Simple enough for everyday baking but tasty enough for company, this brightly flavored Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake is on regular rotation in our kitchens. Made with just 11 ingredients and all of 20 minutes of active kitchen prep, this citrus-glazed, blueberry-studded lemon loaf is the quintessence of sweet-tart perfection. One slice and you’ll be walkin’ on sunshine!
Table of contents
- Why We Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Lemon Blueberry Loaf
- Optional Variations
- Expert Tips
- FAQs
- More Dessert/Quick Bread/Snack Recipes
Why We Love This Recipe
With a name like Cream Cheese & Lemon Squeeze, you know we’re a sucker for the cheerful yellow fruit. Lemon bars, lemon vinaigrette, lemon chicken, lemon meltaways… we’re here for it all. But no dish quite compares to our love for this blueberry lemon bread with blueberry glaze.
Loaf cakes simply scream homey, cozy, comforting goodness. They’re the furthest thing from pretentious that a dessert can get. This tender-crumbed, sweet-tart masterpiece is loaded with zesty lemon flavor and juicy pops of blueberry yumminess throughout. The extra layer of lemony brightness from the simple glaze takes this bad boy over the top.
Aside from having all the summery, sunshiny flavor you could possibly want from an afternoon pick-me-up, this lemon blueberry bread recipe is also:
- Made With Only 11 Ingredients, most of which are pantry staples.
- Quick & Easy. You only need 20 minutes of prep to get this blueberry lemon loaf in the oven.
- Budget-Friendly. Making your own slice of heaven at home is so much cheaper than buying one from your favorite coffeeshop. You’ll be able to make a whole loaf for just over what you’d pay for a single portion!
- Versatile. It’s equally delicious as an after-school snack or a post-dinner dessert. Turn it into muffins for built-in portability. Swap out the citrus and berries to create a whole new quickbread. The options are nearly endless. Read on below for even more ideas!
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you probably already have *most* of what you need on hand to make this blueberry lemon loaf recipe. Here’s what to grab:
- All-Purpose Flour – You can also swap in cake flour in a pinch.
- Baking Powder – For leavening. Unfortunately, it can not be swapped with baking soda.
- Salt – For seasoning. We use regular ol’ table salt in the kitchen. If you’re using something else (e.g. kosher), refer to this conversion chart for proper measurement.
- Unsalted Butter – For richness and a tender crumb. Feel free to use salted butter and reduce or omit the added salt instead. Non-dairy butter will also do the trick!
- Granulated Sugar – For sweetness. If you prefer minimally processed ingredients, try using organic cane sugar instead.
- Eggs – We use size large as our regular eggs. Let them come to room temperature before mixing to prevent the melted butter from seizing.
- Vanilla Extract – You can also use equal amounts of vanilla powder or vanilla paste, or half as much ground vanilla bean. Alternatively, consider using almond extract (or a 50/50 split of vanilla and almond) for a fun twist.
- Lemons – You’ll need both the zest and the juice, so go for fresh here.
- Milk – We’re big fans of full-fat dairy, so whole milk is always in our fridges. Feel free to swap in any dairy or unsweetened plant-based milk you prefer.
- Blueberries – You can use either fresh or frozen berries for this recipe (no need to thaw them first!).
- Powdered Sugar – This is an essential ingredient to making a smooth glaze. If you’re fresh out, make your own using regular sugar, cornstarch, and a food processor!
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Loaf
This blueberry lemon cake comes together in a flash. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard 9×5-inch loaf tin with parchment paper.
Step 2: Whisk Dry Ingredients until well combined.
Step 3: Mix Wet Ingredients (Except Milk) in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Step 4: Slowly Mix Dry Ingredients Into Wet with the mixer on low. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients to help everything come together without overmixing.
Step 5: Prep Blueberries. Rinse and dry your berries before tossing them in a bit of flour. This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf!
Step 6: Fold Blueberries into the batter, working quickly but gently. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 7: Bake the lemon blueberry loaf until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of batter and crumbs, about 55-65 minutes.
Step 8: Cool the blueberry loaf for about 30 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire cooling rack. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment to catch any of the glaze that we’re about to add.
Step 9: Make Lemon Glaze by whisking all the ingredients together until well combined. Pour over the cooled loaf cake and let it set for about 30 minutes to harden slightly.
Step 10: Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea and a gal pal. Repeat as often as needed.
Optional Variations
While we love this quick and simple teatime dessert just the way it is, there is always room for customization here at Cream Cheese & Lemon Squeeze! Here are a few variations to consider:
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins – Instead of a loaf tin, swap in a muffin tin for grab-and-go treats that are easy to share. You can go mini, regular, or Texas-sized! Just make sure to adjust your bake time down as needed. As a rough guide, expect about 11-14 mins for minis, 15-18 mins for regulars, and 20-24 mins for jumbo muffins.
- Dairy-Free. Simply swap in your favorite plant-based butter and milk substitutes for a lactose-free treat.
- Different Flavors:
- Instead of lemon try tangerine, orange, lime, or grapefruit.
- Instead of blueberries try raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or boysenberries. You can also try dried fruit like coconut flakes, chopped apricots, or dates.
- Now mix & match to your heart’s content! Lemon raspberry loaf, lime coconut loaf, orange strawberry loaf… there’s a big ol’ world of tasty flavors out there for you to explore. Have fun with it!
Expert Tips
- Crumple your parchment paper. Can’t get your parchment paper to cooperate? Stop fussing over it and just crumple it into a ball. Not only is it great for stress relief, but it’ll also be much easier to work with once you flatten it back out!
