This light and fluffy blueberry sponge cake is bursting with fresh juicy blueberries and a subtle hint of lemon. Perfect on its own with a cup of tea or coffee, it can also be drizzled with homemade custard for a tasty dessert.
This blueberry sponge cake recipe came about quite by accident. My local supermarket had a special offer on blueberries and cherries last week and I asked hubby to pick me up a punnet of each. Unfortunately, they didn't have any cherries so he bought 2 punnets of blueberries instead! This blueberry cake is the result.
Instead of milk, I used Greek yoghurt for the moisture content, which provides a beautiful light yet moist texture. I also packed the cake with almost one and a half punnets of blueberries, so it's absolutely bursting with fruit. For extra flavour, I added a dash of lemon essence along with the vanilla. Lemon enhances the flavour of blueberries by adding a touch of acidity that brings out their natural sweetness.
Other than that, this is a standard cake recipe, using flour eggs and sugar. It mixes up in minutes and takes about half an hour in the oven.
What I love about it is that you can slice it and serve it with a cup of tea or coffee, or you can turn it into a fabulous dessert by simply drizzling it with homemade vanilla custard.
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Ingredients
This recipe will make one round 8" blueberry sponge cake.
- Butter - this is for the fat content. You could use a good quality baking margarine (such as Stork) but I think butter gives a better flavour. For easier mixing, the butter should be at room temperature.
- Sugar - because the blueberries are quite sweet I've cut down on the amount of sugar in this cake to two-thirds of a cup.
- Flour, baking powder and salt - I used plain flour so added a teaspoon of baking powder to help the cake rise. You could use self-raising flour instead, then you won't need the baking powder. I also think a little salt helps the flavour - you can leave the salt out if you prefer.
- Eggs - I used large eggs but medium will be fine to use.
- Greek yoghurt - this is used for the moisture content instead of milk. You can substitute it with natural yoghurt.
- Lemon essence and vanilla essence - for flavouring. You can leave either of them out if you don't have any.
- Blueberries - these are fresh blueberries which have been washed and patted dry with a paper towel.
**You can get the exact ingredient measurements for making this blueberry sponge cake on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Step 1: Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until light and creamy. I used an electric hand mixer but you could use a wooden spoon instead.
Step 2: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then stir in both the vanilla and the lemon essence.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking powder and salt along with the yoghurt. Use a spatula to cut the flour through until all the ingredients are well combined. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Stir in the blueberries.
Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 8-inch round springform pan. If you are concerned the cake will stick, you can line the base of the pan with baking parchment.
Step 6: Bake in a preheated oven (175C/350F) for 30 to 35 minutes. Use a toothpick to stick into the cake to test for doneness. If it comes out cleanly with no batter sticking to it the cake will be done; otherwise, leave the cake for a few minutes longer.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your blueberry sponge cake always turns out perfectly:
- Allow the eggs and butter to come to room temperature before mixing. Room-temperature eggs ensure a lighter consistency as they blend more easily with the other ingredients. You will also find that softer butter is easier to cream with the sugar.
- When mixing in the flour and yoghurt, use a spatula to cut through the ingredients rather than a mixer. This ensures a better consistency. Stop mixing once the ingredients are fully combined. Overworked batter will result in a denser less fluffy cake.
- Rinse the blueberries in cold water and pat them dry with paper towel. This is quite thick batter so as long as the blueberries are dry they shouldn't sink.
- If you are worried that the blueberries will sink to the bottom of the cake, dust them with a teaspoon of flour before adding them. This will ensure they are completely dry and will help them to stay in place in the batter.
- If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it with a sheet of tin foil 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Serving suggestions
This cake can be served in a number of ways:
- Sliced and enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.
- Drizzled with homemade custard for a delicious dessert.
- You can also frost the cake with cream cheese frosting. This zucchini and pistachio cake has an easy cream cheese frosting recipe.
Equipment
You will need the following items of equipment:
- Mixing bowl to hold the cake batter.
- An electric hand mixer or wooden spoon to cream the sugar and butter and mix in the eggs.
- Spatula to combine the flour and yoghurt and stir in the blackberries.
- 8" springform baking pan. You can use a 9" pan but the cake will be shallower. You will also find the cake will take about 5 minutes less time to bake.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container in the kitchen. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
I haven't tried to freeze this cake (I don't get a chance to - it gets eaten too quickly).
That said, this cake should freeze well. Once cooled, remove the cake from the tin and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and place it in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to defrost in the refrigerator still in the wrapping. When ready to serve, remove the wrapping and transfer any leftovers to an airtight container.
FAQ
Yes, you can, but because frozen blueberries are wet, you may find they sink in the batter. To help prevent this, do not defrost the blueberries and toss the frozen blueberries in a teaspoon of flour before adding them to the cake.
Fold the blueberries in gently with a spatula to avoid breaking them and turning the batter purple.
Save for later
If you would like to make this blueberry sponge cake why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my cake, biscuit and dessert recipes page for other delicious bakes. Here are a few you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Blueberry sponge cake
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- 8-inch round spring form pan
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Electric hand mixer OR
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 4 ounces 115 grams butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup / 130 grams white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon essence
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 cup / 140 grams plain flour or use self-raising and omit the baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup / 120 ml Greek yoghurt
- 7 ounces / 200 grams fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F
- Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until light and creamy. I used an electric hand mixer but you could use a wooden spoon instead.4 ounces 115 grams butter, ⅔ cup / 130 grams white sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.2 large eggs
- Stir in the lemon and the vanilla essence.1 teaspoon lemon essence, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt along with the yoghurt. Use a spatula to cut the flour through until all the ingredients are well combined. Do not overmix.1 cup / 140 grams plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup / 120 ml Greek yoghurt
- Gently stir in the blueberries.7 ounces / 200 grams fresh blueberries
- Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 8-inch round springform pan. If you are concerned the cake will stick, you can line the base of the pan with baking parchment.
- Bake in a preheated oven (175C/350F) for 30 to 35 minutes. Use a toothpick to stick into the cake to test for doneness. If it comes out cleanly with no batter sticking to it the cake will be done; otherwise leave the cake for a few minutes longer.
Notes
- Allow the eggs and butter to come to room temperature before mixing. Room-temperature eggs ensure a lighter consistency as they blend more easily with the other ingredients. You will also find that softer butter is easier to cream with the sugar.
- When mixing in the flour and yoghurt, use a spatula to cut through the ingredients rather than a mixer. This ensures a better consistency. Stop mixing once the ingredients are fully combined. Overworked batter will result in a denser less fluffy cake.
- Rinse the blueberries in cold water and pat them dry with paper towel. This is quite thick batter so as long as the blueberries are dry they shouldn't sink.
- If you are worried that the blueberries will sink to the bottom of the cake, dust them with a teaspoon of flour before adding them. This will ensure they are completely dry and will help them to stay in place in the batter.
- If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it with a sheet of tin foil 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the kitchen. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
- I haven't tried to freeze this cake (I don't get a chance to - it gets eaten too quickly).
- That said, this cake should freeze well. Once cooled, remove the cake from the tin and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and place it in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to defrost in the refrigerator still in the wrapping. When ready to serve, remove the wrapping and transfer any leftovers to an airtight container.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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Norma Darcy
Lovely soft cake and very tasty. It's gone on my regulars list. Thank you.
VJ
Thanks for taking the time to comment Norma. I'm so pleased you like this cake!
Jan
Can i use my frozen blueberries in this recipe ?
VJ
Yes, absolutely - in fact I mention that in the FAQ section of the post. I would be inclined to add the blueberries from frozen, and to toss the frozen blueberries in a little flour which may help to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes.