Add sugar in ¼ cup at a time beating for 20-30 seconds after each addition. When all the sugar is added beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.
- Add eggs one at a time. Beat until all the egg has been absorbed before adding the next one. Take care not to overbeat. The mixture may look a little curdled but that’s fine. Don’t be inclined to keep beating or it will curdle more.
- On low speed, add half of the flour mixture and beat until only just combined. Beat in the lemon juice. Then the remaining flour mixture always on low speed and only until just combined.
- Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom and gently combine the batter.
- Follow this method to keep blueberries from sinking in the pound cake. Spread ¼ of the plain batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Then using a spatula, fold ¾ of the blueberries gently into the batter and spoon most of the batter into the pan on top of the plain batter. Fold the remaining berries into the remaining batter and scrape into the cake pan.
- Level off the top and tap gently on the work surface a two of times to remove any large air pockets.
- Bake 350ºF/180ºC for 40-45 minutes or until browned and a skewer inserted comes out clean. (See note 2)
- Cool the blueberry pound cake in the pan for 20- 30 minutes. To remove, shake a little to check if it has loosened from the bottom then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and top with extra fresh blueberries.
Lemon Glaze
- Combine the sieved powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to create a pouring glaze.
Notes
- Don't soften the butter in the microwave as this could make it too warm. Remove the butter from the fridge an hour or so before.
- The baking time for this cake is in a convection oven which means without the fan. If you are using a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 10 or 20 degrees.
- Preheat the oven.
- Use fresh ingredients.
- Preferably use scales to measure ingredients. If using cups, measure accurately. Stir to loosen the flour then spoon into the cups without packing. Don't dip the cup into the flour. This is an inaccurate way to measure.
- Have all ingredients at cool room temperature.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly but don't overmix.
- From time to time, use a spatula to scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.
- Let the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes after baking before turning out onto a wire rack. If the bundt pan you have used doesn't have a non-stick coating, allow it to cool longer.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This improved and updated recipe was published on January 3, 2018.
Deborah
I found this cake through your newsletter and made it in a Bundt pan for some company we had for dinner. It was delicious and loved the lemon flavor. We were also able to use fresh local blueberries grown near us.
Made as directed except I forgot to break up adding the flour and added it all at once, and then had to add the lemon juice after. I just had it on very low stir and made sure it was all mixed.
Everyone said it’s a keeper!
Marcellina
Deborah, I'm thrilled that the cake was such a success for your dinner!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
Yes, that is frustrating when you run out of ingredients or when you find that one of your ingredients in the fridge has mould on it! Luckily, my nearby supermarket is open until midnight if I'm ever caught short.Your cake looks very moist and delicious! Happy New Year!
Marcellina In Cucina
That's great to have a supermarket open until midnight! Happy New Year, Fran!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
You were so creative and saved your cake. The end results looks and sounds wonderful.
Marcellina In Cucina
Luckily it worked out, Karen. Thanks!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Hehe I love it when things like that happen! It looks absolutely gorgeous 😀
Marcellina In Cucina
It drives me nuts at the time though, Lorraine! If only we had a crystal ball!
John/Kitchen Riffs
Yup, we always seem to be missing an ingredient when we start to make something! So we improvise a lot -- and usually works out well. This looks terrific -- couldn't be better had you planned to make it this way from the start. Thanks. And Happy New Year!
Marcellina In Cucina
Thanks John! Yes, I agree, there's always something missing! Happy New Year!