Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake
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I positively adore Bundt cakes. They’re simple and classic… easy, yet impressive. They’re supremely moist, and the flavor varieties are absolutely limitless. I’ve made rum cake, honey cake and root beer float cake over the last couple of years and I’ve been eager to experiment with more, especially some bright flavors during the summer season. Enter this amazing blueberry cake. It’s easy to throw together, very low-maintenance, bakes up beautifully and is positively bursting with fresh, plump blueberries. This is the perfect ending to any summertime meal.
I saw Deb’s triple berry summer cake and couldn’t take my eyes off of it for days; it definitely fit my need for a gorgeous summer Bundt cake. I changed it up a little bit since I love my blueberries significantly more than any other type of berry, but the beauty of this cake is how easily adaptable it is. You could use orange or lime zest in place of lemon, or leave it out entirely if citrus isn’t your thing. Use all blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, strawberries, or a mixture of your favorite summertime fruit. You could even combine strawberries and blueberries for a red, white and blue dessert!
Ahh, the beautiful Bundt. A little bit retro, always moist and so very classic American. Throw on an apron, turn on some music, grab a big container of fresh blueberries and relish having fun in the kitchen.
One year ago:Â Cherry Crisp
Two years ago: Taco Dip
Three years ago: Roasted Shrimp and Orzo[/donotprint]
Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups (312.5 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
- 3 cups (444 g) blueberries
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (reduce temperature to 325 degrees F if your pan is dark/non-stick). Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2½ cups of the all-purpose flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), use your fingertips to rub together the sugar and lemon zest until the zest is completely incorporated and the sugar is evenly moistened. Add the butter and cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a minute after each and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
- With the mixer still on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined, followed by ½ the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and the remaining flour.
- In a large bowl, combine the blueberries and the remaining 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, tossing together so they are evenly coated. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the cake batter. Spread the cake batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving platter and let cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and butter until smooth. The icing should be quite thick (if you'd like it thinner, you can add more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get it to the consistency you want). Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze on top of the cake, giving it a little nudge down every so often. The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
WONDERFUL!! I used frozen berries and a little more flour to account for that – turned out great, marvelous flavor and moist, perfect crumb! Beautiful blue “volcano” cake (that is my grand daughters opinion!
Lol I hope you see this comment, since it’s been over 10 years since the last comment on this recipe. :) I’m not sure what went wrong with this recipe. :( I’ve made other recipes of yours before in this exact same oven which always turn out amazing. I double-checked the volume of my bundt pan by filling it with water cup by cup until it reached the top, and was relieved to find that the water came to the top of the pan at exactly 10 cups. I mixed the batter in my KitchenAid stand mixer (I absolutely love that thing! :)) and put the batter in my pan after using canola spray and then flour to greese it. The batter came to just about an inch from the top of the pan, and maybe that’s the problem? I’m blind, so I asked someone if my pan looked non-stick or dark, and they said it looked shiny, so I was hoping I was right about it being not non-stick–so I baked the bundt at 350. I checked it at 55 minutes and again at 60 minutes, only to discover at 55 minutes that not only had my cracked all the way around, in the middle, but that the batter in that area was still not cooked. I left it in until 70 minutes, when the batter in that area finally set. when I say it cracked in the middle, I mean that the batter against the concave edges of the circle and the convex edges of the tube were cooked, but the strip of cake in between these two places (about an inch wide) was raw. What the heck could have gone wrong? Did I have too much batter in the pan? Nothing overflowed, as far as I’m aware. Oh, also, my cake kind of fell apart when I was trying to remove it from the pan after cooling it on a rack. :( I think I may need to use more canola spray next time. Lol the little pieces I ate from the cake kind of falling apart after plating it were delicious, by the way. And by falling apart, I mean that it seemed as if the bottom of the cake really stuck to the pan. Maybe this was because I didn’t greese it enough? Or maybe the extra baking contributed? Without that extra time, though, I would’ve been dealing with raw batter. I’m still not entirely sure I don’t have some slightly undercooked spots. :( I’ve never had such bad luck with a recipe before.
