Oh, my goodness, are you ready for warm weather baking? Because I have *the* cake that screams sunshine and porch sitting! Forget those airy little sponge cakes; when I want a real treat—something that holds up beautifully indoors or out—I reach for a pound cake. But not just any pound cake, nope. This one is truly special.
We’re talking about a cake that marries the luxurious denseness you expect from a rich butter base with the tang of fresh lemon and bursts of sweet, juicy blueberries. And the secret weapon? Cream cheese! It makes every single bite incredibly moist, almost creamy. Trust me, this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake is going to be the star of your next gathering. It’s zesty, sweet, and wonderfully tender!
Why This Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Stands Out
I’ve made dozens of pound cakes over the years, but the combination in this recipe just wins every time. It’s not fussy, but the result is pure elegance. It delivers exactly what you want in a rich, celebratory cake. If you love that dense, satisfying texture that requires a sturdy fork, keep reading!
- The addition of cream cheese guarantees an intense, melt-in-your-mouth moisture that lasts for days.
- The bright, fragrant lemon zest cuts through the richness perfectly; it just sings!
- It holds up beautifully, which means it’s perfect for picnics or slicing ahead of time for guests.
- For more citrus goodness, you should definitely check out my recipe for Zesty Lemon Cream Cheese Bars—a different texture but just as bright!
Ingredients for the Perfect Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Okay, gather your supplies! When you look at this ingredient list, the most important thing you keep in mind is temperature. Seriously, don’t ignore this one bit! If your butter and cream cheese aren’t softened—meaning you can gently press your finger into them without effort—your creaming step will fail, and your cake will be tough. It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it works!
You’ll need:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, totally softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, also softened—no cheating here!
- 3 cups granulated sugar (yes, it takes a bit, but it’s a pound cake!)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature helps them blend better
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest—use a microplane for the best flavor
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (I toss these in flour later to keep them up!)
Make sure your eggs aren’t straight from the fridge, either. Cold eggs can seize up that beautiful creamed mixture you worked so hard on. If you mess up the temperature, your cake might not get as light as my Iced Lemon Loaf, but we’re going for dense and luscious anyway. Get everything settled before you even preheat that oven!
Preparing Your Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Batter
Alright, this is where the magic, and the muscle, comes in! We’re starting low and slow to build a perfect base. Remember how I stressed room temperature ingredients? This step proves why. If they’re cold, they won’t incorporate the air we need for that signature pound cake texture. Don’t rush the bowl mixer at this stage; it’s setting the expectation for the entire bake!
Creaming the Base Ingredients
First things first, get that butter and the cream cheese into your big mixing bowl. I beat these together until they are completely silky smooth—no lumps allowed, seriously. Then, slowly, slowly start adding that sugar. You want to beat this mixture until it looks noticeably lighter, maybe a pale yellow color, and it looks fluffy, almost like whipped cloud fluff. This takes a few minutes, but it adds so much lift!
Incorporating Wet and Dry Components
Once your base is looking gorgeous, beat in those eggs one by one, making sure each one disappears fully before you drop in the next. Then, splash in your vanilla, that gorgeous lemon zest, and the fresh juice. Now, for the dry stuff—flour, baking powder, and salt mixed separately—we alternate adding the dry mix with our wet ingredients, starting and ending with dry. This prevents gluten development, which keeps the cake tender! If you overmix once the flour is in, you get tough, chewy cake, and we absolutely don’t want that for our wonderful Million Dollar Pound Cake recipe blueprint.
Finally, those beautiful blueberries! Before they go in, toss them with about one tablespoon of the flour mixture we just used. This little trick stops them from all sinking straight to the bottom of the pan during the bake. Fold them in super gently right at the end. We’re just trying to distribute them, not stir them into oblivion!
Baking and Cooling the Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Now comes the waiting game, but knowing you’ve done the groundwork right makes it easier. Get your oven warmed up—we’re setting it to 325 degrees F for this one. Remember, pound cakes like a slightly lower, slower bake to cook through without browning too fast on the outside. Make absolutely sure that 10-inch tube pan is greased and floured perfectly, or you’ll be fighting with it later!
Pour that gorgeous batter right in. You’re looking at 70 to 80 minutes in the oven. Honestly, start checking around the 70-minute mark. The test is simple—stick a wooden skewer right into the center. If it comes out clean, or maybe just with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, you’re golden. If it looks wet, give it 5 more minutes.
The cooldown is just as important as the bake time! Let the pan sit on a wire rack for 15 minutes *after* pulling it out of the oven. Resist the urge to flip it right away! After those 15 minutes, that’s when you carefully invert it. If you try to take it out too soon, the structure—which is heavy because of that cream cheese richness—might just collapse on you. Check out my instructions for a 70-Minute Cream Cheese Pound Cake for some quick baking insights, but this lemon berry version needs that extra time!
Tips for the Best Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Results
Even with a perfect recipe card, baking always needs a little bit of intuition, right? These are the little notes I’ve learned over the years that keep my Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake from turning into a brick! First rule, which I can’t stress enough: use room temperature ingredients. If your butter and cream cheese are cold, they simply won’t cream right, and you end up with a heavy cake every time. It takes patience to pull them out early, but it’s non-negotiable!
When prepping your 10-cup tube pan, don’t just grab the nearest cooking spray. I swear by making my own cake goop—that quick mix of equal parts shortening, oil, and flour turned into a paste. Brush it on inside and out. It’s a lifesaver for intricate Bundt or tube pans and guarantees a clean release, which is what we want, not a broken cake!
