One bowl vegan lemon blueberry cake which uses only 7 ingredients! This cake is soft and 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 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
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
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. For a blueberry cake with less lemon flavor, check out my vegan blueberry bread recipe.
Neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower, avocado 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.
How to make 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 will 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 at least 70 minutes. Alternatively, check my vegan lemon loaf or vegan blueberry bread which are designed for loaf pans.
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!
Yes, however I suggest using only ¾ cup (110g) of blueberries 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 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 for simplicity.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Absolutely delicious. We ate half of this before even cooling down properly. It's absolutely delicious. I think I added too much lemon juice because I forgot to measure it and the it turned out.a little gummy in the end but even though we absolutely loved it. Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely make it again ❤️
Hi Andreea, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this cake (I also love eating it warm). It's funny how lemon juice can do that to a cake, but it sounds like it still turned out well. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback 🙂
I have finally found my go-to blueberry cake recipe 🙂 Thanks!
Aw, I'm thrilled that this recipe is a keeper for you! Thanks Rachel 🙂
Stop searching for blueberry cake recipes - this is the only one you need.
I made this last night - this recipe is absolutely fantastic. I didn't change one thing. The sweetness level is perfect, the texture is perfect, and the lemon/ zest taste lingering in your mouth makes you cut another piece to eat. Super light. I couldnt stop slicing pieces, I ended up eating half the cake! And so easy to make, unbelievable.
By accident I poured it in a loaf pan - cooked it for 75 minutes. Just perfect.
BY FAR, the best blueberry cake I have ever made. Bravo for the recipe and thank you for sharing.
So sorry for the late reply, but I'm over the moon that you loved this cake!! Reading your comment is making me hungry haha, and I'm honored with the way you have described it. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!!
Not sure what i did wrong but it was still delicious. When foing the lemon blueberry cake, I was trying to mix it but it as too thick and i had to add a bit of milk (about half of a 1/4 cup) to be able to mix it. The center was gummy but the sides were well cooked.
Hi Sylvie, glad that you enjoyed the taste of the cake! The batter is meant to be a little thick and softens after a few minutes as the sugar dissolves. However, if it was so thick where you couldn't mix it, it's possible that your measuring cup was packed with too much flour. With the final cake, that can happen if you overmix the batter, if your oven runs a bit hot, and a few other things. I hope that helps but I'm glad that you enjoyed the taste of the cake!
I live in a high altitude location (northern Colorado, USA). I followed the recipe to the letter, except I used a 9-inch round cake pan. The cake was still raw in the center after 55 minutes, so I left it in for an additional 15 minutes. A knife in the center came out clean. It's cooling now and smells so good. I can't wait to try it!
Hi Cindy, thanks so much for the insight for baking this at a higher altititude! I hope the cake turned out well at the end 🙂
Delicious cake & very easy. I've made it several times & it's always a big hit. I just made it, by special request!
Hi Jeanne, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this cake and made it a few times! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Hi. Will this recipe work, if I use butter, instead of oil and whole milk instead of dairy-free milk? Also, if I use butter, should I cream it with sugar or just melt and use it?
Hi Medha, techically whole milk would work similarly, however I haven't tested it. With butter, it would work best just melted. However, it will make the cake denser and rise less. You can see the difference in this post by Handle The Heat (see the cupcakes picture).
It is really wondeful! Everybody loves it!
That's great to hear!! Thanks for your comment 🙂
What a wonderful cake, a massive hit in my family
Aw, that's lovely feedback. Thank you!
Hi Anthea, I finally got around to making your lemon and blueberry cake. It turned out beautifully. The sponge was perfect. So light and fluffy. It was great the next day.
Thank you always for sharing these beautiful vegan recipes.
Hi Sharan, I'm so happy that you loved this cake and especially the texture! Thanks so much for your support and kind feedback 🙂
I made this for a dinner party last night and it was devoured! Everyone asked for the recipe. It was delicious!
Hi Tamara, aw that's great to know!!! So glad that everyone enjoyed the cake. Thank you for your comment!
Do you think this would work in a Bundt pan?
Ty!
Hi Molly, yes it will! The cake will be a little shorter than most bundt cakes, so you can scale up the recipe (so the flour comes to around 3 to 3 1/2 cups) for a decently sized bundt cake. I used 3 1/2 cups flour in my chocolate/vanilla bundt cake. Hope that helps!
Made this earlier as I was craving a berry cake - I swapped out the lemons for orange juice and zest, used frozen mixed berries with mainly redcurrants and added a crunchy streusel topping and WOW. The result was the most gorgeous, aromatic, tender crumb and flavour - somewhere between a hot cross bun and panettone - absolutely incredible! Adding to the baking rota for sure - thank you!
Hi Anthea! I saw on your lemon poppyseed muffin recipe that you recommend this recipe if we wanted to a bake a cake, I'm wondering if you think this recipe would work scaled up for a sheet cake? I have a large number of people to cater and would love to make this recipe 🙂
Hi Olivia! Yes, this cake would definitely work as a sheet cake, if you scale it up! If you tap on the number next to 'Servings' you can scale up all the quantities. Depending on how thick you make it, it should take around 40-50 mins to bake. Hope that helps!
Will this cake be okay to make a layer cake ?
Yes! The cake as is would make a small two-layer 6-inch cake or you can scale up the recipe for a two layer 8-inch cake. To scale up the recipe, tap on the number next to 'Servings' and drag to '12' for a two layer 8-inch. Hope that helps!
Thank you! For the 6 inch cake, how long should I bake it for? And can you leave out the blueberries or would you advise to make your lemon cake then instead?
I've only baked the 6-inch with berries and it took about 45 minutes. Without berries, the cake will bake in less time. If you leave out the berries, it's best to use my lemon cake recipe and scale it down to around '9 servings' with 2 1/4 cups of flour.
Deeelish! Easy to make it turned out perfectly. I used thawed blueberries coated in flour as well as some small apple pieces. I didn’t have real lemon so used liquid and it still has a lovely lemon flavour. Needed 63 min to perfection and an hour to cool.
So glad that you enjoyed this cake and I love that you added apple too! Thanks so much for the extra tips too - I know other readers will find them really helpful!
Can you make this recipe in 9x13 cake pan?
Yes you can - I haven't tested it but I think it will at least 25 minutes to bake. Hope that helps!
Hi Anthea, I would like to make this cake without lemon, just berries. How would I best substitute the lemon juice? Thank you!
Hi L, you can replace the lemon juice with just milk, but I recommend adding a dash or around 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar as it helps tenderise the cake. I hope that helps!