Just made this and it looks and smells awesome. I remixed the glaze a little. It was thick at first but instead of adding extra milk I used juice from my zested lemon. I don’t think it’s going to make it through the day lol
I’m not much of a blueberry fan but a friend brought in a blueberry lemon bundt that was amazing but she wouldn’t share her recipe. I finally so I tried yours! It was delicious. Thank you!  I made my own icing so that’s why it’s a glaze.Â
Michelle I made this cake and took it to work for a co-workers birthday. I cannot describe how wonderfully it turned out! It was pretty to look at and sooo moist. Your recipe has replaced every blueberry lemon cake recipe I tried previously. Everyone in my office raved over it and it pleased me to bring a little joy to our medical group during the pandemic! Thank you so much ! The texture of the cake and the taste were heavenly! Suzanne from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
I’m in the middle of this recipe and the directions 3) say to mix butter and cream, I can’t find cream in the ingredients.
They’re using cream as a verb, not a noun. You have to cream the butter which means to make it very smooth and cream-like.
Can we replace blueberries with any other fruit?
Yes, although something like raspberries or blackberries would probably work best!
I made it yesterday and it was very moist and gooood. Everyone loved my first time ever Bundt cake. Next time I will use more lemon because I didn’t taste lemon flavor.
I use crisco to grease my pan with sugar instead of flour too. It gets nice and golden brown and crunchy too. I highly recommend this recipe.
Hi, I just have 1 question. In step 3 you say to combine sugar and lemon then add butter and cream, what cream are you referring to? I don’t see cream in the ingredients section.
Hi Vince, “Cream” refers to the technique of mixing together the butter and sugar – it’s known as “creaming”. https://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2015/04/27/creaming-butter-sugar/.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!  I’ve just baked once more and it was just perfect as the first time! Love bundt cakes with coffee, no need icing!  Will try others recipes from your list. 😊
Wow! Just made this today. Fantastic. Moist with a tender crumb and bursting with flavor. Another winner. Thanks, Michelle.Â
Made this for a dinner party last night. It was a raving success. I wanted it to be really lemony, so I used lemon juice (from the lemon I zested) in the frosting/glaze instead of only milk. It was great! Definitely making again!
Amazing, delicious, beautiful and simple!!! Â An all around perfect everyday treat! Â Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes.
I made this cake and it was absolutely scrumptious! The cake was not only moist but each flavor was distinctive throughout. First time that I baked with real blueberries…. love the colour and bit of texture they add to the cake.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
I have made this a few times and and I LOVE it! Â The blueberries with the lemon is just heavenly! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.Â
I made this for Super Bowl and it came out amazing! Everyone kept saying how good it was!Â
Made the blueberry buttermilk lemon bundt cake I substituted blackberries it was awesome! The frosting was deelish! I will make it again! I put a little vanilla in the frosting which I made twice as much as I needed, I T DID NOT GO TO WASTE!!!
Made the cake this afternoon and we love it! Used a little less sugar and additional lemon juice. Will definitely make it againÂ
I’d like to make this right now but don’t have buttermilk. Would you recommend subbing just milk or milk with vinegar?
Hi Erica, You need to use milk + vinegar to replace buttermilk, I have a substitution listed on this page: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/substitutions/
hmm this sounds nice, and quite simple to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s really good! I did make some modifications. First, I used the zest of 4 lemons, bc with only 2 you can’t taste the lemon. I creamed the butter for nearly 10 minutes like I do with all my cakes…makes it extra fluffy. I also added 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil bc as is, the cake was a little dry for my taste…well not as moist as I like bundts to be. I made tiny cupcake size mini bundt cakes without the glaze and they were super delicious. I’m going to keep making this for sure. Thanks again :-).
I don’t usually comment on recipes but I just have to comment on this blueberry lemon bundt cake! I had never made a bundt cake before this one and wasn’t sure which recipe to go with. I decided on this recipe because the reviews were so positive and the pictures are absolutely divine. Well, let me tell you this did not disappoint! My family LOVED this cake and deemed it a home run success. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Great bundt cake. One note, however, if you reduce the temp to 325 with a nonstick pan, which is pretty much the only thing a bundt comes in, it take much longer and will stick/fall apart trying to remove it. I ended up with a crumbled mess. Just cook it at 350 and it would have been fine.
Step 3 is extremely confusing to me. Can you please clarify what “Add the butter and cream together” mean? Are you talking about the lemon-zested sugar mixture I just made, or buttermilk, or actual cream? Do I add all the butter and this possible third ingredient to the lemon-zested sugar mix? Sorry I’m so dull and wary. Appreciate the help. :)
Hi Vanessa, You add the butter to the sugar/zest mixture and use the mixer to beat it until creamy (the term “cream” is very common when talking about mixing together butter and sugar). Hope that helps.
