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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Cynthia Lafromboise says
Just had to share that my husband is raving about this cake. I used the sugar and blueberry topping and he says the crunch just makes him so happy. Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe, you make me a better cook.
A Virtual Vegan says
Ah that's lovely Cynthia. I'm so pleased you're both enjoying it! I share your husband's love of crunchy sugar on cakes!
Annie says
I made this the other day and it tasted delicious! It looked great coming out of the oven and the toothpick was clean. However, the loaf sank in the middle - what did I do wrong? Any recommendations on how to prevent that?
A Virtual Vegan says
That's such a shame. I'm glad it tasted good regardless though! There are a few reasons this might have happened:
1 - Did you weigh the ingredients with a digital scale and use measuring spoons for the baking powder/soda etc? If there is too much raising agent it can make cakes sink. Using cups and regular teaspoons not measuring ones can be really inaccurate and you will almost always end up with the wrong ratio of ingredients. Sometimes you can get away with it but in a cake like this with all of the acid in it problems will be more pronounced.
2 - Is the temperature of your oven off perhaps? If you put a cake in an oven that hasn't heated fully to temperature it can make it sink. The same if the oven is too hot when it goes in. Most ovens do run slightly off. The only way to know is to use an oven thermometer.
3 - Opening the door at any stage in baking before the cake has set.
4 - Accidentally slamming the oven door
5 - Expired or opened for a while baking powder or soda. Once opened it starts deteriorating after about 3 months.
6 - Batter sitting too long before going in the oven. Especially with this cake, it is really important it goes in immediately after mixing.
7 - Overmixing the batter. It needs to be just mixed so you can't see any dry flour and no more. Beating/mixing it really hard incorporates too much air which can make a cake sink when baking.
8 - Incorrect pan size
9 - Cooling too quickly.
10 - Using self-raising flour which would mean you would end up with way too much raising agent.
11 - Using silicone bakeware - My pet hate! They never produce good results.
I hope that's helpful for you to work out what might have happened so it doesn't happen again.
Annie says
Thank you for the tips! It could be a variety of the reasons you listed out - I did use measuring cups/spoons, so I will definitely be investing in a digital scale. Also, my oven temperature is off. And I probably didn't let it cool enough (couldn't resist!). It looked great when I took it out of the oven but over time, it just sank. I tried not to overmix, but I probably did that, too. But thank you for the suggestions - it only improves my baking game! I will definitely try this one again because the hubby demands more :-)
Anmoal Gill says
I've made this recipe 3-4 times now (once as muffins, shortened bake time to about 20 minutes) and I absolutely love it! I'm the only vegan in my friend/family circle, and all the non-vegans loved it. I've always just put sugar on top instead of making the frosting and I like it that way because then the loaf is not too sweet.
Negatives: I don't like that the recipe calls for the zest of 2 medium lemons because honestly how big is a small? medium? large? lemon, I don't know? Accordingly, sometimes the lemon flavour isn't very strong so I've just made sure to add a bit of lemon and vanilla extract to make sure the lemon flavour comes through, no matter how much zest I use!
Would recommend this!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you're enjoying it!
I've included the exact amount of lemon juice needed for the recipe because that's really important, and for the required 1/4 cup of lemon juice you generally need 2 medium lemons so it works out perfectly for the amount of zest. Giving an exact amount of zest tends to do more harm than good because then people end up having to use part of a lemon to get it right. It makes more sense to just use the zest from the lemons you're juicing. Hope that helps!
Lola says
Great recipe! Thank you. I used the shredded coconut as suggested and lime zest and lime juice instead of lemons because that’s what I had on hand. The lime and coconut flavors went perfectly together. Delicious. Perfect crumb texture, fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness.
@andreams_y says
I used buckwheat and all-purpose (50/50), oat milk, coconut instead of corn meal, fresh blueberries (coat them with flour before folding them into the batter to avoid them sinking down to the bottom of the cake), added some vanilla bean paste and MY - OH - MY!
To decorate, I cut some thin slices of lemon (3), low-medium heat, add them to a pan, 1tbsp water, 1tbsp lemon juice (OR 2tbsp lemon juice) and 2 tbsp of sugar. Let it caramelise and turn the heat off once it is caramelised to your taste. I carefully put the slices on a piece of parchment paper to cool off and after glazing the cake, added them to it. BEAUTIFUL!
Sarah says
Hi, would buckwheat flour work ok?
A Virtual Vegan says
Definitely not. Buckwheat flour has totally different properties to all purpose flour and it would end up flat, heavy and dense. It's possible to combine it with lighter flours and get good results but the whole recipe would need reworking.
Charls says
I'm not vegan myself but tried this recipe as I'd just bought a new loaf tin and had no eggs. Made the recipe to the letter and wow! Easily one of the best cakes I've ever made or eaten - as far as I'm concerned I'll never bake with eggs again! Thank you for posting ❤️
A Virtual Vegan says
I love this! Thank you. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. It's always even better when the feedback comes from someone not vegan ;O) As you discovered eggs really aren't necessary to make a great cake, or pancakes, or muffins etc. And it saves you some $$$ and a trip to the shop. Win win!
