Soft & fluffy Lemon Blueberry Loaf. Loaded with juicy, fresh lemon, studded with blueberries and drizzled with lemon glaze. Made in one bowl and no mixer required!
Love lemon and blueberries? Be sure to try my Vegan Lemon Muffins and Vegan Blueberry Cake next!
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FEATURED COMMENT:
"Too amazing for words! I made this loaf this evening, and I promise on my life that I will NEVER ever use another blueberry lemon loaf recipe other than this one! The balance of the lemon and the blueberries is superb!" - Roze ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Nothing says spring like a Lemon Blueberry Loaf. It's fresh and zingy with bursts of juicy blueberry in every bite. And the simple lemony glaze? It has just 2 ingredients for you to mix up, then you drizzle it all over haphazardly. It looks good however it lands and takes this lemon blueberry bread right over the top!
What makes this recipe different from all the other lemon blueberry loaf cakes out there? Cornmeal! Trust me on this addition. It adds wonderful texture, colour, flavour and contrast to the sponge and really complements the lemon and blueberries.
A big, thick slice of this vegan loaf cake, with or without some of my vegan butter, is springtime eating perfection, and I should know because I've eaten about 3,000,052 slices this week. And don't just take my word for it. So many people say this is the best vegan lemon blueberry loaf cake, and it has lots of glowing 5-star reviews (find them below the recipe)!
Mel x
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS LEMON BLUEBERRY LOAF
- Springy and gorgeous. It's an AMAZING spring-infused cake made with fresh lemons and beautiful blueberries!
- Perfect texture. Crunchy, crusty outside and fluffy, soft sponge inside.
- So many blueberries! Bursty, jammy blueberries in every bite.
- My secret ingredient. Cornmeal! Here for depth of flavour, colour and a really great, interesting texture.
- Fragrance. It's like no other at all stages, from prep to baking to eating!
- Zingy lemon glaze. Drizzled ALL OVER the top to make it look like you know what you're doing with cake decorating!
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
For the cake:
- Flour - All-purpose flour if you are in North America and plain flour if you are in the UK.
- Cornmeal - I like to use fine or medium cornmeal. In the UK, use polenta if you can't find cornmeal. You can also safely switch the cornmeal for shredded coconut.
- Blueberries - These can be fresh or frozen. If frozen, don't defrost them.
- Dairy-free milk - Any creamy unsweetened dairy-free milk, such as oat milk, almond milk or soy milk, is fine.
- Sugar - Cane or white sugar. Don't use brown sugar or coconut sugar in this recipe.
- Oil - Any neutral liquid oil. Melted coconut oil also works really well, and the coconut flavour complements the lemon and blueberry flavours.
- Leaveners - Baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK). Both are essential in this recipe.
- Lemon - Fresh lemons, not bottled lemon. We are using lemon juice (this reacts with the baking soda, making the loaf rise and become fluffy) and lemon zest, which is where the majority of the lemon flavour comes from. Both are necessary.
And for the simple lemon glaze:
- Powdered sugar - Also known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar. I use Wholesome Sweetener's brand.
- Lemon - Lemon juice for more zingy citrus flavour!
Note that you can omit the glaze if you want to, and the loaf is still delicious. However, if you don't use it, I recommend sprinkling a small handful of granulated sugar over the top of the batter just before it goes in the oven. This gives the loaf a texturally amazing, crunchy crust!
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Loaf
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen:
Mix the batter, then fold in the blueberries.
Spoon into a lined pan, top with more blueberries, then bake.
Mix up the simple glaze.
Cool on a wire rack, then drizzle over copious amounts of glaze.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, frozen blueberries can be used in this recipe. Don't defrost them. Add them straight to the batter from the freezer. This helps avoid them bleeding into the batter.
Yes, if you don't have a very sweet tooth, or you forgot to buy the powdered sugar, it's fine to omit the glaze. The loaf is still really delicious without it. If you can, I recommend sprinkling plenty of granulated sugar over the top of the loaf before baking for some amazing texture, though!
Unsweetened finely shredded coconut is a really great alternative.
Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Loaf
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (In the UK, use plain flour)
- ½ cup (75 grams) fine or medium-grind cornmeal, or unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda (Bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (120 mls) liquid oil
- ¾ cup (150 grams) cane sugar or white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 mls) unsweetened dairy-free milk
- zest of 2 medium lemons (zest them first, then juice them after)
- ¼ cup (60 mls) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
- 1 cup (130 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries, plus a small handful for decorating the top (don't defrost frozen berries)
For the frosting
- ¾ cup (95 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice. The amount needed will vary. Please take note of my directions below
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 *C) and grease a standard 1lb loaf pan ( 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches) with some oil. Place a long strip of parchment paper along the bottom and up either end to act as handles. This will allow you to lift the loaf out easily once it's baked.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- In another bowl or jug, add the melted oil, sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk or stir them all together. Don't worry if it curdles or turns a bit thick and gloopy.
- Make sure everything is ready to go, oven at temperature, loaf pan ready and at your side, before you continue. Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold them together. Don't overmix. Be gentle, but work quite quickly. As soon as you can no longer see any dry flour, pour in the blueberries and fold them through the batter.
- Immediately spoon the batter into the loaf pan, smooth out the top, and sprinkle over a few extra blueberries (not essential; it's just for looks!). If you don't intend to glaze the finished loaf, a handful of granulated sugar sprinkled all over the top is nice, as it will bake up to give a lovely crunchy top.