Never mind, I see it was already changed to baking powder in the instructions. Can’t wait to make this. Thanks!
I saw the comments about the baking powder in the ingredient list and baking soda in the instructions. I’m making this tomorrow. Which one is it? Thanks!
Tried this cake today for a BBQ and it was a hit! I love trying new recipes (and tell everyone that they’re my guinea pigs) and it was a winner for sure. Thanks for the recipe! I read the recipe incorrectly and added the buttermilk too early but I don’t think it mattered. :) Will make again!
I´ve made this about 5 months ago, but just forgot to write how amazing this cake is. I think it is so perfect for a spring or summer day, the citrus flavour really comes out and the blueberry gives it a great colour and burst of flavour. I will be putting this in my book of favorite recipies.
I made this cake last summer after we went blueberry picking. It is divine! My birthday is tomorrow. It’s going to be my birthday cake. I CAN’T WAIT!!!
I made this cake yesterday (Sunday, 08/18/2013). I love both lemon AND blueberries. When I saw this recipe I just had to make it. It is everything I expected, rich, moist and full of blueberries with a hint of lemon. Just perfect for summer. I brought some to work and everyone loved it. Will be making it again!! and soon!!
I made this the other day with blackberries and used lemon instead of milk in the icing and it was amazing. I ate nearly a quarter of it on my own. My 2 year old and my husband couldn’t stop eating it either. In fact, while planning our menu for the next two weeks my husband requested I make it with raspberries AND blackberries this time. Thank you so much for posting this!
Thank you for this great recipe! I tweaked it a little when I made it in an attempt to make it a *touch* healthier (cut back the sugar, subbed light olive oil spread instead of butter, and make a light cream cheese glaze). Obviously my cake wouldn’t be as indulgent as yours (which looks amazing!) but hopefully nice enough for an almost-waistline-friendly sweet treat. ;)
Blueberries and lemons are such a nice combo and I think that the proportions in your cake are just perfect.
I was looking for ways to use up the frozen blueberries I still have in my freezer from last summer so I can make room for the berries I’ll be picking next month. I also needed something to bring to our birthday breakfast at work. That is where this recipe comes in. It looked great but I was so nervous to bring it to work without being able to do a taste test. Well it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it! I had to hide a piece to take home for my husband to try! The only change I made was to add a little less milk to the glaze which I substituted with the juice from the lemon I zested. Oh my, I can’t wait for blueberry picking season to begin so I can make this again and again! Thank you!
I just made this.. a little concerned – the batter is really, really thick.. hoping it comes out! is this normal? or did I just waste a bunch of ingredients?
Will keep you posted…just put in the oven
Hi Jennifer, Yes, the batter should be quite thick. Enjoy!
Thank you! This was excellent :) I have been meaning to come back to thank you for an excellent recipe.. boyfriend can’t stop eating it.. only change I made was in the glaze – yours looks beautiful – but I wanted something a little lighter.. just mixed a cup of 10x sugar with a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.. so good.
I made this last night for my mum for mother’s day – it looked and smelled absolutely divine when it came out of the oven. I made a lemon icing using lemon juice instead of milk, and decorated it with little icing sugar daisies. Haven’t been able to try it yet as I haven’t given it to her yet…but I can’t wait! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
this came out as a gooey mess for me.
the top cooked but the insides and bottom of the cake did not????
Made this last week for my coworkers and I think the cake disappeared within 15 minutes of me putting it out in our lunchroom. I had compliments and requests for another one for the next two days! I’ll be making this again. A definite keeper!
Thanks for another great recipe!
It is so nice! and yummy with the frosting which is just amazing to look at! Bravo!!!
I definitely made this earlier today during my free time. I switched it up a little and used lemon extract in place of the vanilla, and added a hint of lemon extract to the glaze as well (and used lemon juice in place of milk). Also I had heaps of frozen blueberries sitting in my freezer so I used them instead of fresh ones. It came out really amazing and super moist :)
I did the exact same thing, and my family went nuts for it. They loved the tart glaze. I am now making it again as a donation to our school’s cakewalk. :)
I am definately making this. I love the lemon blueberry coffee cake they have at Caribou Coffee and this looks so close. Delicious! Thanks for sharing.
