One of summer’s best simple pleasures, blueberries bring to mind the season at its peak and long, sunny afternoons. You’ll taste that feeling in every bite of this easy blueberry cake recipe, one of my family’s most beloved desserts.

Blueberry cake is the perfect touch at the end of a backyard barbecue meal, packed in a picnic basket or a sweet bite amid poolside snacks. With a short prep time and minimal ingredients, you’ll find these and many other occasions to slot this easy treat into your meal plans.

This particular cake is super rich, dense and buttery. I almost called it a Blueberry Butter Cake because it’s just so good. I know you will love serving it to your family, like I do with mine.

While you can find frozen blueberries year-round, it’s best to use fresh ones. And the best time to get them here in the South is in early summer at the height of berry season. From mid-May to early July, we visit U-pick farms and farmers’ markets for the cream of the crop of fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

While all of these berries are packed with nutrients vitamin C, K, manganese and fiber, blueberries contain extra powerful antioxidants. While you lose a little vitamin C when you bake them, supposedly the heat may actually help better release the antioxidants.

All the more reason for cake to be one of many ways you eat blueberries!

I offer tips on how to freeze your surplus bounty in the FAQs below. As the heat picks up into mid and late summer, you can grab a handful of frozen ones for a refreshing, low-calorie snack! Just let them thaw to your liking at room temperature.

What to serve with blueberry cake

This versatile dessert suits a wide range of meals and occasions, from brunches to tea time to dinner. Similar to when I whip up a batch of my lemon blueberry muffins, a savory protein like bacon and a rich, cheesy dish balance well with the flavor of this easy cake. For the rich dishes, try my bacon and cheese quiche with spinach or cheesy hashbrown casserole.

If you want a simpler balanced breakfast, add calcium with Greek yogurt and a cup of fresh fruit.

For tea time or a picnic, it stands well all on its own. It blends in beautifully among tea-pairing choices like scones and finger sandwiches. It’s easily portable for picnics. Just wrap squares snugly in plastic wrap. It is a perfect dessert paired with ham and cheese sliders, fresh fruit and traditional red potato salad. Just writing that makes me want to pack a basket right now!

For an after-dinner dessert, this blueberry cake goes with almost anything. I really like the contrast of its simple flavors with rich entrees, like King Ranch chicken casserole or my best pot roast recipe.

If you want to dress it up a bit, add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. To level up the richness, frost it with buttercream or cream cheese frosting. That will add to your total time to allow the cake to cool before frosting, but not by much.

Ingredients needed to make this easy blueberry dessert

To make this delicious and easy blueberry cake, you will need the following ingredients:

Blueberries: Fresh and in-season yield the best results. Even better, find a U-pick farm near you and make it an adventure.
Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour for the cake and to flour the blueberries.
Baking Powder: A few teaspoons gives this cake the lift it needs.
Eggs: Two eggs help bind the other ingredients, adding structure and velvety texture.
Sugar: Granulated is required and powdered is optional for a finishing flourish.
Salt: A tiny bit balances the sweet flavors.
Vanilla Extract: This aromatic addition smells so good and adds depth to the flavor.
Coconut Oil: It has a subtle tropical flavor and aroma that pairs better with blueberries than vegetable oil in this recipe.
Butter: Unsalted butter controls your overall sodium and has a slightly sweeter taste than salted, which complements the sweet-tartness of the blueberries.
Lemon juice and zest: While this is optional, you can toss your blueberries with one teaspoon of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fine lemon zest before flouring them. It adds a bit of acidity that brings out the berries’ sweetness.

Be sure to check out the full ingredient measurements and complete recipe below.

Kitchen equipment needed:

8 x 8 baking pan
Mixing bowls

Frequently asked questions about blueberry cake

Below are a handful of the most popular questions I get about making this easy blueberry cake recipe. If you have other questions I haven’t answered here, please ask in the comments!

Can I use frozen blueberries in a cake recipe?

While you can use frozen blueberries in a cake recipe, be sure to let them thaw completely so they don’t release too much liquid and mess up the batter’s consistency. Even when you do that, they still tend to release more than fresh ones, so you may want to add five or more minutes to the cooking time. Use the toothpick method as your cake tester to judge how much longer to keep it in the oven.

How do you stop fruit sinking to the bottom of a cake?

A big problem people run into a lot when making cakes with fruit is the fruit sinking to the bottom. And this isn’t a pineapple upside-down cake. You’ll see the recipe instructs you to flour the blueberries and then gently fold them into the batter mixture just before baking.

The flour helps suspend the blueberries throughout the batter, so you’ll get bites evenly studded with bursts of fruit—not a fruit layer on the bottom!

What’s the best way to freeze fresh blueberries?

If you gathered a bounty at the U-pick farm, freeze the surplus and save them for the off-season. Rinse, pat dry and then arrange the berries on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper so they don’t stick together while freezing.

Pop them in the freezer for a few hours until they freeze solid then transfer them to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag. Be sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.

More Grandma-Approved Recipes To Try

How to bake blueberry cake

Below is my step-by-step guide to making the perfect blueberry cake. I’d love it if you report back on how you like it!