Refreshing Blueberry Lemon Cake

This zest blueberry lemon cake is queen of cakes. It's one of our families favorite cakes and such an excellent way to use up those flavor concentrated, sweet summer blueberries.

With it's abundance of citrus, it's combination of exceptional flavors and it's naturally colorful, showstopping presentation it's practically certain to set a new standard for homemade cakes.

And of course it's one thousand times better than any store-bought lemon cake mix, don't just attempt to mix blueberries into one of those if you really want to impress.

Everyone will be savoring each delectable bite of this infinitely delicious homemade dessert!

Quick tip, I'd recommend that you plan on a generous slice per person because something this good is worthy of indulgence and celebration.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love lemon everything. It's just one of those flavors that you don't have to question, and it balances out the sweetness in any dessert perfectly.

And then when you add those faintly crunchy little flecks of poppy seeds to the mix for a light flavor and textural contrast, and top each layer of the cake with a rich cream cheese frosting you know it's a cake that won't let you down.

This is a crowd pleasing cake that's sure to get some praise, people will be swooning over each soft and fluffy, sweet lemony bite!

The two sugars I used in this recipe are the Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar and Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar. The cane sugar is a good replacement for white sugar for things like baking cakes and cookies (or to sweeten just about anything). The powdered sugar is perfect for frostings.

I'm slowly working on adding more organic foods into my families diet (I just made the jump to organic milk a few months ago), so I love knowing there's now organic sweeteners that are more easily accessible for everyone.

You can find many of these products at nationwide grocery stores now. Try them in this lemon cake and see for yourself the great end result you'll get!

Want to see how to make lemon poppy seed cake? Watch the video!

[wprm-recipe-video]

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients

• Cake flour
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Salt
• Poppy seeds
• Unsalted butter
• Wholesome Organic cane sugar
• Lemon zest and juice
• Canola oil
• Eggs
• Vanila and lemon extracts
• Buttermilk
• Cream Cheese
• Wholesome Organic powdered sugar

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prep the cake pans.
• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
• Cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in canola oil and eggs, then add in the lemon and vanilla extracts.
• In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the buttermilk and lemon juice.
• Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.
• Divide cake batter between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove cakes from oven. While they're still warm, brush with simple syrup.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• Add in vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until fluffy.
• Freeze in 3-minute increments as needed until frosting is desired consistency.

Can I Omit the Lemon Extract if I Don't Have Any?

I wouldn't recommend that. The lemon extract really makes this lemon poppy seed cake — without it, I'm not sure the lemon flavor would be strong enough.

Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute, if Needed?

Without having tested it, I can't say for sure if a buttermilk substitute would work. But I think a mixture of whole milk and lemon juice could be substituted in a pinch.

Tips for the Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• For best results, measure in grams using a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, lightly fluff bag of flour then scoop into a measuring cup and sweep top with a knife to level.
• About halfway through cooling the baked lemon cakes, I recommend transferring them to an airtight container to seal in their moisture.
• Let the cake layers cool completely before adding the homemade cream cheese frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt!

More Lemon Poppyseed Recipes You'll Love:

• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
• Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
• Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts

More Lemon Desserts to Try:

• Lemon Crinkle Cookies
• Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
• Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
• Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Lemon Bars

I never really used to be much of a scone person, but now that I've seen all that can be done with scones I'm crazy about them! Don't worry, I have plenty of scone recipes to share now. Blueberry scones seem to be the most popular, but we can do better than that. I've made Vanilla Bean Scones (also a smaller version like these), Pumpkin Scones, Maple Oat Pecan Scones, and Cranberry Orange Scones. And to keep a good thing going I made these irresistible, brightly flavored Petite Lemon Poppy Seed Scones. These are such a delicious breakfast/brunch treat and they'll most definitely remind you of a lemon poppy seed muffin or cake but with a little less sweetness. What should I try next—Strawberry scones? Yum!

Lemon Poppyseed Scones

The scone dough for these may be a little sticky to work with as you cut it into wedges, so with that said if you are worried about the texture you can cut back the cream or almond milk by 1 Tbsp or you can go for it and be willing to work with a slightly sticky dough because, in the end, it will yield a moister scone. I recommend using a lightly floured surface and a carefully oiled wooden spoon to deal with the dough, and a sharp knife for cutting into triangles.

Another good tip is to use very, very cold butter worked into your dry ingredients in a large bowl. This will help you achieve the fluffy, air-bubble dough you love. Transfer scones from your baking sheet pan to a cooling rack quickly after baking to prevent overbaking and dryness.

Nothing says summer like a refreshing fresh lemon dessert! We all know I'm a sugar cookie addict and yes I've already posted a lemon sugar cookie but I'm starting to convert to making sugar cookie bars more often because they are easier and they don't require the cookie dough to be chilled or spread with a rolling pin, plus they are easier to travel with for parties.

Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe

These are definitely some of the best sugar cookie bars I've ever tasted! They are brimming with vibrant lemon flavor. This isn't one of those "hmm what's this flavor I can't quite put my finger on it?" desserts. With one small little nibble, you'll know they're lemon. If you are making them for your kids and they don't love a strong lemon flavor you can cut back on the zest and omit the lemon extract (or add another teaspoon vanilla extract or white chocolate chips), but for the true lemon lover leave them just as they are. I absolutely love fresh lemon in anything so these were incredibly hard for me to resist, I kept going back and trimming off little piece after little piece the entire day. Not to mention they are so soft and moist. They are chewy Lofthouse-style cookies turned lemon sugar cookie bar - and they're made with real butter none of that margarine (and countless other additives) you'll find in the Lofthouse cookies.