Yvonne says
Do you think I can swap corn flour for the fine cornmeal? My local store has only that and course corn meal. Looking forward to trying this it looks delicious.
A Virtual Vegan says
That will be fine, as long as you're not talking about UK style cornflour which is the US and Canadian equivalent to cornstarch.
MJA says
It was amazing!!! I made this oil-free (using applesauce instead of oil, and a little extra milk) for my parents who are plant strong, oil-free. Also used whole wheat pastry flour and coconut sugar as the sugar (with extra sprinkled on top as suggested). Fresh wild blueberries and baked wonderfully in a silicon pan (b/c no oil:)) at exactly 47 minutes. 3 lemons for zest - and juice of 4 (b/c no oil = need more flavor b/c less fat to disburse.) It was so very good and we will be making it again, thank you!
Lisa says
This was super simple to make and very delicious! It was the first time I made a vegan baked good . I am very impressed and will make again in the future! Yum!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Lisa. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review/rating!
Barbara says
Yummilicious! I usually make blueberry buckle or other simple loaf cakes when the berries are in, but there’s so much butter in them, and eggs too. In my search for a recipe that had neither, I found yours, made it today and oh so good! Without all that cholesterol. I used canola oil as I didn’t have coconut. Otherwise left your recipe as is and I will surely be baking this again. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Barbara!
Devin says
Would it work to use melted vegan butter instead of coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
It might be ok, but there is a chance the texture won't be so nice. Vegan butter isn't 100% fat like oil and contains other ingredients like water etc. When using vegan butter you often need a bit more than you would oil to compensate for that.
Abhirami says
The cake turned out really nice. Have made it twice and the second one was with orange zest and juice instead of lemon.
Really good recipe that is simple & reproducible.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you're enjoying it! I need to try it with orange too!
Veggie In the Six says
This looks amazing! Any other substitutes to the cornmeal or shredded coconut? I don't have either
:( What role does this play in the loaf?
A Virtual Vegan says
It's there for texture. I'm sure you could probably get away with omitting it, or ground almonds would work if you have some.
Michelle says
This recipe caught my eye and called my name today and luckily I had some lemons in the fridge and blueberries in the freezer! I was intrigued by the addition of corn meal but it really does add something wonderful to this loaf! I could barely hold myself back while waiting for it to cool, it smelled so amazing. The flavour did not disappoint! Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed it Michelle!
CS says
It is a very pretty desert and looks delicious, These would’ve so perfect as cupcakes, how long would you suggest baking them 27-30 minutes?
A Virtual Vegan says
I would think about 20 minutes but test one with a toothpick to make sure. If it comes out clean (except for some blueberry juice) they are done. If not give them a few minutes longer.
Uta Pfaff says
OMG !!! A dream !!! I used coconut oil and vanilla flavored soy milk. The cake stayed fresh and moist. Delicious !!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Uta! I'm really pleased you're enjoying it!
Jess Pettersen says
my new favorite loaf recipe! it was a huge hit with everyone I shared it with. i’m wanting to make an orange loaf as well, and looking towards this recipe because of its amazing texture. if I were to swap the lemon ingredients out for their orange counterparts, and use something like pistachios or carob chips in place of the blueberries, do you think it would work?!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yes orange will work fine instead of the lemon. And any mix-in you like will work in place of the blueberries. Pistachio or almonds would be good. Orange and blueberries actually go really well together though, or you could use raspberries (fresh or frozen) or dried cranberries. And now I'm craving an orange version myself!
Jess says
thanks so much! I look forward to seeing an orange loaf recipe from you at some point in the future ;]
Dr. Mark Yoslow says
This is my second time making your wonderful recipe (in New York), and I've shared it with a friend who is a great baker in Colorado. If you've heard of demerara sugar, it makes a great crust on this loaf. The sugar has a caramel flavor that is great in a cup of coffee. The coarse crystal version is a perfect toping as an addition to the blueberries cast on the top of the loaf. Also, I found there is a big difference between coconut oil and canola oil relative to the gloppiness of the batter. Coconut oil gives the big glop but canola oil produces a finer crumb and a firmer product. Both are great. What do you think of using chopped Honey Crisp apple instead of the berries? I'd like your opinion. Thanks for this well-thought-out recipe. You are a kitchen samurai in my book.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm really pleased you're enjoying it. I like it with crunchy sugar on top too. I used to use demerara sugar a lot when I lived in England. I don't see it often here in Canada though. I tend to use turbinado sugar when I want a crunchy top for cakes/muffins.
As for apple, I think it might work. I've never tried it though. I think I would prefer the lemon and berry combination. Raspberries (fresh or frozen) work incredibly well in place of the blueberries so that's an idea too. And have you see my apple cake? That's got a crunchy sugar and almond top. You might like it! https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-apple-cake/
Denise says
Would I need to adjust the other ingredients if I made without the blueberries?
A Virtual Vegan says
No it should be fine if you just omit them. A lot of people make this recipe with fresh or frozen raspberries if they work better for you though!
Denise says
Thank you. I made the recipe with just lemon and baked them as cupcakes sprinkled with sugar. So light and fluffy and a nice slightly crispy top.. They’re not going to last long.