Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
This delicious, lemony yogurt cake is studded with blueberries. It tastes like a lightened-up pound cake and takes cues from healthy French yogurt cakes.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
Let’s talk cake. This very lemony blueberry cake is the perfect sweet treat to bring to your summer celebrations. It’s basically a lightened-up pound cake.
Instead of being made with the traditional one-to-one ratio of butter, all-purpose flour and sugar (one pound each!), this cake is made with yogurt, olive oil, whole wheat flour and a reasonable amount of sugar.
The cake is easy to mix up by hand. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar brings out tons of lemon flavor. A drizzle of lemon honey syrup adds an extra burst of lemon flavor that seeps all the way down to the blueberries at the bottom.
Blueberries seemed like a festive choice, but you could substitute raspberries or chopped strawberries. Or hey, try a mix of the three!
More Simple Cakes to Make
- Citrus Olive Oil Cake
- Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top
- Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake
- Simple Blueberry Cake
Please let me know how your cake turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
This delicious, lemony yogurt cake is studded with blueberries. It’s made with healthy whole wheat flour, olive oil and yogurt and tastes amazing, I promise! This cake takes cues from traditional French yogurt cake and tastes like a lightened-up pound cake. Recipe yields one loaf.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 medium lemons, preferably organic, to be zested and juiced
- 1 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
- ¾ cup plain whole-milk (full fat) yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 3 extra-large eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not defrost!)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Optional accompaniments: Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter and flour a 8½ by 4¼ by 2½-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour the sugar into a separate medium-sized mixing bowl. Grate all the zest from the lemons. Rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is yellow and fragrant. Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Whisk well, until the ingredients are combined.
- When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil, making sure it’s all incorporated. The batter will be shiny. In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with about one teaspoon flour (this will help prevent them from sinking while the cake bakes.) Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sides just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons lemon juice and two teaspoons honey just long enough for you to whisk the honey into the juice. You can do this in your smallest saucepan over medium-low heat or in brief bursts in the microwave. Once the honey is mixed in, taste it—it should be pleasantly tart. If it’s too sour, mix in more honey. Using a pastry brush, brush the lemon-honey glaze on top of the warm cake. Repeat until you have no more liquid left.
- Run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan to loosen. Unmold the cake by placing a large plate or cutting board upside down over the loaf pan and carefully turning it over. Turn the cake back onto a flat surface to cool completely. Then slice and serve!
Notes
Recipe adapted from my orange poppy seed pound cake.
Change it up: Feel free to skip the blueberries altogether (just reduce the baking time by 5 minutes). Or you can substitute raspberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries for the blueberries.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this today and it’s been declared a big hit by the family. The combination of flavours is what they loved!
Hello Kate !
Thanks for sharing Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Cake recipe with us.I tried this, it turns out delicious and tasty. Can I use vanilla beans instead of vanilla extrct ? TIA !!
Made it the other day, sooooooo good.
Hey Kate! Where do you add the lemon juice in this recipe and out of how many lemons? I’m just baking based on your recipe and added some fresh thyme to it. Thank you!
I have just try this recipe and it is AMAZING. Super easy to make and all my familly loved it. Thank you very much Kate! You are such an inspiration. Best wishes from Spain.
I made muffins from this recipe (adding diced strawberries and raspberries) and took them into work today. They were devoured in a heartbeat! I definitely plan on making a double or triple batch next time, and there will be a next time! these are delicious!!
Since I did muffins instead of a cake, I reduced the time to 27 minutes instead of the original 55. still used the toothpick test.
Awesome! They sound delicious.
Made this cake yesterday and love it! Is it ok to slice and freeze it?
I don’t see why not!
Just had a piece of this – another winner! I used granulated sugar, 2% plain Greek yogurt and frozen blueberries. The loaf is deliciously lemony, perfect with a glaze (ran out of honey so I went with icing sugar) and has a great texture that’s both light and substantial. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh and I had to bake it for closer to an hour and fifteen minutes… still turned out great!
