Easy Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
This vegan lemon blueberry cake is made with only 7 ingredients and comes together in one bowl! It’s soft, moist, has the perfect crumb and isn’t too sweet.
This cake is perfect for Spring or Summer, just like my Lemon Olive Oil Cake and layered Vegan Lemon Cake and Vegan Blueberry Muffins!
Why you’ll love this cake
This lemon blueberry cake is:
- Delicious, fluffy, moist and golden (all of the good things)!
- Incredibly easy to make
- Not too sweet because the lemon balances out the sugar (and there’s no frosting)
- Stackable for a layer cake
- Naturally eggless and can be made gluten-free
- Designed so the blueberries don’t sink to the bottom!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Granulated sugar is the best sweetener for a light and fluffy cake. See the FAQ section below for alternatives.
Fresh lemon juice and zest for the best flavor. Alternatively, bottled lemon juice is fine. If you don’t want the lemon flavor, you can omit the zest and replace the lemon juice with dairy-free milk.
Neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower, avocado or olive oil. Olive oil imparts a slightly fruity flavor, such as in my lemon olive oil cake.
Fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, you don’t need to thaw them but will need to bake the cake for 5 minutes longer.
How to make this cake
Simply add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined. Add all the wet ingredients except the blueberries and mix until just before it’s combined (there should still be some pockets of flour).
At this stage, we aren’t fully mixing the cake batter because we’re still mixing it later. Please don’t overmix the batter otherwise your cake will be dense and stodgy! Initially, the cake batter may be very thick but it will loosen up after a couple of minutes when the sugar dissolves in the liquid ingredients.
Finally, add the blueberries and fold them through the batter. The thick batter naturally prevents the blueberries from sinking when we bake the cake.
Once you pour the batter into your cake pan, scatter the remaining blueberries on top and press some of them into the cake.
The cake is ready when the surface is golden brown and you can insert a toothpick in the center and there’s no wet batter on it (a few moist crumbs are fine).
Customizing this cake
This vegan lemon blueberry cake will work with coconut sugar, however it will change the flavor profile. Imagine eating a caramel cake with a hint of lemon!
Yes! Check out the notes in the recipe card at the bottom of this post for details.
This cake will bake well in a larger cake pan or bundt pan. As the cake is quite tall, I don’t recommend baking it in a smaller pan unless you’re dividing the batter between two pans.
To make a 2-layered 8-inch cake, scale up the recipe by 150% and divide the batter between the 2 pans. You’ll need 1 1/2 batches of my blueberry buttercream frosting. Or check out my vegan lemon cake recipe.
For a 3-layered 6-inch cake, make the batter as written, divide the batter in the 3 cake pans and bake them for 35-40 minutes. You’ll need 1 1/4 batches of my blueberry buttercream frosting.
You can also make this cake in a loaf pan, but it will take 70 minutes to bake through. Alternatively, check my vegan blueberry bread or vegan lemon loaf that are designed for loaf pans.
For muffins or cupcakes, I suggest baking my vegan blueberry muffins and adding extra lemon zest, or using my lemon blueberry cupcakes recipe.
This cake would be lovely with my:
– Blueberry frosting or strawberry frosting (use half the recipe)
– Simple lemon icing used in my olive oil cake
– Vegan cream cheese frosting used in my carrot cake recipe (use half the recipe)
– Whipped dairy-free cream
More easy vegan cakes
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Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
- 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1 for gluten free)
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, optional
- ¾ cup (190g) dairy-free milk
- ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil
- ⅓ cup (80g) lemon juice, and zest of those lemons (overall, you'll need about 2 large lemons or 3 medium lemons, note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1 ¼ cups (190g) blueberries, fresh or frozen
To serve (optional, note 3)
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line or grease a 20 cm (8-inch) round cake pan.
- Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) to a large mixing bowl and mix until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, lemon juice/zest and vanilla) and mix until just before it's combined. Initially, the batter will be thick but it will loosen up after a few minutes.
- Add half of the blueberries and gently fold them through. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Scatter the remaining blueberries on top and gently press some of them into the cake.
- Bake the cake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and there's no wet batter on it. This is a moist cake so some crumbs on your toothpick are fine.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
To serve the cake:
- Just before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar (optional) and serve! The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you freeze the cake, the texture of the blueberries will change.
Notes
- To make this vegan blueberry cake gluten-free, substitute the flour for 1 2/3 cups (165g) almond flour (blanched almond meal in UK/Aus) and 1 cup (160g) gluten free all-purpose flour. This cake also works well with King Arthur’s measure for measure flour as a 1:1 replacement for regular flour. Other gluten-free flour blends may produce different results. If you’re making the gluten-free version, it’s best to bake it for around 60 minutes.