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I’d like to substitute half of the buttermilk for orange juice, do you think that would affect the cake’s structure?
Love your blog by the way
Hi Paula, It would; the buttermilk is necessary for the structure and texture of the cake. If you’d like some orange flavor, I would recommend substituting some orange zest for the lemon, and/or substituting orange juice for the milk in the glaze.
This cake looks amazing! One question – I have a ton of leftover cream cheese buttercream from a carrot cake recipe a few days ago. Do you think this would taste ok on this cake? I hate to waste frosting, but if I can’t re-purpose it soon, I’ll be eating it with a spoon. :)
Hi Erin, I think that would be a delicious frosting for this cake; go for it!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing!! I used the juice from the zested lemon in the glaze and it gave it a nice tang (unlike Cindy’s glaze, the milk didn’t curdle and came out just fine). I just noticed Peggy’s comment about no milk and all lemon juice for the glaze – I will definitely try that next time.
Just made this today and it is an AMAZINGLY moist, not too sweet cake! I wanted a very lemony-tart glaze, so I left out the milk and used all lemon juice. It is just a lovely cake! I cannot wait to serve it for my sister’s baby shower!
I love the combination of blueberry and lemon, I am actually going to post a blueberry and lemon scone recipe on my blog http://bakingblondebites.com/ I would love if you came and visited!
awesome cake…was a big hit!
Super excited to make this, however I was double checking that I have all the ingredients and noticed that in #3, you’ve mentioned cream (“Add the butter and cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.”) and there was no mention of cream anywhere in the ingredients list. :S
I thought that at first, also, but then realized that it meant to “cream together” the butter and sugar — not to add cream!
That makes way more sense to my cold-medicine addled brain >.< Thanks Cindy!
Thank you ladies for clarifying this point! There should be a comma after the word butter. That way we would knno that cream is the verb, not one of the ingredients! “Add the butter, and cream together….” I’m so glad I took the time to read the comments, because I was frustrated, looking for the cream in the ingredients list. Thank you!
I made this for a “Blue Monday” celebration during Employee Appreciation Week… YUM! It was the first thing cut into, and ran out first, too. Should have made two. I added some fresh lemon juice to the cake and to the glaze (since I had used all the zest from the poor lemon and couldn’t just leave it naked). In the glaze the lemon made the milk curdle, so it didn’t look so creamy, but tasted amazing! I used loads of blueberries (frozen) so I cooked it a couple of extra minutes. Perfect!!! It was easy, so I will definitely be making this again.
Yet another hit! I made this yesterday (Sunday). My boys who love blueberries mad my husband who is not particularly fond of the, all loved it! Thanks again Michelle for such wonderfully delicious treats. Nex up is the strawberry cupcakes and maybe soon, the banana split ice cream cake! :-)
Can this be made in something other than a bundt pan? Strangely enough, I do not yet owna bundt pan, but I would LOVE to make this!!!
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried it, but you could use this pan size conversion chart to see what your options are, based on what you have on hand: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
That looks amazing! Blueberry and lemon is such a fabulous combo to bake with!
It is so nice! So yummy with the frosting which is just amazing to look at! Bravo
So pretty and sounds yummy. Adding this to my must try before summer is over recipies!
Love the cake, though it says Baking Powder in the ingredients list and Baking Soda in the directions. I went with Baking Soda as I figured that would work best with the buttermilk. I also put in a 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder – just because. I left of the lovely frosting and went with my mother’s Lemon whipped cream sauce and served with fresh raspberries and blueberries. Lemon Sauce- lightly beat 2 eggs in a double boiler add 3/4 cup white sugar and the juice and rind of two lemons (or lemon and orange), stir it up and put on the heat. Cook until thick, remove, cool. Whip one cup of heavy cream and fold into cooled sauce. Yum!
The BEST blueberry dessert EVER! Just made this for my Mom who is visiting me in MI from western PA (where I grew up). I’ve made all kinds of blueberry cobblers, buckles, crisps, scones and cakes and I can honestly say I only want to make this blueberry dessert for the rest of the summer. She was checking out your site and loves your work; we were reminiscing about chip chop ham and those killer Giant Eagle cookies too. Oh, and pepperoni rolls cannot be forgotten. Thank you for a delicious ending to the day!
Made it….Loved it!!! Thanks for the great recipe :)
I made this for a 4th of July BBQ and it was a huge hit! I added the juice of the lemon I zested for the cake to the icing and it was the perfect additional hint of lemon. I will definitely be making this again!