Also, about the blueberries: if you skip tossing them in flour, they will absolutely collect at the bottom of the pan, creating a dense, gummy layer. That’s not the textural contrast we are aiming for! And finally, when you test for doneness, be brave and stick that skewer right into the deepest part of the cake. Under-baking pound cake is worse than over-baking sometimes, as it won’t set up properly when it cools. You want those moist crumbs, not raw batter!
If you want to try another recipe that really nails that comforting, dense texture, you have to look at my Granddaddy’s Brown Sugar Caramel Pound Cake. It uses molasses, but the technique for building the base is similar!
Storage and Serving Suggestions for Your Pound Cake
The best part about a rich pound cake like this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake is that it keeps wonderfully! Because it has all that fat from the butter and cream cheese, it stays moist longer than a regular cake. Once it’s completely cool—and I mean *completely* cool, or you’ll trap condensation—wrap it up tight in plastic wrap, maybe even place that wrapped cake inside an airtight container.
I usually keep it covered on the counter at room temperature for about three days, and it’s still divine. If you need it to last longer, pop it into the fridge, but let it sit out on the counter for an hour before serving so it softens up again. You never want to serve this dense beauty cold!
As for serving, it’s fantastic plain! That bright lemon shines through all on its own. But if you want a little something extra, a light dusting of powdered sugar looks so beautiful against the flecks of blue. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, a quick lemon glaze made from powdered sugar and real lemon juice drizzles perfectly over the top. Speaking of delicious loaf cakes, if you want another fantastic treat that stores well, you have to see how I handle my Ultimate Sour Cream Coffee Cake!
Common Questions About Making Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
I totally get it. Sometimes pound cakes can be a little tricky, especially when you add delicate things like fresh fruit! Don’t worry, I’ve answers some of the questions I hear all the time about getting this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake just right. It’s all about controlling those little details!
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
You absolutely can, but you have to treat them gently! Frozen berries weep a lot of liquid, and that moisture can totally throw off the balance of your batter—we already have plenty of moisture from the cream cheese goodness! If you use frozen, do *not* thaw them first. Keep them frozen solid, toss them lightly in that tablespoon of flour, and fold them in quickly, just like you would with fresh ones. Thawing makes them mushy before they even hit the oven!
Why is my pound cake dense instead of light?
This is usually one of two things, and honestly, I’ve made this mistake myself! First, check your ingredients: were the butter and cream cheese truly room temperature? If they were cold, they didn’t whip up to incorporate enough air, and you’ll end up with a heavy cake. Second, think about the flour addition. Did you mix just until combined, or did you keep running the mixer on high? Overmixing develops gluten, and gluten makes a cake tough and dense, not melt-in-your-mouth tender like this recipe is supposed to be.
What is the best pan for this recipe?
For this particular recipe, I strongly recommend that 10-inch tube pan with the little feet—you know the one! It’s the best choice because the central tube lets heat circulate evenly right into the middle of that thick batter. If you use a straight-sided loaf pan or a standard round cake pan, the edges set up and bake way faster than the center, and you risk having a sunken middle. A tube pan helps everything bake uniformly so you don’t end up with a dome or a raw core. It’s the key to a structurally sound pound cake!
If you’re looking for other creamy citrus delights, my recipe for Key Lime Cream Cheese Pound Cake uses a similar technique but swaps the berries for that gorgeous tartness!
Estimated Nutritional Snapshot
Now, let’s talk figures. I always slap a little disclaimer on the nutrition because, let’s face it, measuring exactly how much butter sinks into your slice versus how much stays in the pan is impossible! Plus, the size of your blueberry matters, right? But based on the way I measure and slice this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake, here’s what you can generally expect.
This is rich food, friends; it’s a treat, not a health food, and that’s okay because it’s wonderful!
- Calories hover around 450 per slice. Definitely worth every single bite, in my opinion!
- You’re looking at 25g of total fat, which is where all that creamy texture comes from thanks to the butter and cream cheese base.
- Carbohydrates come in around 55g.
- Protein is a modest 6g.
Remember, these numbers are estimates based on 10 even slices. If you cut smaller slivers to serve alongside coffee, your numbers drop! But if you take a massive wedge because it smells so good, well, those numbers will climb. Enjoy it responsibly, or don’t worry about it and just enjoy it—that’s usually my motto with a cake this good!
Share Your Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Creations
I absolutely live for seeing your bakes! Knowing that my recipe made it into your kitchen and hopefully put a smile on your family’s face is truly the best reward for sharing these family secrets.
When you make this perfect Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake, please come back and tell me how it went! Did the blueberries stay suspended nicely? Did you drizzle it with extra lemon glaze? Leave a rating right below the recipe card—it helps other bakers find this gem!
And if you snapped a picture—and I hope you did, because those blue and yellow pops are gorgeous—tag me on social media! I love seeing your creativity shine. If you have any lingering questions about measurements or techniques, don’t hesitate to send a note through my contact page. Happy baking, everyone!
Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Total Time: 100 min
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A dense, moist pound cake flavored with lemon zest and studded with fresh blueberries, featuring a cream cheese base.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
- Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the fresh blueberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan.
- Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before mixing.
- Toss the blueberries lightly in one tablespoon of flour before folding them into the batter to prevent sinking.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 75 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
Keywords: lemon blueberry pound cake, cream cheese cake, citrus cake, dense cake, sweet bread