- Don’t be tempted to add more lemon juice. If you add too much lemon juice, it will make the cake gooey, and it won’t bake through. If you want extra lemon flavor, add more lemon zest.
- Alternatively, you can enjoy the cake plain or topped with fresh berries.
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 for simplicity.
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Made this in pinch and it was a hit! I know it’s a vegan recipe but I did use whole milk. I received so many compliments in the recipe. I’ve already forward the recipe to a few people.
So happy to hear it was such a hit and that everyone enjoyed it!! Thank you for your feedback and passing the recipe along too, that means a lot!
I love this recipe! Not only is it incredibly flavorful but the texture is also Impeccable. I took up baking as a hobby over the summer, because I found myself with lots of free time. This was a recipe that was approved by my whole family! I even made it for my mom’s birthday, and she absolutely loved it!!
Thank you for such lovely feedback! We’re sooo happy to hear you’ve taken up baking as a hobby — and that everyone loved this recipe too! We hope your baking adventures keep bringing you joy (and delicious results!) 😍
This has become my go-to summer recipe! Seriously; the taste is impeccable and the cake is so moist and fluffy. Now my family requests this recipe every time we have gatherings!!
Wow, we’re thrilled to hear your family loves it so much! Thank you for such wonderful feedback 🥰
I lost count of how many times I’ve made this recipe. Absolutely delicious, total smash. Always consistently amazing. Everyone loves it the vegan non-vegans and the picky eaters. 20/10!
20/10 and you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve made it – that’s the ultimate review 😍 We’re so glad it’s always a hit and thank you for leaving such a lovely comment x
Just made this! I did notice my batter was thick as mentioned, but a little TOO thick. I added a few splashes of oat milk until it was a good consistency and voila — it did the trick!! And thanks for the tip on the lemon juice with not adding too much, but rather using more zest. I spent too much time juicing and ended up with more than needed, but took caution with your note. 😁 Will definitely make this again, it’s perfect for any time of the year!!
Hi Ivy, I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake!! With the batter, I find that it can be thicker if your milk is a little cold and if you happened to use measuring cups (as opposed to a kitchen scale) and accidentally packed too much flour in it. However, it sounds like you troubleshooted this really well :). Thanks so much for your feedback!!
I was cooking for a potluck and I tried a new recipe which turned out awful. I ended up chucking the whole thing in the trash. I needed to come up with something else QUICK! I came across this recipe and I had all the ingredients on hand so at the last few hours before the event I made this. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CAKE. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and added the vanilla too. It all got eaten up and I was sad. So yesterday I made 2 more! I am so glad I made a yucky recipe (it may be the first time that I ever couldn’t rescue a bad recipe and trashed it all) so that I could find THIS recipe. Im thinking it would be nice to make it a two layered cake with a thin spread of orange marmalade in the middle. Mmmmmm.
One question. How does it freeze? How long can I freeze it? Because I think I will be making this on a pretty regular basis!
This made us smile so much, thank you for such a lovely comment 💛 And what a save for your potluck! We’re thrilled you loved the cake (and even made more the next day!). The orange marmalade filling sounds incredible, and a blueberry frosting is another fun option we’ve tried. It’ll freeze well for about a month, though the blueberries change texture slightly after thawing (it’s still 100% delicious though!).
Thank you so much for this delicious and easy recipe.
I made this for my vegan daughter in law’s birthday and she loved it. So did the rest of the family.
Apart from the blueberries on the top, I also sprinkled sliced almonds which browned nicely . It looked very professional and it will definitely become a family favourite!
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We’re so happy to hear you chose this cake for her birthday! We hope she had a wonderful day 🥰 The almond addition sounds delicious and we’re thrilled it’s now a family favourite!
Could this be made oil free?
Hi Margaret! We haven’t tested an oil-free version, so we can’t say for sure how it would turn out, but you’re welcome to experiment. You could try replacing the oil with applesauce or mashed banana, though they will change the texture and make it slightly denser and chewier. They may also add a bit of their own flavour. Hope that helps if you decide to experiment!
Easy to make. It has a great texture and rise. Will be one of my favourites to make
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re so happy you enjoyed the cake and that it’s earned a spot on your favourites list 🥰
Thank you, I will definitely check that out! Very good to know that your cakes release easily so I will say goodbye to the springform pans for sure now! 🙏
So, I have become an excellent (if I may say so) vegan chef at home cooking for myself and my wife. However, this was my first attempt at baking a cake (I am 54!). I cannot say enough about this recipe!!!!! This recipe is delicious, thoroughly described, and an awesome crowd pleaser!!!! I am making it for the 2nd time today while my wife is running errands, which will make me a “Super Hero” for the moment. Thank you for such an incredible recipe!!!
Amazing! We’re so glad this recipe made your first cake attempt a total win and earned you “Super Hero” status! Thank you for leaving such a lovely review ☺️