One bowl vegan lemon blueberry cake which uses only 7 ingredients! This cake is fluffy, 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 Vegan Lemon Cake (layered) and Vegan Blueberry Muffins!
What to expect from 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
This vegan lemon blueberry cake has no fancy ingredients! You'll need:
Ingredient notes
Granulated sugar is best for a light and fluffy cake. See the FAQ section below for alternatives.
Lemon juice and zest, preferably fresh. Alternatively, bottled lemon juice is fine.
Oil, such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil. Olive oil imparts a slight flavor, such as in my lemon olive oil cake.
Blueberries, fresh or frozen. If you use frozen blueberries, you don't need to thaw them but may need to bake the cake for 5 minutes longer.
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Easy steps for making this cake
Simply add all the dry ingredients to a 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).
We aren't fully mixing the cake batter at this stage because we still need to mix it more later. We don't want to overmix the cake batter!
Then add the blueberries and fold them through the batter! I made this a thick batter which helps prevent all the blueberries from sinking to the bottom when we bake the cake.
The lemon cake batter is a scoopable consistency but isn't so thick that you need to flatten the top! Once you pour the batter into your cake pan, scatter the remaining blueberries on top and press some of them into the cake.
I pressed only some of the berries into the cake for appearance and stability but this is optional.
The cake is ready when the surface is golden brown and you can insert a skewer in the middle and there's no wet batter on it.
Customizing this cake
This vegan lemon blueberry cake will work with coconut sugar, however it completely changes the flavor profile. Imagine eating a caramel cake with a hint of lemon!
Check out the notes section in the gray recipe box at the bottom of this post
Yes, though keep in mind that it'll make the cake more dense.
I'd only recommend using a larger cake pan or bundt pan for this recipe. It's already a very thick cake so a smaller and taller cake tin may not bake in the middle.
This cake will bake in a loaf pan. However, I recommend baking it for 60-70 minutes, just like my lemon olive oil cake (which is the same recipe as this but without the blueberries).
If you'd like a multiple-layer cake, I recommend following my vegan lemon cake recipe but adding blueberries.
If you'd like muffins instead of a cake, I recommend baking my vegan lemon poppy seed muffins and adding blueberries. You can omit the poppy seeds if you prefer!
I'd suggest using only half of the quantity of blueberries (and use them for inside the cake) and omitting the blueberries on top.
You can top this cake with:
- Simple lemon icing used in my olive oil cake
- Passionfruit icing used for my passionfruit cake
- Vegan Cream cheese frosting used in my carrot cake recipe
- Whipped coconut cream
- Your favorite buttercream recipe
More light and zesty vegan desserts
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Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
- 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten free)
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of any good quality salt, optional
- ¾ cup (190g) dairy-free milk
- ½ cup (125g) liquid vegetable oil, such as olive, sunflower, rapeseed oil
- ⅓ cup (80g) lemon juice and zest, (about 2 large lemons or 3 medium lemons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1 ¼ cups (190g) blueberries, fresh or frozen
To serve (optional)
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.
- 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 poke a skewer in the middle and there's no wet batter on it. This is a moist cake so some crumbs on your skewer 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 lemon cake gluten free, substitute the plain flour for 1 ⅔ cups (165g) almond flour / blanched almond meal and 1 cup (160g) gluten free all-purpose flour.
- Alternatively, you can enjoy the cake plain, topped with fresh berries or a light dusting of powdered / icing sugar.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 for simplicity.
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Such a delicious cake mmm moist and sweet and fresh. So nice!!
Aw that's wonderful to hear! Thanks Chihiro!
This was absolutely delicious, thank you. I swapped in self raising flour instead of plain and added one tsp of bicarbonate of soda.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this cake and that it worked with your substitutions!
For the 1/3 cup of lemon juice and zest, is that 1/3 cup of juice and zest combined? What should the ratio be?
Yes it's 1/3 cup lemon juice and zest combined. The ratio is just whatever amount you can get from about 2-3 lemons, without scraping off the white part of the lemon.
This looks really good. Do you think it would double well?
Yes, I think so if you bake the cake in 2 x 8 inch cake pans or slightly larger cake pans. I don't think it would work if you bake 2 of the cakes in 1 x 8 inch cake pan. Hope that helps!
