Southern Blueberry Pound Cake

The very best blueberry pound cake is a classic Southern summertime dessert! It’s rich, buttery, and dense, with a moist crumb, a beautiful golden brown exterior, and pops of fresh, juicy berries in every bite.

Few desserts are more classically Southern than a pound cake. From a classic cream cheese pound cake to lemon cream cheese pound cake, 7UP pound cake, and chocolate pound cake, we love them all! If you’re looking for a fresh summertime twist that’s perfect for your 4th of July picnic, Memorial Day celebration, or a just a casual Sunday cookout, this moist blueberry pound cake is the treat of the season.

It has that crisp exterior and soft, buttery crumb that we all know and love, maintaining the dense pound cake texture without feeling dry or crumbly. Add plenty of plump, juicy blueberries and a dusting of powdered sugar, and this treat is totally over the top. Simple dessert perfection!

The Difference Between Bundt Cake and Pound Cake

Any cake that’s baked in a Bundt pan is technically a “Bundt cake.” Not all Bundt cakes are pound cakes, however.

A classic pound cake can be prepared in a Bundt cake pan, a tube pan, or a loaf pan, and typically has a dense, rich texture and a crisp crust. Made with simple ingredients like butter, flour, sugar, and eggs, pound cakes are large, heavy cakes that don’t rise as much as other cakes. In this case, the eggs help the batter rise a little bit, along with the aerated creamed butter and sugar — there are no leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. While a simple dusting of powdered sugar is a classic finish, some versions also include an icing on top (like a sweet and tangy lemon glaze!).

The Secret to a Good Pound Cake

A homemade blueberry pound cake recipe should be light, with a finely textured, moist, and even crumb. It should have a firm, crispy crust that serves as a beautiful contrast to the soft, buttery inside. Finally, the cake should boast a rich flavor, which is why this recipe calls for plenty of vanilla extract and almond extract.

Here are a few important tips to guarantee a moist blueberry pound cake every time:

• Room temperature ingredients: starting with room temperature ingredients makes it easier to cream the butter, sugar, cream cheese, and eggs. This ensures maximum volume and lift for your cake.
• Real butter: always use real butter (not margarine or other substitutes) for the proper fat content and texture.
• Cold oven: by cooking the cake at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, you achieve an extra-deep brown, thicker, more flavorful crust — a product of the Maillard reaction and caramelization of the sugars in the batter.
• Store at room temperature: wrapped tightly, the pound cake will stay fresh at room temperature for 4-5 days. It actually gets better as it sits! While refrigerating the cake will extend its shelf life, this can also alter the texture of the cake.

How to Keep Blueberries from Sinking in a Pound Cake

Use some of the flour to coat the blueberries before adding them to the batter. The flour absorbs the berries’ juices, which helps them stay suspended in the cake. The thick batter also supports the berries so that they don’t sink to the bottom.

What does cream cheese do in baking?

A blueberry pound cake with cream cheese is one of the best desserts out there! The cream cheese helps the cake stay moist and dense, similar to how sour cream or yogurt add moisture to baked goods. This ingredient also contributes flavor and richness, since it’s slightly salty, very creamy, and full of fat (a key to delicious pound cake).

Can you put frozen blueberries in a pound cake?

Either fresh or frozen blueberries will work in this recipe, so use whichever you prefer. The fresh summer blueberries are always my preference — for both taste and texture. If you don’t have any fresh berries available, the cake will also be great with frozen blueberries.

Do not thaw frozen berries before tossing them with flour and folding them into the batter. Also, be aware that the juices from the frozen berries can “bleed” and turn the batter an odd shade of bluish-green.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake Serving Suggestions

This blueberry pound cake with cream cheese is absolutely delicious served plain, with just a dusting of powdered sugar or a tart lemon icing. That said, you can make it even fancier with some fresh berries (or other fresh fruit) on the side and a dollop of whipped cream. You can never go wrong with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too.

If you’re offering the cake for a July 4th or Memorial Day celebration, garnish each slice with red berries (such as strawberries or raspberries) for the red, white, and blue theme!

Recipe Variations

• Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe: omit the almond extract. Add either 1-2 teaspoons of lemon extract, or the zest from 2 lemons and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the batter.
• Lemon Glaze: instead of dusting with powdered sugar, drizzle a sweet and tart lemon glaze on the cooled cake. To make the lemon glaze, whisk together 1 ¼ cups of confectioners sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add extra powdered sugar to thicken the glaze, if necessary, or thin the glaze with extra lemon juice.
• If you don’t have a Bundt pan or a tube pan, you can use two 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pans. Alternatively, cut the ingredients in half to make just 1 blueberry pound cake loaf.
• If using unsalted butter, add an extra ½ teaspoon – ¾ teaspoon of salt to the batter.
• Frozen blueberries: fresh summer blueberries are always my preference — for both taste and texture. If you don’t have any fresh berries available, the cake will work with frozen blueberries. Do not thaw the frozen berries before tossing them with flour and folding them into the batter. Also, be aware that the juices from frozen berries can “bleed” and turn the batter an odd shade of bluish-green.

