Bright & Moist Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

We're getting ready for spring with this citrus berry mash-up. Every forkful of this gluten-free lemon blueberry cake is soft and tender, with a vibrant lemon crumb and sweet blueberries bursting throughout. Make it as a show-stopping layer cake or you can even bake it in a 9x13 baking pan for easier serving when bringing to a potluck, just like my gluten-free chocolate sheet cake.

Both of my kids agreed this is one of the best cakes I've ever made. My 5-year-old ate his slice in less than 30 seconds with two enormous bites. Not a single crumb was left behind. My friend Daisy was just going to have a bite and save the rest for her morning coffee but ended up just having another bite until it was all gone. She then declared it was the best cake she's ever eaten (!!).

There you have it: rave reviews all around.

The gluten-free flours I use to create the best crumb:

Based on my super moist gluten-free vanilla cake and buttery gluten-free funfetti cake recipes, this cake uses a combination of sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, and millet flour to create a super fluffy and tender gluten-free crumb. Each of these flours adds a unique texture component to the cake.

If you'd prefer to use a pre-made blend, you can sub out all the flours by weight (358g) with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, but your result may not be as light and fluffy as the one posted here. 

• sorghum flour: Sorghum flour is a wholesome whole-grain flour. With slightly sweet notes, sorghum flour adds flavor depth and helps create a very moist crumb.
• sweet rice flour: Also called "mochiko,"  sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour. Sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to bind the cake together, creating chewiness like a classic cake recipe. I prefer Koda Farms Mochiko for cake, but also use Bob's Red Mill Sweet Rice Flour.
• tapioca flour: Tapioca flour adds chewiness and helps mimic the fluffiness of a classic cake. It adds just a bit more softness and loftiness to the crumb.
• millet flour: Millet flour is a neutral flour here to balance the others out so the cake isn't too moist or gummy.

The tanginess of lemon cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to this fluffy lemon blueberry cake. 

I use my go-to fresh lemon cream cheese frosting that has a high ratio of butter to cream cheese. The result is a lightly tangy, very bright lemony frosting that creates a beautiful naked layer cake.

Can I skip the xanthan gum?

In this cake, xanthan gum is not optional. For some of my cake recipes,  xanthan gum is not required but may help with a lighter fluffier crumb (like my gluten-free chocolate cupcakes and gluten-free vanilla cupcakes). This gluten-free lemon blueberry cake, however, relies on the xanthan gum. Without it, the cake will bake up dense and the blueberries will sink to the bottom.

If you're just starting out with gluten-free baking, xanthan gum may seem expensive. However, a bag stretches a very long way. Each recipe typically only calls for ½-1 teaspoon. I keep it in my fridge and a bag lasts me almost 2 years, so if you plan on getting more serious about gluten-free baking, know that it lasts a long time and you'll get a lot of cakes out of a single bag.

Using frozen blueberries instead of fresh:

If fresh blueberries aren't in season, you can use frozen blueberries. Do NOT defrost the frozen blueberries before adding them to the batter. Toss them in sorghum flour and keep them in the freezer until ready to fold them into the batter.

Frozen blueberries are a bit more likely to tint your batter as you mix them in, but the resulting cake won't taste any less delicious!

Can I skip the blueberries?

Yes! This recipe will work great with or without the blueberries. Without the blueberries, the cake will have a bit less moisture, and thus will need less baking time. Bake for only 28-32 minutes, or until the center springs back when gently touched.