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    Home > Vegan Dessert Recipes > Vegan Cake Recipes

    Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake

    Posted: Sep 17, 2019 ยท Updated: Aug 13, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    This vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake has a soft, dense crumb with pockets of luscious blueberries and zesty lemon. On top, for more divine deliciousness, goes a topping of blueberries and lemons. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.

    A front photo of a vegan lemon blueberry cake with blueberry topping dripping down the sides on a glass plate

    I had been dreaming of baking up this vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake for ages, and I finally got a chance to this past weekend. It was well worth the wait.

    This is a wickedly good cake, with a moist, tender crumb and little gooey bits of blueberries and pockets of lemon zest infused throughout. But what takes this really great cake over the top is the blueberry lemon topping that I spooned on top.

    A slice of vegan lemon blueberry cake on a white plate with blueberries on top and the topping dripping down the sides and the full cake in the background

    This is a versatile topping that you can spoon over almost any breakfast goodie, like pancakes or waffles or crepes. But on this cake it is, in one word, amazing.

    I decided to go with a fresh, fruity topping because it's infinitely lighter than a buttercream or even a glaze. If you know anything about my obsession with lemon cakes, you know I like them super lemony, and the topping gives me a great opportunity to infuse more lemony flavor into the cake.

    A top close up shot of the blueberry lemon cake with the blueberry topping on a glass plate

    This is a huge cake, and it's not a guilty pleasure at just 261 calories and seven grams of fat in one large slice. The blueberries, I daresay, even make it a tad healthy.

    Tips for making the best vegan lemon blueberry cake

    Do you add blueberries into the cake or are they just in the topping?

    Both! This cake has a double dose of both blueberries and lemons, so it's important to add fresh blueberries to the cake batter, and also more blueberries in the topping. I add three cups of blueberries to the cake and another cup and a half to the topping, so there's a ton of blueberries in here.

    How do you keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake?

    This batter is thick enough to keep the blueberries suspended evenly throughout, but if you want more insurance, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour before you add them to the cake batter, which will keep them from sinking to the bottom.

    How do I store this cake, and for how long?

    You can keep the cake, covered, at room temperature, for a couple of days, or you can refrigerate it, tightly covered, for about a week. If you freeze the cake, be sure to do so before you add the topping. Thaw the cake and add the topping before you serve.

    Do I have to bake this in a springform pan?

    No, you can bake this in a bundt pan or in two eight- or nine-inch cake pans for a layer cake. Or use any pan you want to. Keep in mind that different shaped pans may require different baking times, so start checking for doneness after about 40 minutes in the oven.

    A front shot of a lemon blueberry cake with a blueberry topping dripping down the sides onto a glass plate

    Ingredients for the cake

    • Unbleached all purpose flour
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Vegetable oil
    • Applesauce
    • Sugar
    • Pure vanilla extract
    • Nondairy milk (I used almond but use any of your choice)
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • Lemons
    • Blueberries
    • Tapioca starch

    Looking for more vegan cake recipes?

    • Vegan Orange Cake with Orange Marmalade Frosting
    • Vegan Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake
    • Vegan Zucchini Cake with Orange Marmalade Glaze
    • Vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake
    • Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake with a Lemon Glaze

    Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake

    Top shot of a big slice of vegan lemon blueberry cake with blueberry topping on a white plate with a fork
    Top shot of blueberry lemon cake on a glass plate

    Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake

    This vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake has a soft, dense crumb with pockets of luscious blueberries and zesty lemon. On top, for more divine deliciousness, goes a topping of blueberries and lemons. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.

    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 55 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 261kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 2 โ…” cup unbleached all purpose flour (can sub whole wheat pastry flour)
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ยผ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ยฝ cups turbinado sugar (or vegan cane sugar)
    • ยฝ cup vegetable oil
    • ยฝ cup applesauce
    • 1 ยพ cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • ยผ cup lemon juice
    • Zest of two lemons
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 2 cups blueberries

    For Lemon Blueberry Topping:

    • 1 ยฝ cups blueberries
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • Zest of one lemon
    • ยฝ cup turbinado sugar (or vegan cane sugar)
    • ยฝ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
    • ยฝ cup + 2 tbsp water
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Oil and flour a 9-inch springform pan or a bundt pan.
    • Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
    • Put the oil, sugar and applesauce in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of bowl, then add the lemon juice, zest, vanilla, apple cider vinegar and milk.
    • Add the flour to the milk-oil mixture in two batches, mixing for no more than 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything's mixed.
    • Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the blueberries. You can toss the blueberries with a tablespoon of flour first if you want to make sure they don't sink to the bottom of the cake. I didn't coat them and they didn't sink.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
    • Remove the cake pan to a rack and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding. If using a bundt pan, unmold by placing a plate over the mouth of the pan and flipping in a quick motion.

    Make the lemon blueberry topping

    • Place the blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar, ยฝ cup water and lemon juice and zest. Bring to boil over medium heat and let the blueberries cook, covered, until they begin to burst. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in the vanilla.
    • Whisk the tapioca with the water and add it to the blueberry mixture, whisking as you add. The topping should thicken. Turn off the heat. This is a fairly runny topping, which we like in our home -- if you want a thicker topping, double the amount of tapioca.
    • Pour the topping over the cooled cake, slice and serve.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    I cook and eat simple, tasty and nutritious plant-based food in my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen Ruby

      August 21, 2020 at 1:23 am

      5 stars
      My family and I LOVED this cake! I'm pretty new to baking and had so much fun dripping this delicious sauce over the top ooff!!!!

      Reply
    2. MP

      August 04, 2020 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      Simple, light and delicious, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thank you!

      Reply
    3. PG

      May 19, 2020 at 9:52 pm

      You don't address the VANILLA in the TOPPING in your instructions.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        May 19, 2020 at 10:45 pm

        Added!

        Reply
    4. Kim

      May 19, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      Hi! I'm in the process of making this cake now! I noticed your comment on the thickness of the batter...mine seems a bit soupy. Is the almond/non-dairy milk amount 1.75 cups? I also assumed the ACV is meant to be added to the nondairy milk a few minutes before adding to the rest of the batter, yea?

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        May 19, 2020 at 7:51 pm

        1.75 U.S. cups. And okay to add ACV earlier or later--doesn't really matter/

        Reply
    5. MJ

      April 26, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      Hi! Can hardly wait to try this. Would frozen blueberries work for either the cake or topping? And if I have a six inch round cake pan, would you recommend halving the recipe to ensure it cooks through? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        April 26, 2020 at 7:27 pm

        Just add the frozen blueberries to the batter at the same point as you'd add the fresh. Frozen are fine for the topping, shouldn't make any difference.

        Reply
        • Mj

          April 26, 2020 at 7:52 pm

          Thank you! Do you think a 6โ€ cake pan would be too small for this recipe and should be halved? Thanks again!

          Reply
          • Vaishali

            April 26, 2020 at 8:50 pm

            A six inch pan would be too small, unfortunately. If you use it, definitely halve the recipe.

            Reply
            • MJ

              May 01, 2020 at 2:53 pm

              5 stars
              I halved it and it was deliciously perfect. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

              Reply
    6. Samantha

      April 22, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      Do you use unsweetened or sweetened almond milk?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        April 22, 2020 at 6:02 pm

        Unsweetened!

        Reply
    7. Anonymous

      October 23, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      Great!

      Reply
    8. Passade

      September 18, 2019 at 8:06 am

      Blueberry cake is a mouth watering dessert that everyone can enjoy after a meal!!!! It is one of my favorite desserts. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    9. Lallie

      September 17, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe
      A must try

      Reply
      • Elisa

        September 30, 2020 at 12:03 pm

        5 stars
        Made this cake for my boyfriend for his birthday. Swapped the blueberry with a mixture of all sorts of summer fruits. He loved it!

        Reply

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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