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Craving a burst of sunshine and refreshing summer flavor? This easy lemon blueberry loaf cake is the answer, packed with fresh blueberries, fragrant lemon zest, and a special ingredient you don’t usually find in baked goods, frozen lemonade concentrate. This recipe delivers a delightful balance of sweet and tart in every single bite. Get ready to bake a loaf cake so good, you’ll be fighting over the last slice.
Loaf cakes are one of our favorite desserts to make because they’re so straightforward and quick to whip up, they’re endlessly versatile in terms of flavors and ingredients, they don’t require much decorating to look pretty, and unlike a lot of more complicated baked goods, minor imperfections don’t matter at all. Even a beginner baker can be successful with this lemon blueberry loaf cake, which is why we love it.
Leftover blueberries? Use them up with our easy blueberry crisp. If you’re looking for other desserts that are easy and don’t require much in the way of decorating, our easy apple coffee cake, which is topped with thin slices of Golden Delicious instead of streusel or frosting, is a great choice.
Featured Ingredients
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
FRESH BLUEBERRIES: Fresh blueberries are the star of this loaf cake recipe, bringing natural sweetness and a touch of tartness – not to mention a beautiful pop of color – to complement the lemon’s citrus tang. When you use fresh blueberries, they release juice during the baking process, helping to keep your baked goods from drying out.
FROZEN LEMONADE CONCENTRATE: Lemons and blueberries are a perfect culinary pairing because their respective acidity and natural sweetness balance each other out so well. This recipe uses thawed frozen lemonade concentrate because it’s already somewhat sweetened, and it has a highly concentrated tangy lemon flavor. The acidity from the lemonade concentrate will also help make the loaf cake more tender.
LEMON ZEST: Because lemon zest contains the essential oils of the lemon, it brings an even more intense and aromatic burst of citrus flavor to the loaf cake, elevating the overall lemon flavor profile.
FRESH LEMON JUICE: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is the basis of a simple two-ingredient glaze that goes on the loaf cake after baking. Glazes are often made with milk, but the extra acidity from the lemon juice just enhances the flavor of the cake.
CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR: Also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, confectioners’ sugar is the sugar of choice for making glazes on loaf cakes because it is finely ground, so it dissolves better into liquids, providing a smooth texture that still holds its shape. This is why you can drizzle it over baked goods or spread it in a thin layer without it running off.
Overview
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
First, toss your blueberries in a bit of flour. Then, grease your loaf pan and preheat the oven.
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another.
Combine them, fold in the blueberries, and pour into the loaf pan.
Sprinkle with sugar, bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool it, mix up the glaze, brush it on, and enjoy!
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries, washed, drained and patted dry
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for decorating, optional
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a standard (8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″) loaf pan with butter (see notes).
- Place the blueberries in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and stir until thoroughly coated. Set aside.
- Whisk the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, oil, milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon zest together until frothy.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a spatula until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the batter, mix well and transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice, stirring until smooth.
- Brush the glaze onto the cake, let sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Tips for Success
COAT BLUEBERRIES IN FLOUR: Because blueberries are rather dense, they tend to sink to the bottom of baked goods. Coating them in a light layer of flour helps to ensure the blueberries will be more evenly distributed throughout the loaf cake. CHOOSE THE RIGHT LOAF PAN: It’s okay to use a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan if you don’t have the 8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ size. Your loaf just won’t be quite as tall. Just remember to check for doneness with a toothpick after about 40 minutes instead of 45 minutes as stated in the recipe. GREASE YOUR LOAF PAN: Even if you a use non-stick bakeware, greasing ahead of baking will prevent the loaf cake from sticking to the pan, making it much easier to remove after baking. ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS: Bringing your refrigerated ingredients to room temperature will ensure more even mixing and a smoother batter. LET IT COOL COMPLETELY: Even though it’s tempting to get a taste right away, let your lemon blueberry loaf cake cool completely on a wire rack before you slice it. This allows it to set properly and helps prevent crumbling. LOAF PAN SIZES: It’s okay to use a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan if you don’t have the 8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ size. Your loaf just won’t be quite as tall. Just remember to check your cake for doneness after about 40 minutes instead of 45 minutes as stated in the recipe.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What an easy and delicious loaf cake! It turned out moist and tender with a lovely lemon flavor. I was excited to use some of my first blueberries of the season and will definitely make it again!
Hi Lynne, I made this loaf to bring to my Women’s Club monthly meeting in July and it was delicious according to the women who tried a piece. They loved the lemon flavor with the blueberries. This was so easy to make!
I made this the other day. It was delicious and EASY! I’ve never made a loaf cake before, but I hope you make more of them. How about a carrot cake?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the loaf cake. They are easy to make and we do plan to work out a carrot cake version. Stay tuned!
Can you substitute frozen blueberries?
Hi Lynne,
I think frozen blueberries would work out fine, but I looked into it a bit for you and learned that if you don’t want them to discolor the whole cake you need to rinse and dry them.
Here are the instructions from the baking experts at King Arthur Flour (my favorite brand):
“Rinse berries in cold water several times – until the water is noticeably lighter when you drain them. It’ll start out dark blue, but will gradually shade its way up to a watery red/blue.
When that happens, dry the berries well with several layers of paper towels, top and bottom.
Gently and quickly stir the frozen berries into the batter. You’ll see a few inevitable streaks of blue, but the entire batter shouldn’t turn blue. If that starts to happen – stop stirring, you’re done!”
Let me know if you try this and how it works out!