This blueberry cake is my official summertime dessert. I hope it becomes yours, too. It’s tender, fully loaded with blueberries, and simple to make—no mixer required. It’s a dream! This blueberry cake recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which makes it extra delicious. Thanks to the blueberries and maple syrup, it’s nicely sweet but not over the top. Some cakes are so sweet that they give me a stomachache, but this one is just right.
This cake will absolutely be a hit at your Fourth of July festivities. Serve it as a “snacking cake” or make it celebration-worthy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I’ve even enjoyed a slice with yogurt for breakfast.
Blueberry Cake Recipe Development
To create this cake, I started with my Healthy Blueberry Muffins and adjusted the recipe until I arrived at a perfectly sweet cake. Since we started from a recipe that I know like the back of my hand, I’m able to offer adjustments to make this cake gluten free, dairy free or vegan. Check the recipe notes for those details. To make the recipe taste like a true cake, I substituted melted butter for the coconut oil or olive oil. I also traded buttermilk for the Greek yogurt for a fluffier texture with the same nice tang. I managed to triple the blueberries, too. You’ll need 3 cups (1 1/2 pints) total. I trust that you can polish off the leftover blueberries on your own!
Watch How to Make Simple Blueberry Cake
Blueberry Cake Tips
Pan options: This cake bakes beautifully in a standard 9-inch springform pan. You could also use a 9-inch cake pan. I imagine that you could bake the cake in an 8-inch square baker. Any time you’re changing the baking pan size suggested in a baked good recipe, keep an eye on the oven and pay more attention to the visual cues provided for doneness than the actual timing (your cake could be done a few minutes sooner or later than specified). This recipe works with a variety of flours. My favorite is white whole wheat flour, which is a variety of whole wheat with a very mild flavor closer to all-purpose. Use regular whole wheat flour for a faintly nutty flavor and a slightly rustic texture. Otherwise, all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose blends work, too. You can make this cake with fresh or frozen blueberries. Do not defrost frozen blueberries before using. Toss the blueberries with a small amount of flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. The extra teaspoon of flour in the ingredients list is there for good reason. Sprinkle raw sugar on top. Raw sugar, also known as turbinado sugar, makes the blueberries sparkle and adds a lightly crackly burst of sweetness on top. You can buy raw sugar in the sugar aisle of most grocery stores these days. Or, just grab a few extra raw sugar packets from your go-to coffee shop (I won’t tell).
More Berry Desserts to Enjoy
Just a few of many recipes with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries:
Blueberry Almond Crisp Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top Mixed Berry Crisp No-Bake Greek Yogurt Tart Roasted Berry and Honey Yogurt Popsicles
Please let me know how your cake turns out in the comments! I’m so eager to hear how you like it.
*How to make buttermilk: Combine 2 teaspoons vinegar with ⅔ cup milk of choice (any milk will do). Let the mixture rest for 5 to 10 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. Flour options: All-purpose flour and gluten-free all-purpose blends also work well here. I bet that you could use 2 ½ cups oat flour instead, but haven’t tried to be sure. Change it up: Know that the cinnamon and turbinado sugar are technically optional. You could try this cake with raspberries or sliced strawberries in place of the blueberries. Instead of buttermilk, you could use 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. For lemony cake, whisk the zest of 1 medium lemon (about ½ teaspoon), preferably organic, into the liquid ingredients. Make it dairy free: Make your own buttermilk from your non-dairy milk of choice. Replace the butter with ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil, like California Olive Ranch. Make it vegan: Follow dairy-free guidance above and substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
