This spoon cake features a soft lemon cake topped with juicy blueberries all baked together in one pan. It’s called a “spoon cake” because it’s meant to be scooped straight from the dish, while still warm, with zero concern for perfect slices. An easy, rustic, and flavorful dessert that is perfect for spring and summer!
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What sets this recipe apart
Serve warm: This dessert is packed with fruit and served warm, like a cross between a lemon cake and a blueberry cobbler.
Lemon and blueberries: This is a winning combo that has every bite of this cake bursting with fresh flavors! Want to try another flavor? See more on this below.
Scoop don’t slice: No need for pretty slices, this cake is meant to be scooped into bowls and served with a spoon.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Blueberries
Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Cake batter
This easy lemon cake batter comes together in one bowl.
Assemble
Spread the cake batter into a greased 8-inch round cake pan. Gently spoon the blueberries over the top.
Bake
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The cake will puff slightly and some of the berries will burst.
My recipe testing tips and notes
Cake color: There are no eggs in this cake batter, the only color comes from the lemon zest and the butter. I tested this cake with regular “generic” butter and with Kerrygold butter. The regular butter created a cake layer that was mostly white, just a touch yellow. The Kerrygold butter is darker yellow so it created a more yellow final product (as pictured here).
Room temp milk: Forget to bring your milk to room temp? Just pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to take the chill off.
Lemon: One medium-sized lemon will be enough for this recipe.
Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work best for this recipe. They hold their shape beautifully without making the cake too wet. I use just over two-cups of blueberries. Don’t go overboard with the fruit, try to keep it around 2 cups or 320g. See below for swapping for another berry.
Swapping out blueberries for another fruit
If desired, you can swap out the blueberries for other fresh berries. I have tested the recipe with the following:
Strawberries: Swap all of the blueberries for fresh strawberries. Halve or quarter the strawberries and aim for two generous cups.
Mixed berries (pictured below): I used a combination of fresh strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. This is a great way to use up odds and ends that are in your fridge. Halve or chop the strawberries, everything else can stay whole. You’ll still use two generous cups.
Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Spoon Cake
Ingredients
Blueberries:
- 2 generous cups (approx 320g) fresh blueberries, see note for frozen blueberries
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, adjust based on the sweetness of your blueberries
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cake:
- ½ cup (113g) salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (78ml) milk, room temperature
- finely grated zest of one small or medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, double if using unsalted butter
- vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Blueberries:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Set aside.
- Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Cake and assembly:
- Whisk melted butter, sugar, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and salt over the top. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter (there won't be much) into the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer. Gently spoon the berries over the cake batter into an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without raw batter on it. The edges will be slightly golden and some of the berries will have burst.
- Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm, spooned into bowls, alongside vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Pamela says
Hi can I make this with frozen berries?? 💙
Allison Mattina says
Hi! I haven’t tried it with frozen berries. Because the cake layer is fairly thin (and moist) I’m not sure how the extra moisture from the frozen berries will affect it. I plan to play around with it and I’ll let you know!
Allison Mattina says
Hi there! I tested the recipe with frozen blueberries today. I had the best result with the following:
Two-scant cups (about 260g) of frozen blueberries
Thaw them partially, discard any excess liquid, and stir in 1½ teaspoons flour along with the sugar and lemon juice in step 2.
Proceed with the recipe as written
Enjoy!
Deg says
Excellent. This will be on repeat
Allison Mattina says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Kathy says
Update from Kathy: please remove my note, as I totally misread my directions. And it still turned out delicious. That’s a perfect recipe in my book.
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for the kind review, Kathy! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Adele says
Haven’t made this yet, but it looks like a winner and my book club would LOVE it…..problem is there are 11 of us. Do you think it would work to double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan???
Allison Mattina says
Hi! My guess is that it would work. You’d have to play around with it. Enjoy!