- Get an oven thermometer. Depending on whose house we bake at, our ovens might *say* they’re at 350F but give us vastly different results. Put your questions to rest by using a $5 tool that’ll tell you what temperature your oven is actually at.
- Roll, zest, and then juice your citrus. Rolling the lemon firmly on the countertop for 10-15 seconds will help you extract all the juicy goodness. When you zest, make sure to only take the bright yellow parts since the white pith is pretty bitter. After you’re done zesting, slice the lemon in half and squeeze!
- Get the most from your fruit. Before tossing your spent lemon halves, toss them in a pitcher with water for 1-24 hours for a refreshing sipper. Remove them from the water after it’s infused with lemony brightness, then throw them down your garbage disposal while it and the water is running. Keep the switch on until it sounds clear. Your whole kitchen will smell like a ray of sunshine when you’re done!
FAQs
Can I make this lemon blueberry bread without an electric mixer?You sure can! Since you don’t have to cream the butter and sugar together (the butter is melted), you’re welcome to use a regular mixing bowl, a sturdy spoon, and a little elbow grease instead.
How do you keep blueberries from sinking in a cake?Tossing them with about a tablespoon of flour before adding them to your batter will help the berries stay suspended in the batter.
More Dessert/Quick Bread/Snack Recipes
- Cream Cheese Lemon Squeeze Bars
- Chocolate-Covered Oreo Delights: A Tempting Twist on a Classic Cookie
- Refreshing Strawberry Lemon Popsicles
- Lemon Mini Cheesecake Recipe
If y’all tried this sumptuous recipe for our easy Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake, holler and let us know how it turned out for you by giving us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and commenting below. You can also always feel free to tag us (@creamcheeseandlemonsqueeze) in your social media posts so we can cheer you on.
Alright, y’all. Thanks so much for stopping by! For even more down-home Mississippi Coast cooking inspiration, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok. You can also get all of our newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our weekly newsletter. We can’t wait to see you again soon!
XO,
Anna & Ashley
Easy Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest freshly grated
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup blueberries fresh (can sub frozen)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line a 9"x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease with butter).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
- While slowly mixing, add flour mixture and milk in two batches (some flour, then some milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk). Stop mixing as soon as it's just combined.
- Rinse off the blueberries (if using fresh) so they have just a bit of moisture on them, then, in a small bowl toss the blueberries and 1 T. flour. This flour coating will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your loaf while baking.
- Add the flour coated berries to the batter and gently but quickly stir, by hand, to combine.
- Immediately pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in the pan for about 30 minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack with a baking sheet below (to catch the glaze you're about to add).
- Prepare glaze by simply whisking together the melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, then pour glaze over the loaf. Allow to set a few minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Crumple your parchment paper. Can’t get your parchment paper to cooperate? Stop fussing over it and just crumple it into a ball. Not only is it great for stress relief, but it’ll also be much easier to work with once you flatten it back out!
- Get an oven thermometer. Depending on whose house we bake at, our ovens might *say* they’re at 350F but give us vastly different results. Put your questions to rest by using a $5 tool that’ll tell you what temperature your oven is actually at.
- Roll, zest, and then juice your citrus. Rolling the lemon firmly on the countertop for 10-15 seconds will help you extract all the juicy goodness. When you zest, make sure to only take the bright yellow parts since the white pith is pretty bitter. After you’re done zesting, slice the lemon in half and squeeze!
- Get the most from your fruit. Before tossing your spent lemon halves, toss them in a pitcher with water for 1-24 hours for a refreshing sipper. Remove them from the water after it’s infused with lemony brightness, then throw them down your garbage disposal while it and the water is running. Keep the switch on until it sounds clear. Your whole kitchen will smell like a ray of sunshine when you’re done!
Nutrition
Easy Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest freshly grated
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup blueberries fresh (can sub frozen)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line a 9"x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease with butter).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
- While slowly mixing, add flour mixture and milk in two batches (some flour, then some milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk). Stop mixing as soon as it's just combined.
- Rinse off the blueberries (if using fresh) so they have just a bit of moisture on them, then, in a small bowl toss the blueberries and 1 T. flour. This flour coating will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your loaf while baking.
- Add the flour coated berries to the batter and gently but quickly stir, by hand, to combine.
- Immediately pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in the pan for about 30 minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack with a baking sheet below (to catch the glaze you're about to add).
- Prepare glaze by simply whisking together the melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, then pour glaze over the loaf. Allow to set a few minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Crumple your parchment paper. Can’t get your parchment paper to cooperate? Stop fussing over it and just crumple it into a ball. Not only is it great for stress relief, but it’ll also be much easier to work with once you flatten it back out!
- Get an oven thermometer. Depending on whose house we bake at, our ovens might *say* they’re at 350F but give us vastly different results. Put your questions to rest by using a $5 tool that’ll tell you what temperature your oven is actually at.
- Roll, zest, and then juice your citrus. Rolling the lemon firmly on the countertop for 10-15 seconds will help you extract all the juicy goodness. When you zest, make sure to only take the bright yellow parts since the white pith is pretty bitter. After you’re done zesting, slice the lemon in half and squeeze!
- Get the most from your fruit. Before tossing your spent lemon halves, toss them in a pitcher with water for 1-24 hours for a refreshing sipper. Remove them from the water after it’s infused with lemony brightness, then throw them down your garbage disposal while it and the water is running. Keep the switch on until it sounds clear. Your whole kitchen will smell like a ray of sunshine when you’re done!