Fresh Blueberry Cake With Cake Mix

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 07/22/21
Easy Fresh Blueberry Cake With a Cake Mix

The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 55 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 cake
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
340 Calories
13g Fat
54g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 340
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 343mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 44mg 221%
Calcium 139mg 11%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 220mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

With just a few extra ingredients, you can turn an ordinary cake mix into a memorable dessert. In this recipe, a yellow cake mix is combined with sour cream, lemon juice, and blueberries to make a picture-perfect Bundt cake that is moist and delicious. The blueberries give the cake excellent flavor and leave beautiful purple polka dots throughout the cake. 

The cake has plenty of flavor on its own, but feel free to use a lemon cake mix for more lemon flavor. You can also add a sweet lemon glaze and decorate with additional fresh blueberries if desired.

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter, for coating pan

  • All-purpose flour, for coating pan

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1/3 cup canola oil, or corn, safflower, or vegetable oil

  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced, zest finely grated, about 1/4 cup juice

  • 1 (18 1/4-ounce) box yellow cake mix

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries

  • Confectioners' sugar, for garnish, optional

  • Vanilla glaze, for garnish, optional

  • Lemon sauce, for garnish, optional

  • Whipped cream, or crème fraîche, for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy fresh blueberry cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt cake pan or 10-inch tube cake pan. Preheat the oven to 325 F for a dark pan or 350 F for a light-colored pan.

    Greased and floured Bundt cake pan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light.

    Beat eggs and sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. Beat in the sour cream, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Continue beating until smooth.

    Beat the sour cream, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the egg and sugar mixture

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly blend in the cake mix. Turn the mixer to high and beat until well blended.

    Blend the cake mix with the mixture in the bowl

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula or wooden spoon.

    Blueberries added to the cake batter

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  7. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.

    Blueberry cake batter in a Bundt cake pan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

    Blueberry cake in a Bundt cake pan, checked for doneness with a toothpick

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  9. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with vanilla glaze, lemon sauce, freshly whipped cream, or crème fraîche.

    Easy fresh blueberry cake dusted with confectioners' sugar

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Tips

  • If you toss the berries in a small amount of flour before folding them into the batter, they are less likely to sink.
  • If you're using frozen berries, do not defrost them. Toss with a small amount of flour before folding them into the batter.
  • The key to success when using a Bundt pan is to thoroughly grease every crevice of the pan, making sure not to leave pools or chunks of butter behind. Completely cover with flour and tap out excess before adding the batter.
  • If you don't have a Bundt pan, feel free to make this cake in another size pan. Follow our tips for baking times for different-size cake pans.

How to Store

  • Because the cake has fruit in it, it's best to store it in the refrigerator if not eating right away. Cover the cake with plastic wrap before refrigerating.
  • For long-term storage, wrap the cake well and place it in the freezer. You can also slice it and wrap it in individual slices for up to one month.

Recipe Variations

  • Swap the yellow cake mix for vanilla, French vanilla, or lemon cake mix. Just make sure to use the "pudding in the mix" variety.
  • Fresh, firm raspberries or blackberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Fold them into the batter carefully to keep them from breaking apart too much.