When life gives you lemons, try to make lemon blueberry blondies but end up making cake instead. At least that’s what happened to me, but either way, these bars turned out delicious. Could I just call this cake? Yes, but this is no frills, not frosting or icing — just a simple and light dessert that can be eaten by hand, so I’m going to call these Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars.
These are also incredibly easy to make. Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is tinted yellow and fragrant. Add in the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Then add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and whisk until combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Then add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter. Spread the batter into a greased and lined 8″x8″ baking pan. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 350° F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked, let the pan sit on a wire rack to cool. Lift the bars out of the pan, cut, and enjoy these quick and simple Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars. They’ll be zesty and have bites of juicy blueberries.
Some ingredients notes
Blueberries – Fresh, juicy blueberries will add so much flavor to these. If using frozen blueberries, the color may bleed into the rest of the cake.
Lemons – You’ll probably need 3 – 4 lemons for the zest and juice. It’s easiest to zest the lemons before juicing them.
Tips
- If you want to be able to remove the cake from the pan before cutting, make sure to line the pan with parchment paper so some is hanging over the edge of the pan.
- When adding the blueberries into the batter, gently fold them in to avoid crushing them.
- If desired, top with your favorite lemon icing!
Looking for more citrus recipes?
Check out my Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies and Blood Orange Bars!
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Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 cake bars 1x
Description
Light and simple cake bars for when you need just a small batch!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Grease and line a 8″x8″ metal baking pan with parchment so that some is hanging off the edge (to make it easier to lift the bars out of the pan). Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until combined, fragrant, and the sugar is lightly tinted. Add in the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Then add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Add the blueberries and gently fold in until they are spread throughout the batter.
- Spread the batter into the lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the pan sit on a wire rack to cool. Then lift the cake out of the baking pan, cut, and serve.