Extra Moist Lemon Blueberry Cake With Soaked Glaze

My extra moist lemon blueberry cake recipe is soaked in a citrusy lemon glaze — not just drizzled, soaked — so every bite of this light lemon sheet cake stays ridiculously moist and you can't hide from the lemon flavor. It's topped with fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting, and however you bake, this recipe's got you covered: cake mix, homemade, or gluten-free directions all included. Let's do this!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

Lemon Blueberry Cake

¾ cups (170 g) unsalted butter softened
1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest about 2 lemons
2 ½ cups (327 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup (317 g) buttermilk* (*see recipe notes for GF cake amount)
1 ¾ cups (260 g) fresh or frozen blueberries

Lemon Glaze

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (use zested lemons)
1 ½ cup (180 g) powdered sugar

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces (336 g) cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
¾ cup (180 g) heavy cream (or 2 cups Cool Whip, thawed)
¼ cup (48 g) fresh blueberries for decorating
lemon slices, for decorating

Instructions

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
¾ cups unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternatively add flour and buttermilk to butter / sugar mixture, beating on low after each addition until just combined. Gently fold in the 1 ½ cup blueberries, reserving ¼ cup. Pour into prepared baking pan. Scatter the remaining ¼ cup blueberries on top and gently press down. This helps evenly disperse the berries, making sure they don't fall to the bottom of the cake.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour or gluten free flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ cup buttermilk* , 1 ¾ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes clean. See recipe notes for baking instructions, if using gluten-free flour.
Remove from oven and mix together lemon drizzle ingredients. Poke holes all over warm cake using a skewer or fork. Pour drizzle over cake and let seep in. Use a spatula to spread drizzle around and evenly distribute. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
¼ cup fresh lemon juice , 1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon extract, and powdered sugar. Set aside.
12 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 cup powdered sugar
If using heavy cream, pour into a separate clean, large bowl. Beat on high until it holds shape and peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
¾ cup heavy cream (or 2 cups Cool Whip, thawed)
Fold whipped cream (or Cool Whip) into cream cheese mixture until no streaks remain.
Spread frosting on top of cooled cake and garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon slices.
¼ cup fresh blueberries

Notes

Gluten-Free Baking Notes

I've found the crumb to be too dense using the full amount of buttermilk. If using gluten-free flour, cut the buttermilk to 1 cup.

Also, to prevent a gluten-free cake rising too quickly and falling during cooling, start baking at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Leaving the cake in the oven, reduce the oven temp to 325ºF and continue baking for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Lemon Blueberry Cake Using Cake Mix

Prepare a yellow cake mix according to directions, adding 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
Before baking, fold in 2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries. Bake in 9X13 pan or two 9" cake pans.
When the cake comes out of the oven mix together the lemon glaze. Poke holes into the warm cake and allow lemon drizzle to soak in. Cool completely.
Mix together cream cheese frosting and spread on top, decorating with fresh blueberries.

Layer cake

Divide batter between two 9 inch cake pans lined with wax paper on bottom. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Poke warm cake layers with holes, drizzle with lemon glaze, and cool completely in pans. Spread the cream cheese frosting in between layers and on top, along with some fresh blueberries.

Buttermilk Substitution

Pour 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add milk until you have 1 1/4 cups total liquid. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stir, and then use.

Nutrition