I’ve already made this 3 times and i love it! So delicious and smells so good!
Oh, I’m so glad! Thanks, Yvette. This one is lemony and bright, which is great for spring.
This was delicious! My family loved this cake! Even those who don’t eat healthy..) I was just wondering if I could put maple syrup or honey instead of sugar? Thank you Kate (and Cookie) for your awesome recipes!
I think so, Anna! Since honey/maple syrup are actually sweeter than sugar, you’d want to reduce the amount. This guide should help out.
I’ve made so many of your recipes, all of which have turned out great! Do you suggest any modifications if I wanted to use a bundt pan for this yummy sounding cake?
I haven’t tried that myself, Beth, but this reference leads me to believe that you’ll need to cut down on the cooking time a bit.
I made this cake last night and brought it into work for a birthday celebration. Once again, another hit! Your recipes continue to amaze me (and my co-workers).
Awesome! I love hearing that, Vikki. Thanks for sharing it with your coworkers, too!
I couldn’t resist buying oodles of organic blueberries when I spotted them on sale last week and this proved to be the final recipe I used them in! Definitely worth it!
However, I used whole wheat flour and did not like the effect. I think it would taste best with whole wheat pastry flour or with your recommended white whole wheat flour. Either way, the sweetness, tartness and burst of berries were all wonderful! I would probably add more berries, as I prefer more delicious juicy surprises that these proportions provided. All in all, I would recommend this recipe to others and totally serve it to friends!
I LOVE this recipe so much that I have made it 4 times in one month! I always double it so that I share with my neighbors, daughters and grandchildren! I have used raspberries in place of blue berries, I have used blueberries alone and with raspberries, and tonight I decided to use dark cherries, and upon request from my pregnant daughter, dark choc chips! I honestly thought that this time it would be too much with lemon and not so yummy…. I was wrong!!! Still amazing! Grand babies LOVE it! Thanks again, Kate, for amazing, life changing recipes!!! BTW this was dessert after your wonderful Kale, black bean, avocado burrito Bowl! ALSO one of our favorites!! Our whole family thinks that you’re beyond gifted to come up with such incredible dishes! THANKS! :)
Just made this yesterday and LOVE IT! It’s not too sweet which I love (I expected more sweetness bc of the cup of sugar but it was perfect). It’s moist but crumbly in the best way. Question? I’d love to make in cupcake form for a 5k bake sale! It would work, right? What would you recommend for baking time?
Katie, so sorry I missed your question! I do think this would work well as muffins/cupcakes. I’d bake at 350 as directed, and keep an eye at them starting at about 20 minutes.
Oh no worries! Your blog is BUSY! I did just that and they took about 22 mins. :) thanks!
Hi Kate!!
I recently discovered your blog thanks to minimalist baker and I have quickly become OBSESSED!
I was just wondering if it would be possible to substitute coconut sugar for the cane sugar?
Thank you so much for you awesome recipes!!
Hi Imagene! I’m so glad you found my blog. :) I haven’t tried that substitution, so I can’t say for sure. Please let me know if you try it!
made this over the holiday weekend and it was amazing. the bread was so dense and the smell filled the house while cooking. Next time I’m going to make the loaf plus a tin of muffins.
Yay! Glad to hear that, Tiger. Thank you for the review!
Hi Kate! I tried this recipe last night using Satsuma mandarins.. Sooooo delicious! Also, I really love the tip for coating the blueberries with flour before folding in, my loaf came out Just like the picture.
Great to hear! I am glad you thought so, Enid. I appreciate the review.
I used sliced strawberries in place of the blueberries and it was delicious! The recipe was super easy to follow and I had all of the ingredients in my fridge already. My roommate and I can’t get enough!
Thanks for sharing, Jess! It’s always nice when you have everything on hand, even if you have to make a slight modification. I appreciate the review!
