Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake

This vegan blueberry lemon cake is infused with flavor in every bite! You’ll love this tender cake, whether topped with a glaze or some fluffy vegan lemon frosting. Get out your forks because it’s time to indulge in this delicious dessert!

Looking down on a slice of vegan lemon blueberry cake with a bite taken out. There are fresh blueberries and lemons in the background.

The Best Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake

I love being able to buy and bake with vegan yogurt! It creates such a moist, delicate texture in the middle of this cake, but there’s also a nice crispy edge to the crust.

Also, this cake is infused—and I do mean infused—with lemon. The combination of lemon and blueberry adds freshness to each and every bite!

Finally, this recipe is relatively easy to make and has been a crowd favorite at our house. Each time I make this cake, it disappears so quickly that I need to start making double batches!

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Flour — I used all-purpose flour, but you could substitute whole wheat pastry flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour.
  • Sugar — Granulated sugar works just fine for the cake.
  • Leaveners — We want the cake to have a light and airy texture. To do this, we’ll use a combination of leavening agents, such as baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch. Click here if you’re wondering is leavening vegan and learn more about it.
  • Lemons — You’ll need a couple of fresh lemons to make the zest.
  • Vegetable oil — I use canola oil, but any neutral-flavored vegetable oil would work.
  • Blueberries — Frozen blueberries work best for this cake, but you can also use fresh.

How to Make Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake

  1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Zest two fresh lemons to create 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Then juice one of the lemons.
  3. Stir together vegetable oil, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
  4. Add a tablespoon of the flour mixture to frozen blueberries and toss until distributed.
  5. Spread 1/4 of the plain batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few blueberries over the batter.
  6. Pour and spread the remaining batter over the top.
  7. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake.

Here are some tips if you find yourself with an undercooked cake. There are many creative solutions to try!

Storage Tips

Cover any leftover cake. It can be stored at room temperature for a day or two but will keep best in the fridge for up to 5 days. This can cake be frozen for up to 2 months.

A hand pushes a fork into a slice of lemon blueberry cake. There are fresh lemons, blueberries, and another slice of cake in the background.

Frosting Options

In the recipe card below you’ll see a simple lemon glaze. This is nice and simple! But if you want more options, here are some favorite frostings you can spread over the top of this cake:

cropped-Vegan-Lemon-Blueberry-Cake-02-Edit-web.jpg

Vegan Lemon Recipes

Yes, we’ll talk about lemon recipes. But first, here are some great vegan blueberry dessert recipes you’ll love!

Speaking of love, if you love this vegan lemon blueberry cake, be sure to try these lemon dessert favorites:

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
This was great! I’m always looking for a good blueberry/lemon cake, and now I’ve found it! Very lemony and fresh-tasting, and it came out pretty fluffy, which is sometimes surprising for vegan recipes. The glaze was really good too. Everyone in my house loved this — I will definitely be making this again!

MamaJo
A lemon blueberry cake has frosting on top and fresh blueberries. There is a lemon in the background, another slice of cake, and a bowl of fresh blueberries.

Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Cake

Grab a fork (or two) and dive into this Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Cake. You won't believe this tender delicacy is vegan…and so easy to make too!
4.84 from 12 votes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Resting time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 18 slices
Calories: 271kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Blueberry Cake

  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ¾ cups water
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 cake pan with baking spray (flour combined with baking spray).

For the Lemon Blueberry Cake:

  • In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    Dry ingredients, like flour, in a glass bowl.
  • Zest two fresh lemons to create 2 tablespoons of lemon zest.
  • In a separate bowl combine vegetable oil, water, lemon zest, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Add lemon juice mixture to the flour mikxture and stir to combine.
    A lemon liquid mixture is being poured into a bowl with a flour mixture.
  • Keep the frozen blueberries frozen to the very end. Add a tablespoon or two of the flour mixture and toss until distributed. If using fresh blueberries, no other work needs to be done.
  • Spread 1/4 of the plain batter into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread it across the pan evenly. Sprinkle a few blueberries over the batter.
  • Pour and spread the batter over the top of the blueberries.
    Batter is being poured over a lemon cake batter with blueberries on top.
  • Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 50 minutes.

For the Lemon Glaze:

  • While the cake is baking prepare the Lemon Glaze by combining powdered sugar with the lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Or you can use vegan lemon frosting.
  • When the cake is done, remove it from the oven. Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes or so.
  • Store the cake in the fridge for up to 5 to 7 days. It can be frozen for up to 2 months.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* I used frozen blueberries ** I zest the lemon first and then juice it.
Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2022.

31 Responses to Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMai Reply

    5 stars
    Omg made this last night for desert & it was soooo good! I did sub sugar for stevia for the cake & added more lemon juice for the lemon glaze topping. Hubby loved it too
    Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hay Mai! I’m so glad you and your hubby loved this lemon cake. Love the idea of using stevia and adding more lemon juice to the glaze. So yummy!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMiranda Reply

    What would I do to convert this into cupcakes? The cake was amazing but I have a birthday party coming up!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Miranda! I’m so glad you like this cake! To make it into cupcakes, I would line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then fill each to about 3/4 full with the cake batter. Bake them for approximately 20 minutes and then check for doneness. They should be mounded in the middle and spring back when gently pressed. Also, to make sure the batter doesn’t turn purple from the blueberries, you could make the batter without the blueberries, and add some to each cupcake before baking, gently pressing them into the batter. I have done this before and it worked great!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPatricia Thursby Reply

    I don’t see flax in the recipe. Am I not reading it correctly?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      You are reading it correctly. If you are referring to previous comments, the recipe has been updated.

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCourtney R Reply

    3 stars
    I used the metric and wasn’t paying attention that the conversion is wrong. It says 188g of flour so I mixed everything up and it was super watery! I had to go back in and figure out how to correct it even though it was all mixed. So I’m baking it now and don’t have high hopes : (

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMamaJo Reply

    5 stars
    This was great! I’m always looking for a good blueberry/lemon cake, and now I’ve found it! Very lemony and fresh-tasting, and it came out pretty fluffy, which is sometimes surprising for vegan recipes. The glaze was really good too. Everyone in my house loved this — I will definitely be making this again!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyParul Patel Reply

    5 stars
    Awesome cake.. made it for a vegan Friend. Definitely a keeper

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Parul! Thanks for your note. So glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorites too!

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJennifer Reply

    Hi! I don’t have any flax. Can I use a vegan egg replacer?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Sure, Jennifer. Vegan egg replacer will work.

Rate / Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.