Hi, this recipe is perfect for me as I am looking for an eggless cake recipe.
Could I swap the plant based milk for full fat milk? Thank you
Wonderful! Yes, full-fat milk (or any milk) is fine!
This recipe is amazing! I used soy milk and regular flour. My friends said it was so good and fluffy that they even hesitated that it was vegan 😂.
Haha, I *love* that your friends couldn't tell it was vegan! I'm so glad you all enjoyed this cake! Thanks Sandy 🙂
I made this cake last night. It was simple and delicious. In fact, my husband and I ate half when it was done. I used soy milk and classic flour. Thanks for sharing.
That's great news Tricia! And we tend to do the same with cakes when they're freshly baked too :). Thanks so much for your feedback!
I didn't have blueberries and instead I made it with cherries and it was still amazingly delicious!! I took it to the school to share it with my co-teachers and they all loved it and are looking forward to me making it again :).
Oooh yum, I love that you made it with cherries! So glad you and everyone enjoyed this cake. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
This looks amazing! Quick question… Do you have to do anything special to prep the blueberries prior to putting them in the batter (ie. thaw them if frozen or soak them if fresh)?
Thank you! No you don't have to do anything to the blueberries beforehand, whether you're using fresh or frozen. Frozen berries don't need to be thawed and fresh berries don't need to be coated in flour or soaked. As it's a thick batter, the berries don't sink when the cake is cooked. I hope that helps!
I've made this cake a few times now - it is delicious! moist but crumbly on top. I've made it with blueberries like the original, then tried with raspberries (also excellent!) and I am currently trying a mix of blueberries/raspberries and blackberries! It's so easy and comes out great every time! It is so popular with my family and doesn't last long enough to freeze! Thank you so much!
Aw I'm so happy you've made and enjoyed this cake a few times! I love that you used raspberries once too. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback Beverley!
I made this for a dinner party over the week-end. I am no baker, and this cake made me look like I was a natural baker, thank you for not only an easy, good looking cake recipe but an incredibly moist and delicious one too. Our dinner guests all had an extra piece. Super yum! I am going to try your Zebra cake next.
Aw, that's so amazing to hear Tracy! Go you! It's great that everyone enjoyed this cake. Thanks so much for your lovely comment 🙂
Looks amazing! Will Meyer lemons work OK in this?
Thank you! Yes I think Meyer lemons would be great for this 🙂
Thanks Anthea! Just made it with Meyer lemons a neighbor gave us and it’s delicious! I intended to share some with my sweet neighbor. I now have to make another one tomorrow because we gobbled too much of it up to share. 😂
Hahaha, I know the feeling! I'm so glad you enjoyed this cake Christine! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hello! I wanted to know if instead of using almond flour (which is a little expensive) I could use, in the same amount, rice flour ? I have been trying to use it for a while, and in the all amount that the recipe says, and the cakes are getting to dry! 😩
Hey! Yes rice flour works instead of almond flour (if you use 50% rice flour and 50% gluten free flour). The taste/texture is a little different to the almond flour version but it still works :).
This recipe is soooo good! Everyone in my household loved it and it was gone in 2 days. Super moist and not too sweet, the lemon and blueberry flavors are perfect. 🙂 Can’t wait to make it again!
Aw I'm so happy to hear that you and everyone enjoyed this cake! Thank you so much 🙂
Hi
Recipe looks lovely. Can I do a straight swap for the flour to gluten free flour?
Thank u!
Thank you! It really depends on the brand of gluten free flour you're using. If you've previously used a brand for other cakes (and you enjoyed the result), it'll work well for this recipe :). Bob Red Mills 1:1 flour may work though I haven't tested it myself. I hope that helps!
This was such a delicious cake, thank you!
Aw so glad you enjoyed this cake, thanks Sara!
Hi, can I use all gluten-free flour instead of gluten-free flour and almond meal?
Thank you.
I wouldn't recommend it because standard gluten-free flour blends tend to make cakes dense and unpleasant. However, I haven't tried this recipe with Bob Red Mill's 1:1 flour which may work well.
I’m excited to try this cake! Making it today, do you think it would work to replace the cup of oil with 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce? It’s a beautiful cake!
Hi Angela! I saw that you made and posted the cake on Instagram - glad that the substitution worked for you!