A moist lemon blueberry loaf that’s swirled with a thick layer of blueberries and topped with streusel.
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lemon blueberry loaf
Hello hello! ☺︎ Springtime calls for lemon + fruit, and a lemon loaf cake is always a great idea. This lemon blueberry loaf is super easy to make, it’s moist, fluffy, loaded with zest, and it has a thick layer of blueberries layered in the center with it, along with a cinnamon streusel on top.
So let’s get into it!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
How to get more flavor out of zest
It’s hard to put citrus juice into bakes because it can easily throw off the texture of the dough. So we’ll get lemon flavor into this loaf through the zest. To get even more flavor out of the zest, we’ll rub the zest into the sugar, which will release oils from the zest into the sugar and release more flavor into the loaf.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, be sure that you only mix *just until* that last streak of flour disappears into the batter.
Room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other and you don’t end up with a curdled, uneven batter. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before starting the recipe to allow them to come to room temp.
Keep an eye on the cake while it bakes
Things like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. Start checking around 45 minutes with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out wet, check again in 5 minutes and so on, until the toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for a lemon blueberry loaf –
lemon blueberry loaf:
- All purpose flour: gives the loaf structure. We’ll also mix some with the blueberries to help keep them suspended in the batter.
- Baking powder: for helping the loaf rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the loaf. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Lemon zest: for flavor.
- Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Whole milk & sour cream: for moisture and for tenderizing the loaf. I recommend whole milk & full-fat sour cream for the best results! You could also substitute greek yogurt or kefir for the sour cream.
- Blueberries: fresh or frozen will work here. I had the best results with keeping the blueberries in the center of the batter when I used frozen wild blueberries. If you’re using frozen blueberries be sure to keep them in the freezer up until the point you’re ready to put them in the loaf and bake it.
streusel:
- Unsalted butter: the base of the streusel, really what makes it buttery and delicious. You can use salted butter here as well.
- Light brown sugar: sweetens and adds flavor to the streusel.
- All purpose flour: adds structure to the streusel.
- Cinnamon: for flavor – you can omit this if you’re not a fan of cinnamon.
how to make lemon blueberry loaf
Below are a few images of the process of making this loaf. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Mix the streusel ingredients together, then set it aside.
- Rub the zest into the sugar.
- Beat in the butter, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Alternate folding in the dry ingredients and sour cream/milk.
- Mix together the blueberries and flour.
- Layer the loaf batter, blueberries, and streusel in a loaf pan. Bake, serve, and enjoy!
lemon blueberry loaf
recipe q&a
What size loaf pan do I need?
I used a 1 lb metal loaf pan for this cake. You can use a 1.25 lb p, just note that your cake will be a tad shorter and will take a little less time to bake. I recommend against glass bakeware because it just doesn’t conduct heat as well which affects bake time and browning on your bakes. So please note that if you do use a glass pan, your bake will take more time.
How to store this loaf
Keep this loaf stored in an airtight container at room temperature, where it will keep well for up to 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Lemon Blueberry Loaf
Ingredients
Streusel
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 65 g light brown sugar (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 75 g all purpose flour (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
- 210 g all purpose flour (1 ¾ c.)
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
- zest of 3 large lemons
- 150 g unsalted butter room temperature (10 ½ tbsp.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 105 g whole milk room temperature (3 ¾ oz.)
- 90 g sour cream room temperature (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 150 g blueberries frozen or fresh (1 c.)
- 1 tbsp. all purpose flour for coating
Instructions
Streusel
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the sugar, flour, and cinnamon, then mix until everything is well combined and you have little clumps of dough. Set aside.
Lemon Blueberry Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line an 8×4" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the sugar to a large mixing bowl, then zest three lemons into the sugar. Use your hands to rub the zest into the sugar.
- Add in the butter and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes, until it's light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, with the mixer running, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds before adding in the next egg.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and gently fold it into the wet ingredients just until the last streak of flour disappears.
- Then, add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla, and gently fold them into the batter until just combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture and fold just until the last streak of flour disappears.
- Add the blueberries and 1 tbsp. of flour to a small mixing bowl. Toss the blueberries and flour together until all of the blueberries are evenly coated.
- Spread half of the batter into your loaf pan, then top it with all of the coated blueberries. Carefully spread the rest of the batter over the blueberries, then top the loaf off with the streusel.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let the loaf come to room temperature before slicing, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
hii do you know why my streusel sunk to the middle and didnt stay on top while baking 🥲 but other than that i love this recipe the loaf is super super moist
Hi, I’m sorry that happened! It could either be that the butter was too hot (if you happened to make the streusel after making the batter and not at the beginning of the recipe), or your oven temp may have been lower than 350F (I always recommend an oven thermometer to know the true temp in there), which could both cause the streusel to sink. I hope this was helpful & I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it despite the streusel sinking! ☺︎
What happens to the third lemon? 🙂
Hi! You’ll use all three lemons for the zest – sorry about that!