This lemon blueberry loaf is loaded with bright, fresh flavor. The batter is incredibly moist and tender, comes together quickly, and is studded with juicy blueberries. A simple lemon glaze finishes it for a bakery-quality loaf.
Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread
Quick breads are wonderful because they come together fast — the longest part is waiting for the loaf to bake and cool. The method here mirrors muffin-making: combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, then fold together. Using oil instead of butter keeps the batter simple (no need to bring ingredients to room temperature) and yields a tender, moist crumb that stays fresh for days.
To compensate for the richness that butter would add, this recipe pairs milk with full-fat sour cream. The sour cream contributes tang and extra tenderness. Originally the recipe used cake flour; here a mix of all-purpose flour and cornstarch creates a homemade cake-flour substitute, giving the loaf a softer texture and lighter crumb.
How to make the lemon blueberry loaf
This loaf was designed to be easy and quick: no ingredient needs to be warmed up and most of the steps are simple mixes. Start by whisking the dry ingredients together in one bowl, then rub the sugar and lemon zest together in another bowl until fragrant. That small step releases the zest’s essential oils and intensifies lemon flavor.
After the sugar and zest are combined, whisk in milk, sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Before finishing the batter, quickly toss the berries with a little flour so they are lightly coated — this helps them stay suspended in the batter while baking. Combine wet and dry ingredients until mostly incorporated, then gently fold in the floured blueberries just until the batter has no dry streaks. The batter will be slightly lumpy — that’s okay and helps keep the loaf tender.
About the blueberries
When you flour the blueberries matters. Coat them just before folding into the batter so the flour remains dry and powdery; if coated too early it can become pasty. Also avoid fully finishing the batter before doing this step: baking powder begins to react when wet and you don’t want to deflate the initial bubbles by folding the berries in too aggressively. Lightly floured berries disperse more evenly and reduce bleeding into the crumb.
Tips for success
1. Measure flour accurately: For a tender loaf, weigh your flour if possible. If using measuring cups, spoon flour into the cup and level it off instead of scooping directly from the bag.
2. Use fresh lemon and fresh berries: Fresh lemon juice and zest provide brighter acidity and aroma than bottled juice. Fresh blueberries are recommended because frozen berries can bleed and lengthen baking time.
3. Coat berries in flour: Toss berries with a little flour to prevent them from sinking and to ensure even distribution through the loaf.
4. Don’t overmix: A few small lumps in the batter are fine. Overmixing develops gluten and leads to a tougher loaf. Mix until dry streaks are mostly gone, then stop.
5. Prevent over-browning: If the top browns before the center is done, loosely tent the loaf with foil to allow the interior to finish baking without excessive browning.
Storage instructions
For best freshness, slice only when ready to serve. Store the whole loaf in an airtight container or sealed bag at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for about a week. Refrigeration can extend life but may slightly dry the crumb; bring to room temperature before serving if desired.
Related recipes
• Lemon Brownies
• Blueberry Muffins
• Iced Lemon Loaf
• Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
• Blueberry Crumb Cheesecake
• Giant Lemon Cookie Cake
If you try this loaf, please leave a comment and review — I love hearing how it turned out! Tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see your creations.
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
- Author: Mimi
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
This lemon blueberry loaf is bright, moist, and tender. The quick batter combines simple ingredients and fresh lemon with juicy blueberries, finished with a sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
Lemon blueberry loaf:
- 1 ¾ cups (225g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- ⅓ cup (80mL) whole milk
- ½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup (120mL) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blueberries:
- 1 ½ cups (225g) fresh blueberries, washed and drained
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour (for tossing the berries)
Lemon icing:
- 1 cup (130g) powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Make the lemon blueberry loaf:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8.5 x 4.5″ loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving an overhang to lift the loaf out later.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest and rub together with your fingers to release the oils.
- Add milk, sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla; whisk until combined.
- Toss blueberries with 1 ½ tablespoons flour in a medium bowl to coat lightly.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until mostly combined, with a few dry streaks remaining.
- Fold in the floured blueberries gently until there are no dry pockets. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour 5 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil.
- Cool in the pan for about 45 minutes, then lift the loaf out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack.
Make the icing:
- Whisk powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a medium bowl.
- Adjust consistency with more lemon juice (to thin) or more powdered sugar (to thicken) as needed.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled loaf. Slice immediately if you don’t mind a slightly messy finish, or wait for the glaze to set for cleaner slices.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: Cakes
Enjoy!