Hi
I have just made this cake, looks and smells amazing but I haven’t tried it yet! Just wondering how long will it keep in the fridge for?
Thanks
Monique
Hi Monique! Hope you loved the cake. It will keep in the fridge well for 4 to 5 days. That’s about the max for most recipes.
I love your blog and was on a hunt for a lemony sugar free cake. Was super excited till I came across sugar in the ingredients list :(
How can I sub honey for the sugar? what would I need to change? Reading your blog I know you’re an expert on that :)
Hi Yasmeen, good news! I just shared a naturally sweetened blueberry muffin recipe that would turn out great in a loaf pan. Here it is.
Thank you for your reply, I MUST try that :D
I experimented a bit with this recipe, so I used 1/2 cup honey instead of 1 sugar and decreased the oil and yogurt by a tablespoon each. Turned out pretty good! The glaze makes it super lemony and delicious.
I used frozen strawberries (which I cut into smaller pieces) instead of blueberries because that’s what I had, but they became a bit over mushed (if that’s a word). I’ll stick to blueberries next time :)
I had a question though, why fold in the oil at the end and not mix it with the wet ingredients in the beginning?
Can I make this and freeze it?
Thanks,
Lisa
I haven’t tried that. I think it’s best served right away. If you try, let me know!
Can’t remmber how I came across your website, I am not a vegetarian, but I am so glad I did! Discovered your recipe for Thai Red Curry with Veggies that I LOVE and have made twice in a short time period. And made this loaf today. Smelled so good I couldn’t wait for it to cool completely before I sampled it. Omg….so moist and yummy! Don’t think it will last long. Love the ease and simplicity of your recipes and all the healthy ingredients and the fact you don’t sacrifice flavour or moistness for health. I am always on the search for healthy recipes for a fussy 4 year old grand daughter and I think I have found some with you. Going to make your pumpkin muffins and pancakes for her tomorrow. And there are a few main dish recipes I am hoping she might eat as well. A great testament to you that a non vegetarian really likes and enjoys your vegetarian recipes and has incorporated them in our quest to eat more meatless, healthy options.
Looking forward to trying more recipes. Thanks so much!
I’m happy you discovered it too, Diane. All are welcome to enjoy. :) Thanks for the review!
What do you do with the 1/2 cup of olive oil?
See step 4 :) You will want to fold in the oil to the mixture.
Beautiful cake. Deserves a quiet few minutes in which to enjoy it. Super easy to make and a real pleasure, the lemon zest smells divine as you mix it in with the sugar. Tastes like a slice of summer.
Yes, the lemon zest! Happy you agree. Thanks so much for your review, Alice.
I just made this cake and it was super yummy! I used clementine olive oil instead of plain to give it an extra cites kick and non-dairy coconut yogurt instead of the diary. I made it in a bundt pan instead of a loaf just because I think it’s prettier and had just a few extra minutes on the timer when I pulled it out.
Thanks for sharing, Amanda! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Is it correct that there is no baking soda in this recipe? Wanting to make these for my son’s class asap!
Just baking powder needed for this recipe!
Such a great recipe, Kate! My boyfriend and I loved it!
Wonderful, Ariana! Thanks for your review.
hi, so what can i do if i dont want to use sugar? can i use maple syrup instead?
thanks !
This sounds so good, but I’m wondering if it would be possible to use kefir instead of milk or yoghurt?
I have made so many of your recipes! I can’t stop myself! This cake is fantastic! I will be making this a lot over the summer.
Thank you for making another recipe, Lea!
I used only half cup of sugar and it turned out delicious! I cannot stop eating :)!
Thanks for sharing, Oana!
Made this today, came out awesome! Thank you! I used pastry flour, avocado oil and greek yogurt.
