Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars – Soft and Moist
on Jun 16, 2020, Updated Aug 15, 2020
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Soft, moist, these Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars are a fantastic dessert or mini snack! Full of juicy blueberries and lemon zest and juice, these will disappear quickly so make extras!
I really enjoy these lemon blueberry cake bars for breakfast more than dessert. The fruit makes me feel less guilty.
Lemon blueberry is such a classic combination and I make tons of recipes every time blueberries are in season. This one happened by chance when I was making half a cake recipe and trying to fit it into an 8 inch cake tin. The batter remained the height of brownies but was still soft and moist, and we could taste double the blueberries in every bite!
That’s it. Since then I’ve made these Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars over and over again.
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
Both fresh and frozen blueberries work in this recipe. Frozen blueberries will stain the cake more purple, and I always feel fresh blueberries stay juicier. With frozen blueberries, make sure you don’t thaw them, and bake the cake bars for slightly longer till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Other Fruits in these lemon blueberry cake bars
You can also use raspberries, strawberries, apple or blackberries in these cake bars. Use fruits that are light and won’t all sink to the bottom.
Other important notes:
- I recommend making these in an 8 inch square tin. The batter is just enough for that size. A smaller tin will give you different results.
- Buttermilk gives these cake bars a nice lift. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make some with my two ingredient buttermilk recipe or use plain unsweetened yogurt
- I’ve also made these cake bars with brown sugar which makes these even softer, but I didn’t have any at the time of shooting the recipe so I used granulated white sugar instead
These cake bars are fantastic with a cup of tea or coffee. You can serve these with some whipped cream on top or a scoop of ice cream if you want a little extra!
More Dessert Recipes You Might Like:
- Mini Mango Cheesecakes (Eggless and No Bake)
- Eggless Pineapple Mousse – Fresh and Tasty
- Strawberry Poke Cake (From Scratch)
Watch Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars Recipe Video
Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 Lemon, zested
- 1/2 cup Castor Sugar
- 1 Egg, large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour / Maida, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 cups Blueberries, fresh (See Note 1)
- 1 cup Yogurt, (See Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F/176C. Line an 8X8 inch cake tin with parchment paper and butter the sides.
- Cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk till combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add this to the wet ingredients, along with yogurt. Whisk till just combined.
- Toss the blueberries in 1/4 cup flour and add them to the cake batter and gently fold them.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, sprinkle sugar on top and bake for 30-35 minutes till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let it cool for ten minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Frozen blueberries: Fresh blueberries can be subbed for the same amount of frozen blueberries. Don't thaw them, and bake the cake bars for an extra few minutes till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Yogurt: You can substitute the yogurt with 1/2 cup buttermilk
I made this but the cake was quite mediocre. I used brown sugar and yogurt instead of caster sugar and buttermilk. Also the blueberries I used were quite bland. May be that’s why. I folded the dry ingredients into the wet. Could that be a reason for the texture being a but gluteny? I also felt lemon zest from one lemon wasn’t enough
Hey Jayshree, that could be the reason that the cake did not turn out perfect. try to follow the exact ingredients and the measure provided in the recipe card.
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
Congrats on your baking success, Ronak! Stay tuned for more easy and delish recipes from the MyFoodStory bakery! 🙂
The cake was heavenly and thanks to Richa for making the recipe super easy to follow that even an amateur baker can try and impress 😇 .
Thanks for leaving a comment! Soooo glad you liked it Subathra
Substitute of egg?
Sorry I haven’t tried an eggless version of these
Hi Richa, would love to make these, but as you know blueberries aren’t so easily available in India. Frozen ones are also not easily available and are pricey. Which fruits could I substitute instead of blueberries ? You mentioned apples, but how should I chop them up.
Hey Bhavna, you can just chop them up small. Or use cherries, peaches – some of these seasonal fruits will work really well
A very easy and time effective recipe! Richa never fails to leave a thing behind and hence the texture and taste are so good !!!
I made with without the berries so just the lemon cake bars tastes yumm and were fluffy! Used the buttermilk and not yogurt!
Yaaay!! Thanks for trying out this recipe and leaving a comment Timsi. The changes you made will definitely help other readers. Soooo glad you liked it!
Can these be made non dairy please advise
I haven’t tested a non dairy version Sharon so can’t say
delicious, made it last sunday – it was wonderful
Thank YOU Michael