Sticky Lemon Curd Cake (With Blueberries)
on May 04, 2023
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This beautifully easy lemon curd cake is a sticky but not overly sweet loaf cake packed with pockets and swirls of lemon curd and fresh blueberries. It’s moist, buttery and full of tangy lemon flavor – a delicious treat perfect for a brunch gathering, Mother’s Day, or just a lazy afternoon tea.
Why you’ll love it
✔ Perfect for a gathering. Whether it’s for an afternoon tea, picnic, Mother’s day or even a dinner party dessert, you won’t go wrong with this!
✔ A fresh and summery taste. The classic lemon blueberry combination just screams summer, right? The tangy lemon curd and fresh tart blueberries complement the sweetness of the cake perfectly.
✔ Impressive and easy to make. The swirls of lemon curd and blueberries make this cake look impressive, but it’s made with just 8 simple ingredients and is so easy to pull together.
✔ Keeps well. This cake stays moist and delicious for several days, making it a great option for a make-ahead dessert.
✔ A great way to use up leftover lemon curd! Don’t leave it languishing in the pantry…
5* reviews
“This is one of THE most delicious cakes I’ve ever made or eaten. Thank you!!!!” Deb
“This recipe has become a family favorite. So easy to make and absolutely delicious! Will be trying more of your recipes if they are as good as this!!!” Nicola
About the ingredients
Butter: Real (unsalted) butter will give your cake a delicious buttery taste.
Sugar: I usually use caster sugar/superfine sugar, but regular white sugar is fine as well.
Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs.
Greek yogurt: I use Greek yogurt a lot in both sweet and savory recipes. I always try to use an authentic brand containing just milk and live cultures. The yogurt adds extra tang, moisture and protein to the cake!
Flour: To make the recipe super easy, I use self-raising flour (Note: NOT self rising flour, which is different). It’s fine to use all-purpose flour + 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder + 3/4 teaspoon salt instead if you don’t have self-raising flour on hand.
A lemon: A small to medium sized lemon which gives you around 2 tablespoons of juice. You’ll add both the juice and zest to the cake batter for plenty of tangy lemon flavor.
Lemon curd: Honestly… any brand will work well! No need to make your own lemon curd. However, if you’d like to try, it’s actually really easy! Check out this 5-ingredient lemon curd recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes.
Blueberries: I do usually use fresh blueberries in this recipe, but there’s no reason why you can’t use frozen blueberries instead if you like.
Fun fact: Legend has it that lemon curd was invented in the 19th century by some clever English bakers. They wanted to preserve their precious lemons since they could be hard to come by back then. They mixed lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and butter in a top-secret recipe until it magically transformed into the delicious spread with a zingy kick that we know and love today.
How to make a lemon curd cake
The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.
All you really need to make this easy lemon curd cake is a big bowl, an electric hand mixer and a loaf pan to bake your cake in. It’s so easy to pull together in a few simple steps!
Firstly, cream the butter and sugar together using a hand held whisk (or stand mixer if you prefer) on a medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy (usually 2 to 3 minutes).
Then slowly whisk in the eggs, one by one until well combined.
Next, stir in the yogurt. Then fold through the flour.
Stir in the lemon zest and juice to complete the cake batter.
Then roll the blueberries in a little flour (not essential but helps the blueberries to not sink right to the bottom while baking).
Now the fun begins! Layer up the batter and lemon curd and blueberries in a lined loaf pan.
Don’t worry, it’s simple. Start with half of the cake batter in the bottom of the loaf pan, then swirl half of the lemon curd on top. Finally, add half of the floured blueberries.
Then repeat with a second layer, pressing the second half of the blueberries on top of the cake. See, so easy!
Bake your delicious cake with lemon curd and blueberries for around an hour, or until it has risen well and feels firm when touched. To check if it’s fully cooked, insert a skewer into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
Then transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool slightly.
You can see what the cake will look like before and after baking in the photo above…
It’s worth the little bit of extra effort to layer the cake. You’ll be rewarded with a moist but at the same time springy and light cake with a slightly crispy, sticky top. Yum!
Helen’s top tips
- Use softened butter so that it’s easier to combine with the sugar. Just take it out of the fridge for a while before you start the recipe.
- As always when making this kind of butter cake batter, once you’ve added the flour only stir until the ingredients are ‘just combined’. If you overmix the cake can become dense and chewy.
How to serve
The very best way to serve this deliciously sticky lemon cake with lemon curd is while still warm and with extra blueberries and a big spoonful of yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream or crème fraiche on top!
If you like, you can serve a little more lemon curd with each cake slice as well. Am I making your mouth water yet? Served this way it makes a perfect dinner party dessert!
To serve any leftovers, you can even warm individual slices up again for a few seconds in the microwave.
Of course, it’s also quite delicious served cold for a snack or catch up with friends with a cup of tea or coffee on the side. One of the great things about this cake is that it keeps well, so you can enjoy it all week (if it lasts that long!).