Love…at…first…bite! I made this a few weeks ago and it was the PERFECT cake for the summer. Originally I was slightly hesitant since it had olive oil and I wasn’t sure how it would taste but you instantly forget it once it’s fully incorporated. I am so excited to make this again for my in laws soon – they are HUGE fans of anything citrus and they love cake with their tea. Thank for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Hi Kate
Just dropped by to finally jot down how much I enjoy the recipes on your website – having tried a handful. Although I am not a get “culinarist” nor do I enjoy cooking, I find your recipes practical and straiggtforward. Those few which are complex…I just leave to you all experts! :)
I am a vegetarian who eats dairy but not eggs. Would there be any recommendations for alternatives to the eggs in this recipe?
Thanks and Keep Cookin’ & sharin’!
Best
Rekha
Thanks, Rekha! Maybe try a flax egg? However, I haven’t tried it.
Just the best — I used mixed frozen berries and half the glaze amount because that’s all I had, and it came out lemony, moist and just delicious. I had to cut my four-year old off before he ate the whole loaf.
Oh boy! Loved it that much. Thanks for sharing, Tania.
In step 3, are we adding the lemon juice along with the other wet ingredients? And reserving 2 tablespoons for the glaze?
Hi Jayme! You are using the zest in step 3 with the sugar. You don’t need to lemon juice until until step 6. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I proceeded as you directed and my entire family loved it! I’ve never made a lemon loaf and just thought it would require actual lemon juice in the loaf rather than in just the glaze. But, it’s perfect! Thanks again!
Hallo Kate, did you try a lactose free alternative yet? I would like to replace the Milk by soymilk or coconut milk. Do you think it would work? Thank you
Hi! I haven’t yet, sorry. You could see what others may have tried that has worked.
Instead of the sugar I used a cup of apple sauce. I reduced a bit the wet ingredients (1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup oil). Still delicious!
Could I use coconut oil or avocado oil instead of olive oil?
I believe so! I just haven’t tried to be 100% certain.
Do you add any of the juice from the lemons to the cake batter or use it only in the glaze?
Hi Laurie, the juice is used in the glaze only.
Super Yummy! Some modifications I did: Used only 1/2 cup of sugar which was perfectly sweet. I subbed (melted) coconut oil in place of the olive oil, and divided up the milk/yogurt with 1 part almond milk and one part yogurt. It turned out so scrumptious! Will definitely be making again. Thanks for your delicious recipes!
Can this be made with spelt flour instead? Also, would using turbinado sugar work? Thanks a lot! I’m eager to try this.
Hi Vanessa! You could sure try it. I think spelt is a fairly safe bet. Turbinado sugar might make your cake a little less fluffy/with a little more texture. I bet it would still be good, though. Please report back if you do!
I am also wondering if turbinado sugar would work okay in this instead of regular sugar. Thanks!
This cake looks scrumptious! Would it be possible to use this batter to make cupcakes instead of a loaf cake?
Hi Bryn, I think so! Keep the temp the same, but they’ll be done baking before a loaf would be. Bake “until the top is golden and the sides just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.”
Just made this for the second time as muffins and with frozen raspberries. Used 3/4 cup of sugar but then topped them off with a berry/lemon glaze. It was DIVINE! Thanks, Kate for another amazing recipe!
Sooo good!! I used whole wheat pastry flour did everything else exactly as the recipe says. I think I used Greek yogurt because that’s what we had. My loaf pan is glass so I reduced the oven temp by 25* and baked it for an hour!
Just perfect! Can’t wait to make the orange poppyseed next :D
Can I add lemon juice instead of lemon zest in step 3? If so, how much lemon juice do I add?
Hi Lesley! I’d recommend using lemon zest if at all possible. Lemon juice offers less flavor and could throw off the moisture balance in the recipe. If you only have juice, you might still find the cake nicely lemony after you add the glaze, which uses lemon juice.
Just tried this. It smells heavenly! Only had one lime to use. Going to give it to my mother in law, as a lockdown treat!