This easy blueberry cake recipe is stunning: it’s fluffy, lightly sweet, and scented with lemon. Perfect for dessert or brunch!

Growing up, my mom this “magic” blueberry cobbler dessert in the summer. It became a famous family recipe that she makes to this day. My sister and I once even made it with mountain blueberries we had picked in the Pacific Northwest. (Pretty ideal!) So when I say we have a new blueberry dessert to compete with the cobbler: it’s major. Meet this blueberry cake! It’s fluffy, just sweet enough, and with a hint of lemon. It’s light and fresh, perfect for a light summer dessert or midday brunch. Keep reading for the recipe!

Why make this blueberry cake?

There are lots of variations on blueberry cake! What’s great about this one? This blueberry cake:

Is fluffy, moist, and scented with lemon. This one is a round cake, fluffy and moist, topped with a layer of purple-blue ripe blueberries. It’s lightly sweet and has a hint of lemon.
Has a healthy spin. This blueberry cake also has a bit of a healthy spin! It’s made with olive oil, Greek yogurt and applesauce instead of rich butter.
Works for both brunch and dessert. This cake tastes light and fresh instead of indulgent. So it works as a blueberry breakfast cake or at a baby shower or bridal shower brunch. Or, serve it for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

How to make blueberry cake

How to make blueberry cake? This is a one-bowl cake recipe that’s seriously easy to whip up! Here are the basic steps (or scroll down to the recipe):

Mix the dries: Mix the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar and spices.
Mix the wets: Mix together an egg, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and applesauce, then add them to the dries. The applesauce helps to add moisture and substitutes in for a bit of the fat that would be present in a standard cake.
Top with blueberries: Once you’ve mixed up the dough, you’ll pour it into a prepared pan and spread a layer of fresh blueberries on top. They will settle into the cake and provide a beautiful topping.
Bake! Bake 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. That’s it!

Got leftover applesauce? Make Easy Applesauce Cake.

What pan to use?

There are a few options for pans here! Here’s what we’d recommend:

Springform pan (best option): If you have a springform pan, it’s great to use for this blueberry cake because you can remove the sides after baking and don’t have to bother getting it out of the pan.
Round cake pan: Or, you can use a round cake pan with parchment paper instead. After baking and cooling, remove the cake from the pan and place it blueberry-side up on a platter. Or if you’re lazy like us, serve it right from the pan!

How to serve this blueberry cake

This blueberry cake with lemon works for so many different occasions! It tastes fresh and light, and would be perfect for a brunch or as a breakfast cake. It also works perfectly as a dessert, with or without a topping. If you’d like to make it more decadent, here are a few toppings for this blueberry cake that would work well:

Vanilla ice cream: A natural choice
Homemade whipped cream: Try our classic whipped cream, tangy yogurt whipped cream, vegan coconut whipped cream, or bourbon infused whipped cream
Blueberry glaze: Wouldn’t this cake look lovely with a purple glaze like this blueberry glaze?
Lemon glaze: Bring out the lemon more with a lemon icing glaze! Here’s an easy lemon glaze.

Want to freeze blueberries?

Got a load of berries and want to freeze them? When we go blueberry picking, we usually bring home a huge haul and can’t use them all at once. Or, are you wondering if you can use frozen berries in a baking recipe? (We wouldn’t recommend them here since they might bleed into the batter!) Head to our resource: How to Freeze Blueberries.

More blueberry recipes

This blueberry cake is so easy to make at home! Here are a few more of our favorite easy blueberry recipes:

Blueberry Cobbler This easy cobbler has a bit of magic when it bakes!
Easy Blueberry Crisp The flavor of this incredible crisp is pure, tangy blueberry.
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes Light and fluffy, with just the right citrus zing and sweet bursts of berries! Serve with easy blueberry compote.
Best Blueberry Waffles, Blueberry Pancakes or Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Everyone’s favorite! Brunch perfection on a plate.
Easy Blueberry Sauce Need a topping for pancakes or waffles? This one is quick and turns out purple and syrupy.
Blueberry Juice Try this healthy way to get your berries.
Banana Blueberry Muffins Serious crowd pleasers! They’re made with oats and maple syrup.

This blueberry cake recipe is…

Vegetarian.