Though it may still be winter why not get that summery feel we all crave and make a batch of these irresistibly delicious Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes? These cupcakes will have you imagining you are sitting on a tropical beach somewhere with the sun shining on your face or on an afternoon picnic with the warm breeze sipping a glass of vibrantly flavored pink lemonade.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I love to make cupcakes for gatherings like birthday parties where you don't want to stop to cut a cake. This recipe from scratch is so easy, but if you need a shortcut with time or ingredients you could always use a lemon cake mix (also helpful if you need gluten-free cupcakes). I might even just add an extra spritz of lemon into the cake batter for a true lemonade flavor.

Sweet Summertime Frosting

I used the same method for this frosting as I did with my Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. I've found the best way to get that fresh berry flavor in frosting is to concentrate it by letting the berries simmer over the stovetop to reduce the excess water in them, because with frosting you really can't add much puree or you'll get soup instead of frosting. Instead of fresh strawberries, I used raspberries, but it should work with most berries.

Another great way to get a bold flavor in a frosting is to use dehydrated fruit and real fruit extracts, I just prefer the flavor of the fresh versus the dried. The amazing thing about this frosting is that I didn't use a drop of food coloring and it's probably the most gorgeous color I've ever gotten in a frosting. I'm already dreaming up new treats I could make with this remixed vanilla buttercream frosting.

You get a soft, thick and chewy cookie base which is loaded with lemon flavor from both plenty of fresh lemon zest and lemon extract, and you get the perfect amount of creamy sweetness to from the white chocolate chips to balance out the tartness of the lemon. They are a cookie you aren't going to forget. Trust me! I'm sure these are going to be made far to often at my house.

The BEST Lemon Crinkle Cookies

If it's lemon, it's all mine. So that must mean I get this entire batch of lemon crinkle cookies to store away for myself. I used to hate pretty much anything lemon-flavored when I was younger, but good thing tastes change as we get older and much wiser, right?

We grow up and realize spaghettios, boxed pop-tarts and playdough/superman ice cream aren't everything we thought them to be (I'm still totally a sucker for bubblegum ice cream and applesauce with cream and cinnamon though; some childhood favorites will just never change).

If I tried these lemon cookies as a kid though, they might have changed my mind about lemon!

Eat one of these lemon crinkle cookies warm out of the oven and your life will basically change forever. They melt in your mouth at that prime stage. I love the unique texture of these cookies, it's a texture I haven't really found in other cookies.

They just seem to have a little bit of everything. The edges are lightly crisp while the centers are slightly fluffy and lightly cakey, yet they are still chewy and their softness is simply dreamy. Indeed it is the texture you'll quickly fall in love with.

And since I'm going to call these lemon cookies, you'll definitely find an abundance of lemon flavor. I just never could get enough of it! Which is why we could say I ate my fair share of these.

With the fresh lemon zest, fresh lemon juice and a fair amount of lemon extract you'll find in these cookies, it ensures you're not going to take a bite of this lemon crinkle cookie without knowing right away what flavor they are.

It's a good thing I can make these anytime or I would have a very hard time not hoarding them all away for myself. Just try them, you'll see what I mean.

Lemon Crinkle Cookie Ingredients

This a super easy lemon cookie recipe that requires just a handful of ingredients, most of which you likely have in your pantry already. Here's what you need to make these lemon cookies:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest
• Eggs
• Fresh lemon juice
• Lemon extract and vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar
• Yellow food coloring (optional)

How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies

• Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whip together butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in the egg and egg yolk, then add the lemon juice, lemon and vanilla extracts, and optional yellow food coloring. Mix until combined.
• Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Shape dough into balls, then roll in powdered sugar to evenly coat.
• Bake 10-13 minutes, then cool on baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Do I Have to Use Yellow Food Coloring?

No, the yellow food coloring just helps makes these lemon cookies even brighter in color. You can omit the food coloring if desired.

Can I Use Brown Sugar Instead of Granulated?

No, for the best results you need to use white granulated sugar.

How to Store Cookies

Keep these lemon crinkle cookies on your countertop in an airtight container. You can also freeze these cookies in a freezer baggie and reheat them in the oven at a later date.

Tips for the Best Lemon Crinkle Cookies

• When creaming together the butter and sugar, occasionally scrape down the bowl throughout entire mixing process.
• Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
• Add in yellow food coloring to achieve an extra bright yellow color.

More Lemon Desserts You'll Love:

• White Chocolate-Dipped Lemon Shortbread
• Lemon Bars
• Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
• Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
• Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
• Lemon Sugar Cookies

I've been intending on posting a fruit pizza recipe for the last two summers (the full pizza sized kind). I'm just now getting around to it, but I decided to just do the individual portions instead. It takes out the cutting step (which equals less mess) plus they seem easier to decorate this way.

We had a combined family birthday party this past weekend (two of my brothers and I share a birthday week, all within 6 days of each other), and since everyone was bringing cakes I decided to add some cookies in there.

Every single one of these got eaten in no time! Both kids and adults alike loved them. Really who could resist? You get this soft sugar cookie that just melts away in your mouth, then it's topped with this most amazing, freshly lemon flavored cream cheese frosting, and they are finished off with plenty of fresh fruit.

I'm sure I will be making these incredibly delicious cookies many more times this summer, especially with all the fresh fruit in season. It's one of my favorite parts of summer, that abundance of fresh fruit.

Try these soon, you know you're going to love them!