This is the best blueberry cake EVER – it is truly delectable. The secret ingredient in the recipe is cream cheese – it makes a moist, rich, and amazing cake you’ll be craving for days after it’s gone!
For a little something different, swap out the icing with Homemade Whipped Cream. It’s an indulgent twist the whole family will love.
Fresh Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing Perfection
What’s the one thing that sets this Blueberry cake apart from others? The rich taste of the cream cheese that’s mixed right into the batter. It’s the perfect pairing with fresh blueberries.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this is not only one of the best cakes I have ever made, but it’s one of the best cakes I have ever tasted! I am truly proud of this creation! Oh, and that Cream Cheese Icing! It’s so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
Why This Recipe Works:
- The cream cheese baked into the cake adds moisture and flavor.
- The thick batter helps keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- The cream cheese icing is the perfect way to finish off this luscious cake.
A Blueberry Cake with No Sinking Berries
I think the key to a good blueberry cake is to have a thick batter to help combat the sinking blueberries, so instead of milk, I used cream cheese and sour cream.
I’ve had many people tell me the only thing that stops blueberries from sinking is to coat them in flour. I’ve been known to do that, but in this case, I think the thick batter made a big difference.
In researching the whole coating of blueberries in flour, I found this great article on Serious Eats that’s worth a read. Great tips to be found.
Making Blueberry Cake with Frozen Blueberries:
- To prevent your frozen blueberries from bleeding into the batter, don’t leave them out to defrost. Instead, rinse the frozen blueberries to defrost them.
- Rinse the blueberries in cold water several times until they are defrosted and the water is relatively clear when you drain them. As they defrost, the water may start dark blue but gradually lighten to a watery reddish blue.
- Dry the blueberries with paper towels by spreading them out evenly and pressing another layer on top. Press gently and leave until you need them.
- Before adding the defrosted blueberries to the batter, coat them with a tablespoon of flour (be sure to stir gently when folding them into the batter).
How to make Best Blueberry Cake {EVER}
Start by softening the butter and cream cheese together in the microwave until very soft but not completely melted.
Next, mix all the wet ingredients and sugar with the cream cheese mixture until combined.
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients by hand.
Fold in the blueberries.
Add the batter evenly to the pan.
After filling the pan, I reserved some of the blueberries, which I added to the top of the cake. This also helped to give a nice, even look to the cake.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is nicely browned.
Since I used cream cheese in the batter, I also decided on cream cheese icing. I’m not a big fan of overly sweet icing, so I use cream cheese to tone down the sweetness. This icing is so good, you can eat it with a spoon!
To make the icing, start with melted butter and softened cream cheese.
Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and some milk (I used 3 tablespoons because I like my icing a little thick).
Blend until smooth.
Drizzle the icing over the cake and top with fresh blueberries.
My husband (who rarely strays from chocolate desserts) took one bite of this cake and said it was the best cake I ever made! Coming from a man that eats chocolate on a regular basis, I’ll take that as a really big thumbs up!
This cake lasted really well, for a good three days.
Erren’s Top Tips
- When baking with sour cream, it’s important to use full-fat sour cream, not low-fat or fat-free. Low-fat and fat-free sour cream liquefies when heated and turns watery.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter: Once the flour is added, try mixing with a wooden spoon instead of a mixer. Over-mixing will result in a tough, dense cake.
- You can substitute sour cream in this recipe with buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk or make your own by mixing 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice with ½ cup of whole milk.
- For maximum flavor, let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using it in a recipe.
- This cake batter will be very thick (if none of your butter melted during the softening); be very gentle when you fold the blueberries so they don’t get damaged.
- Testing to ensure the cake is fully cooked: The middle of the cake should spring back when you gently press your finger against it. I use this method of cake testing alongside inserting a cake tester for this cake.
- Use foil to avoid over-browning the cake. Starting at halfway through the baking time, check to see if the cake is getting too brown (you should never open the oven before halfway through the baking process). If so, cover with foil and return to the oven to finish baking.
- Don’t forget to leave some fresh blueberries to decorate the top!
- This cake can be frozen (without the icing) well-wrapped or in an airtight container for up to three months.
Other Great Blueberry Recipes
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Let’s Make Best Blueberry Cake {EVER}
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups blueberries washed and dried
For the icing:
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup confectioners sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350f/175c Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan and set aside.
