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).
Great little bake, the perfect way to use up some lemon curd I made last week!
So glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the feedback!
Hello how long does the cake last I. Fridge or is it possible to freeze?
Hi Lauren! This cake actually stays nice and moist for a few days. We eat it pretty quickly at our house, but if you’d like it to last for longer then it freezes brilliantly! Just wrap well and freeze!
I made this late this afternoon……too late to have with a cup of tea unfortunately but it is absolutely delicious. I had some homemade curd leftover and made sure I had blueberries in the fridge. Moist, fragrant, buttery with just the right amount of lemon. Would be superb as a dessert cake, simply beautiful to look at. Thanks for this great recipe, and my husband, who doesn’t often partake of my baked goods by the way, LOVES your blueberry muffins…as do I!!! 5 ⭐️
Hi Rana! Oh, you’ve made my day! I had a bit of a dessert fail today, so it’s good to be reminded of my failsafe classics. Every time I’ve made it this cake has gone down very well too. We love it, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it too!
As for the blueberry muffins, well, my husband’s exactly the same as yours. He generally doesn’t care for muffins at all, but he LOVES these! I’ve made them so many times. Sometimes I have to add a bit more milk, sometimes I make big ones, sometimes I make small ones, and the cooking time can vary a bit, but I find they always turn out delicious.
Thanks again for taking the time to let me know what you thought, and to leave such a lovely review. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
P.S. I’ve tried the muffins with chocolate chips instead of blueberries, and they were quite nice too!
Can I use storks instead of butter
I haven’t tried it, Cecilia, but I think it’ll be fine! Let me know how you get on!
Thank you so much for the recipie, it’s so delicious we could not stop eating it (dangerous!!:) . As moist and sticky as promised bad not overly sweet – will be our new staple! X
Hi Sofia! Thank you so much for taking the time to pop back and comment. I’m so glad you like the cake as much as we do! I’ve made this so many times and it never disappoints. Warm out of the oven… mmmm!
I’ve rated this 5 star since without trying it. Simply because you have provided the metric measurements even though you are American and are used to using cups. Incredibly helpful as it’s always frustrating to see recipes where only cups are listed since they are so imprecise. Thank you and I will be using this recipe.
Hi Paul – thank you so much for your complimentary comment! I’m actually not American – I’m British! Hence the metric measurements (insert slightly sheepish grin here). I had to decide which measurement to make my default and although at least half of my readers are British I went with cups first as readership does tip more towards the US sometimes. Still, I’m like you and mostly prefer metric. I really hope you enjoy the recipe!
Lemon and blueberry is such a heavenly combo! Can’t wait to make this recipe over the weekend!
Hope you enjoy it, Sean!
Greetings Helen!
Thanks for responding. I downloaded Flash but the video link but sadly it the video. still doesn’t activate. Technology is great when it works but can be areal puzzle when it doesn’t.
Am planning to try your recipe tomorrow and will let you know hoe it turns out.
BizzieB
Oh no! Sorry, Vicky! Can you see the video in my latest post (How to make a Greek salad)? It’s within the recipe post. I’m hoping you’ll be able to see this because I’ve attached it to the post in a different way. If you can I’ll do the same in the blueberry cake post!
Hi Helen
Love the look of the cake and look forward to making it for some visitors next week
The photos are enticing but I really like videos, which, I find, give me more of a feel for the process but couldn’t find the link to the video anywhere. Am I missing it?
Hi Vicky! Oh no! I’m so sorry about that. The video is just above the recipe card. If you can’t see it, do you have Flash Player enabled in your browser? It might be that. Otherwise, please do let me know because the next video I do I’m going to embed it in the recipe card. If it isn’t Flash stopping you from seeing the blueberry video then I’ll try embedding it in the recipe card to see if that helps! You could also try viewing my site in a different browser?
I’m glad you’ve let me know because others might be having the same problem.
I can’t find the video either although flash enabled in browser. Will go for it now without the video – can’t wait
Hi Tanja! Aww sorry about that! I hope you managed to make it successfully anyhow? It’s probably because it’s one of my older videos that’s embedded via Youtube – I’ll check it out and see if I can fix it.
I’m all about blueberries this time of year! The blueberry lemon combo is fantastic!
Glad you like it, Marjory. Thank you!
Well, I couldn’t agree more — lemon is my favorite flavor and I simply adore blueberries. Your cake looks so moist and flavorful!! It would be a hit in our house because citrus reigns!! I’m looking forward to making and enjoying it.
Thank you Marisa! Please let me know if you do try it!