This Lemon and Blueberry Loaf Cake is the perfect balance of zesty, sweet, and fruity goodness! It’s infused with a lemon drizzle, topped with a simple lemon icing, sprinkled with lemon zest and decorated with edible flowers. Whether you’re looking for an afternoon treat or a dessert that looks fancy enough for a party, this one ticks all the boxes. Cut yourself a slice and enjoy buttery, citrus, fruity flavours in every bite!
About this Lemon and Blueberry Loaf Cake
- FLAVOUR: If spring was a flavour, I think lemon and blueberry would be it! Bright, tangy lemon meets juicy blueberries, baked into a buttery loaf cake.
- TEXTURE: The sponge is soft and moist with a tender crumb, filled with pops of juicy fruit in every bite.
- SKILL: Beginner-friendly, just mix, bake, and drizzle!
- SERVES: This cake is baked in a 2lb loaf tin and will make 8-10 chunky slices.
Your Ingredients List
Gather these ingredients to make this blueberry and lemon loaf cake:
- Unsalted butter or margarine: Adds richness and moisture to the sponge cake. Make sure your butter is room temperature – it blends beautifully and will make your cake extra fluffy and soft!
- Caster sugar: Sweetens the sponge and creates a tangy, syrupy soak for the lemon drizzle.
- Eggs: Gives the sponge structure and richness. Use room temperature eggs for the best results.
- Self-raising flour: The added raising agent in self-raising flour helps the loaf cake rise with a fluffy texture. If you don’t have self-raising flour, use 300g plain flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Milk: Adds moisture to make the cake soft and tender.
- Lemon zest and juice: For this recipe, you will need 3 lemons in total. One for the sponge, one for the drizzle and one for the icing.
- Fresh blueberries: Sweet, juicy and deliciously tart. Blueberry and lemon are the perfect flavour pairing for this loaf cake.
- For the lemon icing: icing sugar, milk, salt and lemon juice are mixed together to make a beautifully smooth, sweet and tart icing, poured on top of the loaf cake.
- For the decoration: Top the loaf cake with lemon zest and edible flowers for a pretty springtime finish! I picked up a box of edible flowers from M&S.
No More Sinking Blueberries With These Tips
We’ve all been there, you’ve baked a beautiful fruity loaf cake only to find all the fruit has sunk to the bottom (how annoying)! Thankfully I’ve got a way to fix this! Just follow these tips:
- Use more flour then usual: I’ve developed this recipe to have a higher flour to fat and sugar ratio, that way the cake has more structure to hold the blueberries in place. But fear not, this cake is not dry at all… trust me! The lemon drizzle poured over the cake keeps the sponge soft and tender.
- Layering the cake mixture: Spread a layer of the plain mixture (before adding in the blueberries) into the bottom of the loaf tin first, about 1 inch high. This creates a sturdy base to stop the blueberries from sinking.
- Coat the blueberries in flour: Wash your blueberries then toss them in flour, making sure they’re fully coated. The flour coating helps prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom and instead spreads them out throughout the loaf cake. Fold the floured blueberries into the cake mixture, taking care not to overmix. Then spoon the rest of the mixture into the loaf tin and spread it out evenly.
Infuse the Lemon Blueberry Loaf with Lemon Drizzle
Why add a lemon drizzle? It makes this cake even more delicious! The drizzle soaks into the warm sponge, giving it an extra sweet and zesty kick and making it super soft and moist.
How is it made? Mix lemon juice and caster sugar until well combined, you can also add a splash of water if it needs thinning out. Give this pip-free lemon juice hack a try: Use a knife to trim the top and bottom of the lemon, push a straw through the middle to make a hole, then squeeze the lemon to release the juice. All the pips will stay inside, and only the juice will squeeze out. Genius right!?
When to add the drizzle? As soon as the cake is out of the oven and still warm, prick it all over with a toothpick to make tiny little holes. Spoon the drizzle on top, letting it sink into the lemon and blueberry loaf.
Top with Simple Lemon Icing
This lemon icing is super simple, you just need four ingredients to make it: lemon juice, icing sugar
a pinch of salt and milk. Mix everything together until its glossy and smooth. You need the icing to be thin enough to pour over the top of the loaf cake, but thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon. Test it by drizzling some icing on the side of your mixing bowl, if it stays put and doesn’t run off your all set to go! Pour the icing over the lemon and blueberry loaf cake, then spread it out to the edge letting it drip down the sides of the cake.
Recipe FAQ’s
For this recipe you will need 3 lemons in total. 1 for the cake, 1 for the drizzle and half a lemon for the icing.
You will need a 2lb cake loaf tin. I used this one from Tala Cooking.
Lightly grease the loaf tin with butter or cooking spray. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper that is long enough to line the base and high enough to go up the sides of the tin. Press it into the base and sides of the tin, scoring the edges so they are sharp and straight. Leave enough greaseproof paper hanging over the long edges to help you lift the cake out.
The most common reason is opening the oven door before the cake was fully baked. If you need to check on the cake, try not to open the oven door before the 50 minute mark.
If it’s too thin, mix in 1-2 tbsp of icing sugar until you reach the right consistency. If it’s too thick, mix a splash of water to thin it out.
Store in a baking tin at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for up 4 days. You can also wrap the cake in two-layers of clingfilm and freeze it for up to 1 month.
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Lemon and Blueberry Loaf Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the lemon and blueberry loaf cake:
- 280 grams Unsalted butter or margarine room temperature.
- 280 grams Caster sugar
- 4 medium Eggs room temperature. Or 3 large eggs.
- 300 grams Self-raising flour plus extra for coating the blueberries. Or 300g plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder.
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- 200 grams Fresh blueberries
For the lemon drizzle:
- 1 Lemon juice only
- 50 grams Caster sugar
For the lemon icing:
- 0.5 Lemon juice only
- 200 grams Icing sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 3 teaspoons Milk
For the decoration:
- Lemon zest
- Edible flowers
Instructions
Start by making the lemon and blueberry loaf cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.280 grams Unsalted butter or margarine, 280 grams Caster sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, along with 1 tbsp of the 300g flour. Beat well after each addition until combined. The flour will stop the mixture from curdling.4 medium Eggs
- Add the remaining flour and milk. Fold to combine.300 grams Self-raising flour, 1 tablespoon Milk
- Add the lemon zest and juice. Fold to combine.1 Lemon
- Spread a 1-inch layer of plain cake mixture into the bottom of the loaf tin.
- Wash the blueberries and add into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and toss to coat.200 grams Fresh blueberries
- Fold the floured blueberries into the cake mixture. Take care not to overmix.
- Spoon all of the remaining cake mixture into your loaf tin, spreading it out to the edges.
- Bake for 1 hour until risen, golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out crumb-free.
Meanwhile make the lemon drizzle:
- Stir the lemon juice and sugar together. Add a splash of water to thin it out if needed.1 Lemon, 50 grams Caster sugar
- As soon as the cake is out of the oven, prick the top all over with a toothpick and spoon the drizzle on top. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then lift out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the lemon icing and decorate:
- Mix all the ingredients until the icing is smooth and combined. It should be thin enough to pour on top, but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Test the consistency by drizzling some icing on the side of your mixing bowl. It should stay put and not drip off.0.5 Lemon, 200 grams Icing sugar, Pinch Salt, 3 teaspoons Milk
- Pour the icing over the cake and spread it to the edges, letting it drip down the sides.
- Decorate with lemon zest and edible flowers for a pretty finish. Slice and enjoy!Edible flowers, Lemon zest