- In a small heat-safe bowl, soften the butter and cream cheese together in the microwave until very soft, but not completely melted (don’t worry if some of the butter melts).
- Mix all the wet ingredients and sugar with the cream cheese mixture until combined. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients by hand.
- Fold in the blueberries (reserving some of them for after the batter is added to the pan).
- Add the batter evenly to the pan and then place the blueberries evenly across the top of the batter.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, and when gently pressed, the middle of the cake should feel firm & springy. If the cake starts to brown too much cover in foil and return to the oven.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack.
For the icing:
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Add the milk as needed 1 tablespoon at a time until it is the desired consistency.
- Once the cake has cooled, drizzle with the icing and serve.
Tips + Notes
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published on July 18, 2014, but was republished with updated photos, a video, step by step instructions and tips in May of 2019.
Julie says
Pinned this for future reference! Can’t wait to try it out, it looks delicious!
Mrs. Poppy says
The cake’s texture was wonderful, but it was a bit bland. If I make it again I will add lemon juice and zest for more flavor. The icing was entirely too sweet and overpowering. I would suggest using about 1/3 of the suggested amount.
Angela says
Do you have to use a food processor or can I use my kitchen aid mixer? I don’t have a big enough food processor and this cake looks so yummy
Erren says
Hi Angela, sorry for the late reply, I took some time off over the holidays. Yes, a mixer would work just fine 🙂
Pam Hayne says
Hi, looks amazing! Could I make this recipe in a round baking stone? Is there enough batter to make it with 2 8 inch rounds? Can I make this in a 9×13 pan? I’m just trying to figure how much batter there will be..Thanks!
Robin says
I made this a few months ago, and it was wonderful! I was hoping to make it tomorrow for a friend, but I only have frozen blueberries. Do you think they will work? Should I adjust the time or thaw? I really appreciate it.
Vicki Miller says
The xake tastes great, but it came out flat and took twice as long to bake. I followed the recipe. I hand mixed and used frozen berries, but that shouldn’t have any affect. Do you have any suggestions?
Erren says
Hi Vicki, It could be your oven, but it’s really hard to troubleshoot someone else’s baking. Take a look at my post on baking tips. It may help in the future.
Sandi says
GREAT cake! Use tsps. of milk in the frosting instead of tablespoons.
If the cake doesn’t rise, keep this in mind: “Old” baking powder sometimes creates flattened cakes/cookies, etc.
Erren says
So wonderful to hear Sandi! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Mickie says
Just made this cake. Delicious! I used frozen blueberries from my own yard and they were great. Thawed them before I used. Marvelously dense cake with just the right amount of sweet. Glaze is perfect. All those blueberries! I will use my mixer next time as the processor was messy and hard to fold in the berries. I don’t care for super sweet desserts and this is perfect. This will be made often! Thank you for this recipe!
Sandy Chartrand says
Hi Errin:
This is now the 3rd time I’ve made this cake and I figured 3rd time lucky but not so. I followed the instructions to a tee and mine does not look like your pictures. Mine is as flat as a pancake and I wondered if you had any suggestions. It tastes good but it is really flat. I used the same size spring form pan so I just don’t know. It’s very disappointing. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Sandy (in Canada)
Erren says
Hi Sandy, I’m not sure why. but your comments were showing up in my spam folder. It may be because there was more than one. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I have made this cake successfully several times and the only time I ever had an issue was after moving and baking in a new oven. Once I used an oven thermometer to get the oven to the right temperature, I didn’t have any further problems? Also, if you are using a convection oven (or fan oven), sometimes that can cause problems with cakes rising. I have a friend who has a convection oven and we used self rising flour and a teaspoon of baking podwer in place of the flour and baking powder in the recipe. That helped with her problems. Hope this helps.
Christi says
I don’t have a springform or bundt pan. Any suggestions for a pan to use? Looks great!
Erren says
Try two 8 inch cake pans. If you have a bit left over – make cupcakes 🙂
Sallie says
does that change baking time?
Erren says
Yes, I would start checking after 20 minutes.
Alisha says
Really looking forward to making (& eating) this cake! I have started substituting plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream for all my meals. Cuts down on the calories and no different in taste is noticed.
Erren says
Thanks so much Alisha, I hope you like the recipe!