- Get it into the oven without hanging around (we need to take advantage of the reaction of the baking soda with the lemon juice for maximum fluffy texture). Bake for 47 to 55 minutes. If you use frozen blueberries, it might take a couple of minutes longer. Check it at about 47 minutes by poking the centre with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, except for perhaps a little blueberry juice, then it's done. Or press the centre with your finger. If it bounces back, it's done. If it leaves a dent, put it back in the oven for a few minutes.
- Leave the loaf in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper handles to gently lift it out and onto the cooling rack. Remove the paper from the base and leave it until completely cool.
- Once the loaf is completely cool, in a small bowl, add the powdered sugar. Gradually add the lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring really well between each addition. It will feel like there is not enough liquid, then all of a sudden it will come together into a thick, smooth glaze. You shouldn't need more than 4 tablespoons.
- Once the glaze is completely smooth and drizzle-able, use a spoon to drizzle it all over the top of your loaf. Leave it for at least 10 minutes to set up a bit before cutting.
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carrie says
any sub for all that oil? I need to be lower fat than that...
Karel Baum says
Is the celsius temperature (190C) for a regular or fan forced oven? Thanks 🌸
Melanie McDonald says
All of my recipes are tested with the fan turned off, so a regular oven.
Nicky says
This was a huge hit. I cut down the sugar a bit, because I always do, and sprinkled a little granulated sugar over the top before baking, and the texture was amazing.
sandra says
I made this in a 9 inch round cake pan. Added lemon zest to batter and made the glaze with lemon juice. I used blueberries I picked in the woods of Maine last summer ( I had them in the freezer). This cake was delicious! The lemon brought out the flavor of the blueberries. The cake was so moist. I will be making this again!!!
Jane says
Hello! I made this for the 4th of July. We don’t like too sweet, so I left off the glaze and cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup. I used whole wheat flour. My lemons were not organic, so I didn’t zest them, just added a little extra lemon juice. And I used soy milk and olive oil. It was delish. Thank you!
CJ says
Hi Mel. Can you please tell me how I can substitute gluten free flour? Thanks
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't tested this one gluten-free but my baking recipes usually work really well with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour (NOT their all purpose flour). Same amount and nothing else changes. If you can't get that flour where you are find one similar and it should work out ok. It's main ingredients are sweet rice and brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and xanthan gum. Hope that helps!
Rachel says
I have made this loaf a couple times and absolutely love it! Do you think this same batter and amount would work for muffins (a dozen of them)?
Melanie McDonald says
Yes it should work out just fine. My trick for the best muffins/muffin tops is to bake at 425°F for 5 mins, then reduce the temp to 350°F and cook for about another 17 mins. So pleased you're enjoying the recipe!
Susan Rifkin says
Can you suggest a swap for the cornmeal and shredded coconut?
Melanie McDonald says
I can't. I'm 99% sure the recipe will work fine if you omit them though (but I haven't personally tried it). If you don't want to risk it I do also have this blueberry loaf cake recipe. : https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-blueberry-cake/
Hope that helps!
Susan Rifkin says
I'll try it! Thank you!
Susan says
It came out nicely without the cornmeal. Thank you, really enjoying this recipe!
Emily says
This is a recipe I’ve been baking for literal years. I keep coming back to it because it’s so tasty. It tastes a lot fancier than the easiness of the recipe suggests!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you're enjoying the recipe Emily, and really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
S.S says
Hi
Do you know the shelf life for this? Can I make it in advance?
Thank you
Melanie McDonald says
It's at it's best when fresh, but it does keep ok for a few days. It freezes well too for up to 3 months.
Amanda Ford says
Hi can I use a silicone pan...??? Thanks
Melanie McDonald says
If it's all you've got then you can, but you might not get the best results. I always recommend metal baking pans over silicone. They radiate the heat much better and give whatever you're baking better support. Your baked goods will also brown better and more evenly.
Unlike metal, silicone is a heat insulator not a conductor so you will need to increase the bake time a bit and because the heat isn't distributed as evenly your cake may cook unevenly, bulge and become a bit dense in places.
Tori says
This is one of the best cakes/loaves that I've ever had. And it was so well received by everyone around me and my neighbor that they commissioned me to make more for their coffee mornings and birthday!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased everyone is enjoying it! Sounds like you're going to be busy. Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
J says
Not a vegan, and not used to baking without eggs and butter, but I had a vegan guest and I made this following the recipe exactly (except doubled the berries which were a mix of fresh and frozen, and I did add half a bar of vegan white chocolate chopped up). It came out so well, I was shocked! Everyone (vegan and non-vegan!) raved about it and asked for the recipe, and I will definitely keep this on hand for the next party :)
Gill L says
Mmmmm! Absolutely gorgeous! I can't write what my husband said as it was full of (positive) expletives. "Oh my God that is so #%@*%&£#%*@! Gooood!" Etc. Really lovely. Enjoyed the addition of cornmeal but might try the coconut variation too as I love coconut. Fabulous recipe!!!
Karen Mendleton says
Wow! This was inhaled in less than an hour. It's so lemony and yummy. A new family favorite for sure!
A. WARE says
I've been craving a yummy blueberry lemon pound cake and this was the closest I saw for a vegan recipe. I read the reviews and just knew it was going to be good but it didn't make the cut. I questioned the cornmeal but figured hey! Only 1 person mentioned substitutes so I went with it. I bake often and usually the aromas fill our home, not this time. The texture was weird, it lacked flavor and wasn't sweet at all. Veryones taste buds are different, I'm glad I gave ut a try. Won't know until you try it right!? On to the next recipe because I've got an itch to scratch! LOL!
alice toth says
The yellow cornmeal was a surprise addition that really worked! Good flavor and texture. This recipe is definitely a "keeper".