This really is the best lemon curd cake recipe!
Variations
Not fresh blueberry season? No worries – you can either use frozen blueberries instead, or you can skip the blueberries altogether and just make it a straight lemon cake with lemon curd.
You can also try this cake with different types of fruit which pair well with lemon, such as raspberries or blackberries, or even chopped apple, pineapple or mango.
Lastly, you can try the cake with a fruit jam instead of (or as well as!) lemon curd. Try cherry or raspberry jam!
Recipe FAQs
You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. However, after that it’s best to keep it in the fridge. It will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
Yes! Allow it to cool completely before wrapping well in layers of plastic wrap and aluminium foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let it defrost at room temperature for a few hours (or in the fridge overnight) before slicing and serving. You can reheat individual slices in the microwave for around 20 seconds to serve warm if you like.
Spread it on toast or scones (try these 3-ingredient lemonade scones). Stir it into yogurt and add some crunchy granola (try this easy low sugar granola!) for a tasty snack. Use it in different dessert recipes such as this mascarpone lemon cake or these lemon bakewell slices. Want more ideas, including cookies and easy no-bake desserts? Check out this list of best desserts using lemon curd!
You might also like
- Fan of easy chocolate desserts? This 6-ingredient kladdkaka recipe (gooey Swedish chocolate cake!) never disappoints, and is sooo easy to make! Or how about these eternally popular 5-minute chocolate pots (only 4 ingredients)?
- Want more lemon cake ideas? If it’s a layer cake you want, try this lemon mascarpone cake. Or how about another loaf cake? Try this super easy 6-ingredient lemon ricotta cake.
- How about a quick and easy cheesecake? Try this baked white chocolate cheesecake (with raspberries!) or this Wagamama copy cat recipe: no-bake ginger and white chocolate cheesecake.
- This orange ricotta cake with chocolate chips is moist, light and super classy, but no one will believe it was so quick and easy to make!
Got lemon curd to use up? Check out this list of best lemon curd dessert recipes!
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Sticky Lemon Curd Cake (With Blueberries)
Ingredients
- 170 grams butter, softened to room temperature
- 130 grams caster sugar, = superfine sugar, or just use regular white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 115 grams Greek yogurt, plus extra to serve
- 200 grams self-raising flour, Or use plain/all-purpose flour with 1¼ teaspoons baking powder and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- 1 lemon, (zest and juice) small to medium (you should have about 2 tablespoons juice)
- 4 tablespoons lemon curd, plus extra to serve (if you like)
- 120 grams fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 320F/160C (fan oven – increase temp to 355F/180C for a non-fan oven) and line a loaf pan (roughly 9 x 5 inches or 10 x 4 inches, or equivalent) with baking paper.
- Cream together the butter and sugar with a handheld mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Whisk in the eggs one by one on a low speed until well combined. Then stir in the yogurt.
- Fold through the flour until just combined, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Be careful not to overmix.
- Roll most of the blueberries lightly in flour (this stops them from sinking). Save a few for serving with the baked cake.
- Spoon and level half of the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Then spoon and slightly swirl around half of the lemon curd over it. Scatter some of the blueberries on top.
- Now spoon in and level the rest of the batter. Dot the rest of the lemon curd on top and swirl it a little again, then lightly press in the rest of the floured blueberries.
- Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until it is golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes, then lift onto a cooling rack. Serve when the cake is still slightly warm with a spoonful of Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, ice cream or whipped cream. Add the reserved blueberries on top (and a little more lemon curd if you wish).
I can not believe how delicious and moist this turned out! I replaced the flour with Pamela’s gluten free flour (no difference in the measurement) and added the baking powder and salt. Even my non-GF partner couldn’t tell it was GF! Thank you for this recipe!
I will also note that I live at an altitude of 4000 ft so I turned the heat up just slightly for a non-fan electric oven to 375. The top did start to brown too fast so I covered with foil for the last 15 minutes (first checked after an hour) and it was perfect! Not too dense and again, so moist!
Oh I’m so pleased to hear this – thank you for taking time out of your day to let me know! It’s especially helpful to hear that it still turned out as it should using GF flour, and also the change you made for the altitude. So happy you enjoyed it so much, and a very Happy New Year to you and your family!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I followed the recipe as written & it was excellent (like all of your recipes I’ve tried so far!). If I altered the recipe, then I should rate my own creation, not your recipe!
I didn’t use the fan, but just baked & checked it until it was done. Ovens all seem to be different, so I just use my own judgement to figure out baking times.
This is my new favorite cake! Not too sweet, with a perfect balance of lemon & blueberry.