Tips for the Best Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe

• I used this “Anniversary” 12 cup Bundt pan here, but any similar 12-cup Bundt pan or tube pan will work. Do not use a smaller Bundt pan, or the batter may spill over the top. Check out our picks for the best Bundt pans.
• Grease the pan really well and then coat with flour, or use a nonstick baking cooking spray.
• Use a block of full-fat cream cheese. Do not use spreadable cream cheese from a tub or whipped cream cheese for this recipe.
• Properly measure the flour by spooning the flour into the cup and lightly leveling with the straight edge of a knife. Packing the measuring cup too tightly and using too much flour will result in a dry cake.
• Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together smoothly, resulting in a pound cake with maximum volume.
• Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, at least 3-4 minutes. Whipping this air into the batter will help the cake rise during baking.
• Don’t leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking — about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.

More Blueberry Dessert Recipes to Try

Old Fashioned Blueberry Buckle

1 hour hr

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Easy Blueberry Cobbler

40 minutes mins

Southern Blueberry Pound Cake

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 2 hours hours

Cooling Time 2 hours hours

Total: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 slices

Calories 469 kcal

A classic Southern blueberry pound cake with cream cheese is the perfect easy summertime dessert!

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Ingredients

  

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• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 3 cups bleached cake flour (such as Swans Down brand), divided
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Optional, for dusting: powdered sugar

Instructions

• Grease and lightly flour a tube pan or Bundt pan; set aside. Do not preheat oven.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the blueberries with ¼ cup of the flour. Set aside.
  
• In a large bowl, use the paddle attachment on an electric stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cream cheese; beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically.
  
• Gradually add remaining 2 ¾ cups of the flour, mixing on low speed after each addition, and scraping the bowl as needed. Mix just until combined, about 1 minute total.
• Add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract; beat until smooth. Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries and any extra flour from the bowl.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to release any big air bubbles.
  
• Place the pan on a rack in the lower third of the cold oven. Shut the oven, and turn the temperature to 300°F. Bake the cake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 50 minutes – 2 hours.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on a serving plate or wire rack to cool completely.
  
• Once cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired.
  

Notes

• • Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe: omit the almond extract. Add either 1-2 teaspoons of lemon extract, or the zest from 2 lemons and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the batter.

• • Lemon Glaze: instead of dusting with powdered sugar, drizzle a sweet and tart lemon glaze on the cooled cake. To make the lemon glaze, whisk together 1 ¼ cups of confectioners sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add extra powdered sugar to thicken the glaze, if necessary, or thin the glaze with extra lemon juice.

• • If you don’t have a Bundt pan or a tube pan, you can use two 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pans. Alternatively, cut the ingredients in half to make just 1 blueberry pound cake loaf.

• • If using unsalted butter, add an extra ½ teaspoon – ¾ teaspoon of salt to the batter.

• • Frozen blueberries: fresh summer blueberries are always my preference — for both taste and texture. If you don’t have any fresh berries available, the cake will work with frozen blueberries. Do not thaw the frozen berries before tossing them with flour and folding them into the batter. Also, be aware that the juices from frozen berries can “bleed” and turn the batter an odd shade of bluish-green.
  • I used this “Anniversary” 12 cup Bundt pan here, but any similar 12-cup capacity Bundt pan or tube pan will work. Do not use a smaller Bundt pan, or the batter may spill over the top. Check out our picks for the best Bundt pans.
  • Don’t leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking — about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
  • Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, at least 3-4 minutes. Whipping this air into the batter will help the cake rise during baking.
  • Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together smoothly, resulting in a pound cake with maximum volume.
  • Properly measure the flour by spooning the flour into the cup and lightly leveling with the straight edge of a knife. Packing the measuring cup too tightly and using too much flour will result in a dry cake.
  • Use a block of full-fat cream cheese. Do not use spreadable cream cheese from a tub or whipped cream cheese for this recipe.
  • Grease the pan really well and then coat with flour, or use a nonstick baking cooking spray.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 469kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 224mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: blueberry lemon pound cake, blueberry pound cake, blueberry pound cake recipe, lemon blueberry pound cake, southern blueberry pound cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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