Your favorite muffin just got a whole lot bigger—err better!? This blueberry muffin cake is studded with juicy, ripe blueberries and topped with citrusy lemon glaze.
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Every summer I crave blueberry lemon flavored something. This year it’s blueberry muffin cake with lemon glaze and I’ve got to say it reeally takes the cake. This beauty is dense and buttery, almost like a pound cake and loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries and lemon zest. The citrusy lemon cuts through the richness giving it that perfect rich, but refreshing balance.
This was my first time making a bundt cake and I was so pleased with how it turned out. I feel like I’ve been having a lot of beginners luck lately with new baking recipes. In the book The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, he refers to “beginners luck” as the principle of favorability. He explains that each person’s Personal Legend begins with a stroke of luck because ultimately, life (Universal Intelligence, God, Source, whatever you believe in) wants us to achieve our destiny. This resonated with me so much when it comes to my baking.
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Story time.
I used to hate baking, as I’ve mentioned probably a million times by now—until I took the time to actually try with like, effort. When I look back at it, almost everything I’ve ever baked, I’ve pretty much nailed my first try. This includes things that aren’t super easy, either. Like pignoli cookies, pizza dough, tart, garlic knots, oh—and my most recent—Molly Yeh’s Italian rainbow cookie cake with whipped chocolate ganache. I made it for my boyfriend for his birthday. TOTAL success btw. If you caught my Instagram stories, you know.
And may I add that some of these successful first timers were also at high altitude for the first time, which I am not well versed in by any means. I moved to Denver in April, remember??
What are you talking about?
For those of you who are unfamiliar, when you bake at a higher altitude than 3,000 feet above sea level, such as Denver (about 5,000 ft), the air pressure is lower, so baked goods will rise faster and moisture will evaporate quicker. To counter this, you need to make all these specific adjustments, say a prayer, and hope for the best. It’s fab!
Until I read the Alchemist, I never thought of my beginners luck with baking as an omen. Because I’m not professionally trained in any way, I simply thought I was just, you know—lucky. Now I think of myself as talented and am excited to explore where I can take this intel. I still don’t know what my Personal Legend is exactly, but I’m going to keep baking delicious shit until I figure it out.
If you’re interested in the book (IT IS LEGENDARY), you can grab a copy in My Books on my Amazon Storefront, here! If you’re interested in getting back to the blueberry muffin cake, you can continue reading below this mouthwatering photo of it.
Things to keep in mind.
Don’t forget to bring the eggs, butter, and cream cheese up to room temperature before starting. I like to take everything out of the fridge an hour before I start baking. This step is super important. Cold ingredients don’t incorporate easily, leaving you with a clumpy batter. Bringing them up to room temp will ensure a smooth batter and even textured cake.
When you’re ready to pour the batter into the pan, only pour half of it in, then sprinkle some more blueberries on top before adding the remaining batter. Why? Because more blueberries is always a win. Also, this will ensure there’s an even distribution of bluebs throughout the cake. Another win.
But why is the glaze gone?
I like my glaze to be a little thinner, so it soaks into the cake. And then I’ll drizzle a little more on each piece when I serve it. You can make a thicker glaze by adding more powdered sugar.
Can I use this recipe to make muffins?
In short, not really. Not in the traditional sense of a blueberry muffin that is light and fluffy, anyway. This cake is more dense, like a pound cake. I haven’t tested the recipe in anything other than a bundt pan, so I can’t say for sure, but I would stick to a bundt pan if you have one. I’m sure you could divide the batter into loaf pans if you don’t have one, though. Ditch the recipe and find out, my friend!
Can I use a different fruit?
Absolutely! Use whatever seasonal fruit you like or have on hand. Berries work best, in my opinion—something tart or juicy to balance out the richness of the cake. I think blackberries would be fking delish.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you try the recipe! I love hearing from you guys. And don’t forget to subscribe (top right corner of this page) to receive free recipes and special announcements to your email!
Enjoy.
Blueberry Muffin Cake + Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For the bundt cake
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) room temperature
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 lb blueberries
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons) keep lemon juice for glaze
For the lemon glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons) + extra to garnish
- 1 splash milk of choice to thin, if desired
Instructions
For the bundt cake
- Take butter, cream cheese, and eggs out of the fridge an hour before starting. I also suggest zesting and juicing your lemons beforehand. You'll need about 4 lemons total for the recipe. Remember to zest first, then juice!
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease your bundt pan. Because bundt pants tend to have a lot of crevices, I use a spray with flour in it to ensure nothing sticks in the nooks and crannies. I like Baker's Joy, which you can find in My Pantry on my Amazon Storefront. Set pan aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—and set aside.
- In a stand up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and cream cheese together on medium until smooth and creamy. Gradually add in sugar and increase speed slightly. Beat a few more minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add in vanilla and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time, letting each one fully incorporate into the batter. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl as needed.
- Stop mixer and gradually fold in flour with a rubber spatula until it's not quite fully incorporated. You can do this part in the mixer, but I prefer to do it by hand to ensure I don't over mix the batter. Add 3/4 of the blueberries to the batter and gently mix until flour is just incorporated.
- Pour half the batter into the floured bundt pan, then sprinkle the remained blueberries over the batter. Pour remaining batter into the pan and bake for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 mins. It's ready when it's golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 30 mins, then invert the cake and continue cooling on a wire rack until completely cooled.
For the lemon glaze
- Sift powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and add lemon zest and juice. Whisk until fully combined and add a splash of milk to thin, if desired. Pour over cake, reserving some to drizzle over each piece when serving. The glaze will soak into the cake after a few minutes.
- For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar.
Notes
One Comment
These muffins are super delicious, moist and easy to make. Thank you Lauren! 😘💕
Tiffany
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