I’m so thrilled that this is now your new favorite cake, and you have prompted me to make it again soon myself as it always goes down well here too. Thank you again for all the lovely compliments – it’s so appreciated. P.S. You’re spot on about the ovens – they are all so different which makes baking recipes trickier! 😉
This was delicious and moist! Will be making again for sure
So happy to hear this, Beth, and thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Have just seen a comment re oven temperature ,please can you confirm that 160 degrees is a fan oven temperature ? I assumed that it was non fan oven so i se5 my fan oven to 140 degrees – had to add 15 minutes and turned oven up too , Cake tasted lovely but def a bit more of a dessert than cake.maybe too much lemon juice ,I may try it without next time,
Hello Chrissie, yes it is! I’ll add a note to the recipe to clarify so that there is no more confusion. Baked at this temperature, it’s a tasty cake that can either be eaten by itself for afternoon tea, or with ice cream on top as a dessert. For me it’s the perfect amount of lemon, but yes of course you can adapt it to your taste! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
It baked well tasted lovely but found it a little greasy.
Any suggestions to reduce the greasy texture.
I used butter as stated and also baking parchment but the bottom half of the cake was rather greasy in texture…..is this a result of using yoghurt?
Hello Lynn! Thank you for the feedback! I’m really happy you liked the taste! As for the texture, hmmm… there are several reasons why this can happen such as not creaming the butter and sugar sufficiently, overbaking the cake, or overmixing the batter (to name a few). This cake is definitely on the sticky/gooey side, but I don’t remember it ever being greasy. It may be worth trying again and seeing if the problem just doesn’t happen again – it could have just been a one-off! 🙂
I made sure to use my hand mixer as recipe stated and the butter and sugar was room temperature mixed until a creamy white colour? I really did follow the recipe to the letter and that is why I was so disappointed.
I probably will test this again but many present day recipes give an alternative temperature for a fan oven. This recipe does not and so accordingly I baked my cake in an electric oven bottom to top heat setting as no fan temperature was stated.Has anyone tried this cake in a fan oven and if so at what temperature?
Hello Lynn, I originally made this cake in a fan oven at the stated temperature. Sorry for any confusion but I think if you can test it again in a fan oven then perhaps that will make all the difference. It’s a good point that modern day recipes don’t always leave a temperature for a fan oven any more, perhaps because it’s assumed most are now using fan ovens. I’ll bear that in mind next time I post a cake!
How would you adapt this to bake in a bundt cake pan?
Hello Taylor! I’ve never tried this, but generally if you adapt a loaf cake for a bundt pan you can follow the same instructions, but it’s likely that the cook time will be shorter. I would check for doneness just under half way through the cook time stated in the recipe, then keep checking regularly until a sharp knife pushed into the center comes out clean or with just a few sticky crumbs on. I would also spray the bundt pan with a little oil or melted butter before adding the batter. Good luck! I’d love to hear how you get on if you do try it!
I am often leery of recipes from blog type sites, but this is a truly amazing cake. I cannot say enough good things about it. Despite being an experienced baker, I tried my hardest to mess this recipe up. Ha. Due to several distractions in the kitchen at the time, I was not at my best. Regardless, this cake is perfection. I made zero changes (a rare thing for me) and I’m so happy with the result. I served cold, with no accompaniments. It’s quite sweet and rich (this coming from an American), so I halved each slice – although most ladies came back for seconds and thirds. Thanks so much for this. I just know I will be making this again and again.
This review has made my day, Tiffany – thank you so much for taking the time to come here and leave your review! I’m so glad that you weren’t able to mess up the recipe! 🙂
Hello! What is the difference self-raising vs. self raising flour? Please. Wanting to make for Easter.
Also, do you use whole fat Greek yogurt?
Thank you!!
Hello Donna! Self-raising flour is just plain flour with baking powder and salt added. It’s a bit confusing, but it isn’t always exactly the same thing as ‘self rising flour’ that’s found in the USA. If you’re unsure just add 1.25 teaspoons of baking powder and 0.75 teaspoons of salt to plain all-purpose flour and you’ll get exactly the same results as if you used self raising flour (common in the UK and Australia). Let me know if you need any more help. Otherwise… enjoy!
Hi Helen,
Do you think gluten free flour will work in this recipe?
Hello Lynn! I haven’t tried making this recipe with GF flour. Of the recipes I’ve tried, I do find gluten free to be a bit hit and miss with different recipes, but I think there’s a good chance this will turn out well since it’s on the ‘moister’ side as far as cakes go! Just check that the batter doesn’t seem too dry after you’ve added the flour (it should be neither super thick nor super thin). If it does seem a little on the drier side I’d add a drizzle of milk. I think you’ll be OK! Let me know!
I made it with 150g gluten free self raising flour and 50g almond meal and it turned out an absolute treat!!! This is one of my new favourite recipes 😍
Oh, thank you so much for reporting back, Lynn! I’m so happy it worked out well making it gluten free! 🙂
Thank you for responding back! I will use all purpose flour and add the additional ingredients!
I am excited to make.
Thank you once again.
Donna 😊
You’re welcome, Donna – I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!