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.
Ev says
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipie. I just made this cake and it is the best ever! I added a teaspoon of lemon zest and a tablespoon of cream and turned out delicious.
Erren's Kitchen says
So pleased you enjoyed this cake, a great excuse to use up your blueberries 🙂
Leo says
So, I followed this recipe and got the driest cake batter I have ever seen. In fact, I wouldn’t even call what I had a cake batter until I added 1 cup of milk. Was that left out of the recipe or, did I miss something? With the addition of the milk, it was a perfect batter and a delicious cake.
Erren Hart says
Hi Leo, I make this cake a lot. I’ve never had that problem. It is a thick batter, but I’m glad you found a way to make it work and enjoyed it!
Kathy Tiner says
This is a delicious cake. Thank you so much.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it
Natalie says
It really is the best ever!! Thank you!
Erren's Kitchen says
Wonderful, so glad you liked it!
Eileen Pryor says
I had a special 2yo little girl who wanted a booberry cake for valentines, I made this cake in a heart shaped pan (9 inch) w buttermilk, and fresh blueberry buttercream frosting, she looked and said oh wow.
Thank you it was delicious, moist and a little girl had a good day.
Erren's Kitchen says
So glad your little girl loved it 🙂
Marie says
Question: do you use frozen or fresh blueberries? It seems strange that you would defrost blueberries when you could just use fresh ones. Are the frozen ones more flavorful?
Erren Hart says
Hi Marie, The recipe calls for fresh but frozen works too.
Angela says
I thought this cake was delicious! I only made a slight change swapping the vanilla extract for blueberry emulsion. I would like to make this on my YouTube channel with your permission and giving full credit. Would you kindly give me direction and let me know if this would be ok?
Thank you!
Erren's Kitchen says
No problem I’m glad you enjoyed it, thank you, Angela!
Indrani says
Hi Erin!
This cake sounds lovely. Can I make it into a layer cake you think and fill it with creamcheese icing?
xx
Indrani
Erren Hart says
Sure! Sounds lovely! I would do two 8 inch pans. You’ll have to adjust baking time though.
Susie says
Best cake ever! Honestly so magnificent, you will not be disappointed.
Susie says
Also thank you so much for the tips and step-by-step instructions, super helpful!
Have been thinking, do you think I could make this recipe into cupcakes?
Erren's Kitchen says
Yes I reckon you can, but the baking time will change, I haven’t tried that yet but that is a good idea, you will have to judge the cooking time! touch base and let me know how it goes Susie!
Jan pan says
Made it for my niece birthday. Yummy. Used an 8” round pan instead of 9” as per recipe. Baked for 65 minutes and the center part was still not very done otherwise would be perfect Will use a 9” pan the next time I make it. Used Greek yogurt with 1 tsp of baking soda instead of sour cream as stores ran out of sour cream.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for your kind comments, I hope your niece enjoyed it 🙂
Erren's Kitchen says
Your feedback is lovely Susie!
Louise says
Thank you very much for this really excellent recipe- very forgiving and my frozen blueberries did not sink. I used whole milk (bit by bit to keep the mix very thick) instead of sour cream, as suggested and only added the lemon juice (and some grated lemon rind for extra lemon flavour) at the very end (I’ve read this is best). To cut the calories a little a simple lemon icing with chopped lemon flesh also works.
Erren's Kitchen says
That does sound good Louise, I’m so glad you made it work out for you!
Doug McLeish says
Hi, Erren
I see someone asked you whether this could be made as a slab cake and you said you didn’t see why not. Well, I’m happy to report it works just fine! I had made this cake once before for a large group, but I made it in eight 8″ X 8″ pans because I was worried it wouldn’t cook properly in the middle in a larger pan. This time, I made 15X the recipe and baked it in four 12″ X 20″ pans. The group is vegetarian, so I had to replace 30 eggs. I wasn’t sure whether the eggs were necessary for binding or rising, so I replaced 10 eggs with a commercial egg replacement, 10 eggs with baking soda and carbonated water, and 10 eggs with psyllium powder and water. I buttered the pans and also added some buttered parchment paper slings to make removing the cakes easier. I baked the cakes for 60 minutes in a commercial gas-fired convection oven and was surprised to see they rose even more than with my smaller pans! I let them cool for 15 minutes, then covered them and put them in the fridge overnight. The next day, they had lost a little of their height, but not much. I applied the icing in a very tight diagonal cross-hatch, so that every piece would have a generous amount of icing. I really wish I’d taken a photo, because they looked spectacular. I got rave reviews, with one person saying it was the best cake he’d ever eaten. So, I think your title of “Best Blueberry Cake, EVER!” is well-deserved. Thanks for a great, crowd-pleasing recipe!
Erren's Kitchen says
Your feedback Doug has made my day! Thank you so much for giving me the time for your detailed feedback and positivity, I’m glad it was a hit for you too.
Linda says
I made this cake today and it was delicious and I need to thank you for the recipe! Thank you so much.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for your feedback Linda, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Barbara says
if you substitute buttermilk for sour cream, how do you adjust the baking powder and baking soda (which I understand you must do if using buttermilk)?
Erren Hart says
Hi Barbara, baking with acids and baking soda is tricky. Be sure to research before substituting one acid for another.