This Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake has a soft, tender and moist lemon cake loaded with fresh blueberries and topped with a buttery, golden crumble and lemon glaze. Each bite is bursting with juicy berries and sweet, crumbly goodness. It’s easy to make, no mixer required, and perfect for brunch, dessert, or an afternoon snack!
This Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake is soft, buttery, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor and juicy blueberries in every bite. Topped with a golden, crunchy streusel topping and a tangy lemon glaze, this cake is perfect for brunch, dessert, or a sweet snack with coffee or tea. It’s made with simple ingredients and comes together easily—no mixer required! Whether you’re baking for spring, summer, or just because, this fruity crumb cake is sure to impress.
For more blueberry treats try my blueberry blondies, blueberry white chocolate cookies or blueberry lemon poppy seed muffins.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright & fruity – Packed with lemon zest and fresh blueberries for a refreshing flavor.
- Perfect crumb topping – Buttery and crisp, with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Easy to make – Comes together in just a few steps with basic ingredients.
- Versatile – Great for brunch, snacking, or as a light summer dessert.
- One bowl for the cake batter – Minimal cleanup, maximum flavor!
For the cake
For the Crumb Topping
Ingredient Notes
For the Cake:
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure to the cake.
- Baking powder & baking soda – Helps the cake rise and stay light.
- Unsalted Butter – Unsalted, softened butter adds richness and flavor. You can also use half butter and half oil as well. Use any neutral tasting oil such a canola or vegetable oil.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar sweetens the cake and helps with texture.
- Large Eggs – Room temperature eggs bind the ingredients and add moisture.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Enhances the overall flavor of the cake.
- Lemon extract (Optional) – For an extra punch of lemon flavor.
- Lemon Zest: The key to that bright lemon flavor! Use a microplane zester to get fine zest without the bitter white pith.
- Lemon Juice: Enhances the lemon flavor and adds a touch of acidity. Freshly squeezed is best.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream – Adds moisture and a slight tang that complements the lemon.
- Fresh blueberries – Fresh or frozen can be used. If using frozen, do not thaw before adding to prevent bleeding.Frozen berries will leak moisture so the cake will require a longer baking time.
For the Crumb Topping:
- All-purpose flour: The base of the crumble.
- Brown sugar: Adds a deep, molasses-like sweetness.You can use both light or dark brown sugar here.
- White sugar: Adds sweetness and crunch
- Butter – Mixed into the mixture for a classic streusel texture.
- Lemon zest – Adds a burst of citrus flavor to the crumble.
Optional Glaze:
- Powdered sugar & lemon juice – A simple glaze for an extra hit of lemony sweetness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make this easy Lemon blueberry Crumb Cake. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. You can also use a bowl with a sturdy whisk and spatula.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch square pan (or 9-inch round springform pan) with parchment paper .
Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, white sugar and lemon zest. Add melted butter and mix with a fork until clumps form. Set aside.
Prepare the blueberries: In a small bowl mix together blueberries, white sugar, lemon juice and flour.Set aside.
Make the cake batter:
Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Make lemon sugar: In a large mixing bowl, rub together the lemon zest and granulated sugar using a fork or your hands until the sugar is fragrant and slightly tinted yellow. This helps release the natural oils from the zest and infuses the sugar with bright lemon flavor
Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with a whisk, beat the softened butter and lemon sugar together until light and fluffy on high speed for 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs and extracts: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the lemon extract and vanilla extract.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream (or yogurt) and lemon juice, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix
Assemble the cake:
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Top with the prepared blueberry filling.
- Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
Bake: Bake for 55–60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool & serve: Let the cake cool in the pan before slicing.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes for taking out on a wire rack to cool completely. before adding glaze.
Optional Lemon Glaze:
- Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
- Drizzle over cooled cake before slicing and serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t Overmix – Mix the batter just until combined to keep the cake tender and moist.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – Make sure your butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature for a smooth batter
- Use a kitchen scale: For the most accurate and consistent results, measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale rather than cups. Precise measurements ensure your baked goods turn out perfectly every time!
- Tent with Aluminum Foil – If you notice the top of the cake browning too quickly, loosely cover (or “tent”) it with aluminum foil. This helps prevent burning or over-browning while allowing the cake to finish baking evenly.
- Use fresh lemon zest and juice – It makes a huge difference in flavor.
FAQs
Yes! Use them straight from the freezer. Do not thaw beforehand. Frozen berries will leach water into the cake batter and has a tendency to make the crumb topping soggy, so you may need to bake the cake it for a few minutes longer.
Absolutely. This cake stays fresh for a couple of days and can be made the night before serving.
Yes, the cake is delicious on its own, but the glaze adds an extra layer of lemony sweetness.
Yes, chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the crumb. Add about ½ cup.
Storage & Freezing
To Store: Store any leftover lemon blueberry crumb cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
To Freeze: Let the cake cool completely. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap again in aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. To thaw, unwrap the cake and let it sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight. You can also gently reheat slices in a low oven or microwave.
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Recipe
Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 8 inch square pan
- Stand Mixer optional
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
For the blueberry filling:
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the cake:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk optional if batter seems too thick
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's or Icing sugar sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease and flour an 8×8-inch baking pan or a 9-inch round cake pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, lemon zest and both sugars. Mix in the melted butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate.
- Make the blueberry filling: In a small bowl, mix the blueberries, flour, lemon juice and sugar. Set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils into the sugar.
- Add the softened butter to the lemon sugar and beat together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the lemon extract, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and milk (if using), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Assemble the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the blueberry filling. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached and the topping is golden brown.
- For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl until smooth
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled completely pour the glaze on top of the cake. Enjoy!
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