This blueberry bundt cake is a simple, but delightful dessert. It’s fluffy, tender, and bursting with fresh blueberries. Using the reverse creaming method makes it the cake so soft and moist.
The thing about bundt cakes is that they’re beautiful but require little effort to look that way. The shape of the pan really does all the work (and a little drizzle of icing). And I am proud to say that a skill that I am proud to have mastered in my years of baking is the ability to get bundt cakes out of the pan without breaking.
This blueberry bundt cake is a favorite spring/summer recipe of mine. It’s a simple, delicious, and pretty cake that’s bursting with fresh blueberries.
If you love blueberry cakes then I think you’ll also love these blueberry cupcakes or blueberry apple crisp.
Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Bundt Cake:
- The texture is incredibly moist and tender with a fine crumb. I use the reverse creaming method to make the batter.
- It’s an all-butter bundt cake that’s rich in flavor and moistened with sour cream. The high concentration of butter means that there is a lot of milk fat in the cake
- A hint of lemon zest in the batter brightens the flavor of the blueberries.
- It’s a perfect everyday cake that can also be dressed up for special occasions.
Ingredients for Blueberry Bundt Cake
This recipe is written for a 10-12 cup bundt cake pan. Make sure that you have a large enough pan to hold all the batter.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Blueberries: Ideally use fresh berries but frozen is fine in a pinch
- Unsalted butter: butter ensures the cake is rich and fluffy. For the best results, do not substitute the butter with oil or margarine.
- Sour cream: sour cream aids in breaking down gluten and creating a tender, soft texture. It also adds a ton of moisture to the cake.
- You can substitute Greek Yogurt if needed, but make sure that it is a full-fat Greek Yogurt, which will be the closest to sour cream. Do not use fat-free yogurt.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness
- Fresh lemon zest: a little bit of lemon zest in the batter adds a lovely brightness to the flavor. You don’t need a ton, as this is technically not a blueberry lemon cake hehe.
- Vanilla extract and salt: for flavor
- Baking powder and baking soda: leavening agents
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
One very common question that I get is whether you can substitute fresh and frozen fruit interchangeably.
I’ve made this cake with both fresh and frozen blueberries. I personally prefer the fresh blueberry version and that is what I would recommend. In the frozen version, the berries bled into the batter and I found that the texture of the cake wasn’t as tender. However, if you are going to be using frozen berries here are a few tips for the best results:
- You may need to increase the baking time, as frozen berries decrease the batter’s temperature.
- Coat the berries with a bit of extra flour.
- Do not thaw the berries, as they’ll turn to mush.
Let’s Make It!
Step 1: Beat dry ingredients together with butter. Mix flour, sugar, leavening agents, and salt together in the bowl of a mixer. While running the mixer on low speed, add in the butter, a slice at a time. Continue beating until the mixture resembles cornmeal or moist sand (see photos for reference).
Step 2: Add eggs and sour cream. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with lemon zest and vanilla extract, until the batter resembles a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg to ensure an even batter. Add the sour cream in increments until you have a smooth batter.
Step 3: Fold in blueberries. Toss the blueberries with some flour to prevent them from sinking, and then gently fold them into the batter.
Step 4: Bake the bundt cake. Pour the batter into a well greased 10-12 cup bundt cake pan. Bake it for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Every oven is different, so exact bake times will differ.
Step 5: Cool and add icing. Allow the bundt cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan first before trying to remove it. Otherwise it may break or burn you. From there, flip the cake onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and pour it over the bundt cake.
Tips for Recipe Success
- To get a fluffy cake with an even, tender crumb, make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature. This applies to primary the eggs and sour cream. No need to thaw frozen blueberries.
- For the most accurate measurements, weigh the ingredients (and most importantly the flour) using a kitchen scale. It’s easy to overmeasure flour, which can lead to a dry cake. If you do not have a scale, fluff the flour and spoon it into a measuring cup, using a knife to level off the top.
- Make sure leavening agents are fresh. Old baking soda and baking powder do not work as well and the cake will not rise. If it’s been more than a year since you last bought these then it may be time to replace.
- Use a powerful non-stick spray. Pam for baking or Baker’s Joy are my favorite non-stick sprays for bundt cakes. I have not had a single cake stick to the pan since I started using these. No, this is not an ad lol.
Pin and Save for Later
If you’re interested in making this recipe, browsing around, or not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over or tap (on mobile) any image in this post (pick your favorite or use the one below), and use the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Happy baking and hope you LOVE your blueberry bundt cake!
Blueberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Blueberry Bundt Cake Batter
- 3 cups (360g) flour, plus 2-3 tsp for the berries
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups blueberries (ideally fresh, see notes for frozen)
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup bundt cake pan with a floured baking spray.
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk it all together until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- While running the mixer on lower speed with the paddle attachment, start adding the butter, one slice at a time. Continue mixing for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture resembles sand.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. The mixture will start to resemble a thick paste. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Gently beat in ⅓ of the sour cream at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Mix until you have an even batter.
- Toss the blueberries with 2 tsp of flour -- use a full tbsp if you are using frozen berries. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the bundt cake pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn it over onto a large plate or cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely (1 hr+).
- To make the icing, whisk all of the ingredients together. Add more or less milk depending on your desired consistency.
- Pour the icing over the bundt cake and let it set. Enjoy!
Notes
Reverse Creaming: This recipe uses the reverse creaming method for making cake batter. In this method, we coat the flour with fat (in this case butter), which seals it off from liquid, reducing the likelihood of gluten development. Reverse creaming is easy to do, but make sure to carefully read the instructions in the recipe and reference photos in the post to see how things should look.
Frozen vs. Fresh Blueberries: I prefer using fresh blueberries in this recipe, however you can substitute for frozen if needed. You may need to increase the baking time since the batter will be colder. Note that if using frozen berries, they may bleed into the batter and turn it blue. This is why we toss them with a little bit of extra flour.
Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers tightly wrapped or in an airtight container. The cake will be good on the counter for up to 2 days, but will last up to 5 days in the fridge.
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