I just made this yesterday for a dinner party and it turned out wonderful! It looked beautiful and people couldn’t stop eating it. Thanks for the great recipe :)
This is absolutely beautiful! It looks very yummy!
Very pretty!
Made this yesterday – wonderful! My hubby said he thinks this is his new favorite. I’m not sure i greased the pan well enough as i did have a little cake stick when i turned it over, so it wasn’t as beautiful as yours – but ever so yummy!.
I love a cake with fresh berries, especially when they’re in season. This looks delicious.
Made this today…amazingly delicious! This is a keeper recipe!
I’ve never baked a bundt before. It looks so beautiful in these pictures. Plus it has one of my favorite flavors. I want to try to make this recipe. yum!
What a beautiful cake. I love making anything with blueberries and lemon.
This bundt cake looks amazing, look at the blueberries, looks like all were exploted inside the cake and melted giving all the flavor and moisture. I should try to make it.
I’m to be terribly embaressed to admit I’ve never made a bunt cake.. yet. But by looking at this recipe, the addition of blueberries, lemon and buttermilk sounds amazing and definitely something I’d like.
Another recipe to my to-bake list. That is when I buy my bunt pan too! My fella will love me even more for lack of kitchen space, heh!
This looks yummy but the ingredients call for baking powder and instruction #2 says baking SODA. Which is it please? Assuming it’s baking powder. I am making it pronto!
I’ve been on a buttermilk kick lately, after making buttermilk pancakes with my students, so this is perfect! :)
One question: Is there a trick to greasing the pan thoroughly? I ask because my Bundt pan (Nordicware) always ends up with cake bits stuck in the crevices … and it’s so hard to clean. Do you use melted butter? solid butter? a spray?
I grease and flour all of my pans the exact same way – I found that using solid vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) is the absolute best when it comes to greasing pans. I take a square of wax paper, scoop out a clump of shortening and use it to grease the pan all over. Once I get it everywhere, I use my fingers to smooth it into any spots that I may have missed with the wax paper. Then I take a few spoonfuls of flour, sprinkle it in the pan and turn and tap it until the entire surface is dusted with flour. Since I started using this method, I haven’t had problems with cakes sticking. I hope that helps!
I also use Crisco to grease my pan but I’ve learned that you can use sugar instead of flour to dust the surface of the pan and they will come out clean
I also love blueberries and bundt cakes. But it’s that frosting that really makes this cake look delectable!
This is beautiful! I love anything made with buttermilk.
Not sure my frosting will look this perfect… but I love lemon with berries… I think I am going to go for the red white and blue idea and add some strawberries too!!!
I love blueberry and lemon together. Your cake looks so beautiful, almost fake!!
This sounds delicious! I love how full of fresh berries it is!
I adore bundt cakes too, and this one just screams “summer”. Your rum version is on my “must make” list.
I just harvested my very first lemon from the tree I planted this past December (and there are two more almost ready!) Michelle, do you think it would work to add just a spritz of juice to the glaze to spike the lemony flavor? Also, will it turn the batter too “smurfy” to use frozen blueberries, which I have? Just hate that grayish/quasi purply (aka “smurfy”) color you see from time to time in blueberry products. If you think the frozen ones would work, should I still flour them in their frozen state before incorporation?
Hi Cat, Yes, you could definitely use lemon juice in the frosting. As for the frozen blueberries – while I haven’t used them, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. Yes, be sure to still toss them in flour – that step helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
*that wonderful moment when i realize i have all the ingredients needed for this*
:)
Me too!! *happy dance*
Isn’t that the best?!
HOW did you get your frosting so perfect? It looks amazing!
I just took my time, did one section at a time, took a big spoonful and heaped it on top, spread it a little and gave it a little nudge down. It was super easy to work with.
This looks like a great excuse to dig out my bundt pan!
This looks lovely! So pretty :)
Blueberries are one of my favorites, and this cake looks amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever made my frosting so thick before, but after seeing it here, I’ll give it a try. I love how it molds to the cake.
I was a little hesitant about the thick glaze too, but it’s perfect for this cake. You’ll love it!
Looks perfect and I haven’t made a bundt in ages…must change that.
I’ve always loved the combo of flavors of blueberries and lemon! Yummy!
Can I use frozen blueberries in this recipe?
Yes!