This Blueberry Bread Loaf is an easy blueberry cake recipe that takes 10 minutes to prepare. The batter is made with yoghurt which makes this loaf lovely and moist, and all you need is a wooden spoon and one bowl. With a simple lemon glaze, this makes for a lovely afternoon tea!
Make this with any fruit you want – fresh, frozen or even dried!
Blueberry Bread Loaf
This is a quick bread recipe, and is aptly named as such because it is so quick to prepare. Once you pull out your tub of flour, sugar and other ingredients onto the counter, it will honestly take you less than 10 minutes to prepare.
In fact, you will probably have to start preheating your oven before you start preparing the batter. Otherwise it won’t be hot enough. That’s how fast this is to make.
Because it goes like this: whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Then add egg, yoghurt, oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Pour into pan and bake.
Yes, it’s that easy. ONE BOWL. No mixer. I like very much. ❤️
Ingredients in Blueberry Loaf Bread
Here’s what you need to make this blueberry loaf cake recipe:
Blueberries – I typically make this during blueberry season when they are ripe, plump, and cheap. But it works 100% perfectly with frozen too, and with other berries such as raspberries, blackberries. Note: If using frozen, stir them in frozen. If you thaw, they will bleed into the batter and you’ll end up with blueberry streaks.
Yogurt – A “secret ingredient” wet ingredient in baking to make batters that bake up into lovely moist cakes. Any plain, unsweetened yogurt is fine here. I typically use Greek Yogurt.
Flour – Just plain / all purpose flour.
Oil – Canola oil, or any other plain flavoured oil (such as vegetable, sunflower, grapeseed oil). This is another ingredient that keeps the crumb of this cake lovely and moist compared to using butter. While butter provides more flavour in cakes, it makes the crumb more dry. In this recipe, we get flavour from the lemon, vanilla and blueberries so we can use oil instead of butter for a more moist crumb.
Baking powder – This provides the lift in this recipe, to make the crumb lovely and soft.
Lemon – Lemon and blueberries are a classic pairing I use in many of my blueberry recipes.
Sugar – Less than most, so this blueberry bread loaf is not as sweet as many recipes you’ll find. And that’s just the way I like it!
Eggs – At room temperature, so they incorporate easily into the batter. I use large eggs which are 55-60g / 2 oz each, an industry standard so the eggs will be labelled “large eggs” on the carton.
Vanilla – For flavour. I use vanilla extract here which is real vanilla flavour. Vanilla essence is artificial so the flavour is not as good. I typically only use pricier vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans for more refined dessert recipes, such as the recently published Flan Pâtissier (the world’s greatest Custard Tart!)
Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the flavours. This is good general practice for all (well, most!) sweet baking recipes.
How to make Blueberry Loaf Bread
Super quick and easy… remember, this is a quick bread recipe!
Toss blueberries in flour – This helps ensure the blueberries remain suspended through the batter as it bakes, rather than sinking to the bottom. Yep, been there, done that! 😩
Whisk dry ingredients – The flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Add wet ingredients – Eggs, yogurt, lemon, vanilla and oil. Give it a good mix just until combined. Once the batter is smooth and you no longer see streaks of flour, stop mixing. If you overmix, your cake will end up hard instead of soft.
Stir in blueberries – Add the flour coated blueberries and stir gently just to mix them through.
Pour into loaf pan – Scrape the batter into a lined loaf pan. The one I use is fairly small, 21 x 11 x 7 cm (8.3 x 4.5 x 2.75″). This makes a nice tall shaped loaf. If your loaf pan is larger, that’s totally fine, it will just won’t be quite as tall as pictured.
Line the loaf pan with parchment / baking paper to ensure your cake will not stick. Just lightly grease it with butter so the paper sticks.
Bake 5o minutes at 200*C/390°F (180°C fan forced).
Cover with foil then bake for a further 15 to 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. I check it after 15 minutes, then if the skewer is still wet, I leave it in for another 10 minutes. The variable is usually whether you used fresh blueberries (shorter baker time) or frozen (longer bake time).
Voila! Ready to devour! Will you glaze it with lemon glaze?? YES!
Lemon Glaze ingredients
I’ve provided a lemon glaze in this recipe, but when time is of the essence, I just dust with icing sugar. It doesn’t need a glaze, it is sweet, moist and tasty enough without. But it is even better WITH!
So if you’re in the mood, here’s what you need for the glaze!
Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – For Australians reading this, soft icing sugar is not to be confused with pure icing sugar. Soft icing sugar is what is used to make creamy frostings like buttercream. Pure icing sugar sets with a crust for things like royal icing.
Lemon juice – The primary liquid used to make the glaze, to give it a subtle tang that balances out the sweetness of the glaze and pairs beautifully with the blueberry loaf bread.
Milk – If needed, to thin the glaze to the right consistency.
To make the lemon glaze, just mix the ingredients, using milk to get the right consistency so it’s thick enough to drizzle over. Careful not to make it too thin!
The weekend is here. It’s time to treat yourself! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Blueberry Bread Loaf
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 3/4 cups flour , plain / all purpose
- 1 cup white sugar , preferably caster/superfine
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet
- 1 cup plain yoghurt (preferably not low fat)
- 3 large eggs , 55 – 60g / 2oz each
- 2 tsp lemon zest (1 large or 2 small lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable, grapeseed oil)
Blueberries
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (no need to defrost)
Optional lemon glaze
- 1 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp milk , if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan forced).
- Line loaf pan: Butter and line a loaf pan with parchment / baking paper. I used a 21 x 11 x 7 cm pan (8.3 x 4.5 x 2.75") which makes a nice tall loaf.
- Coat blueberries: Toss blueberries in flour (less flour sticks if dry, more if frozen). This helps keep them suspended in the batter.
- Whisk Dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Add Wet ingredinets: Make a well in the Dry ingredients. Add Wet ingredients. Whisk until incorporated.
- Fold in blueberries: Fold in blueberries, including any flour remaining in the blueberry bowl.
- Bake: Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 50 minutes, then cover with foil. Bake for a further 15 – 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Check after 15 minutes, then if the skewer comes out with batter on it, bake a further 10 minutes.
- Cool: Rest for 5 minutes then turn onto a cooling rack and completely cool. Drizzle with Glaze. Wait until the glaze sets (about 20 minutes) before slicing to serve.
Glaze
- Whisk icing sugar and lemon until smooth, using milk only if needed to achieve the right thickness (Note 3). Pour or spread over cake set on a rack over a baking tray. Scrape glaze drippings on the tray back onto the cake.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe original published in June 2016. Post updated with new photos, ingredient photos, step photos and a recipe video.
More afternoon tea favourites
And more blueberry recipes
In case you’re lucky enough to be overloaded with blueberries…
Life of Dozer
I can’t bring myself to share the photo of Dozer from when I was shooting this. It involved a big puddle of drool as he quietly lay under the table, waiting for a big hunk of cake to drop on the ground (which did not occur). It was disgusting!!!!
So here you go – something a little cuter. 🙂 Boy, I really did NOT expect this 5 kg/10 lb puppy to end up quite as big as he is – he’s now 40kg / 80lb!!!
Hi Nagi, could Greek yogurt be used in this recipe?
That’s a real cute puppy pic even cuter was the one of DOZER hogging the fan..we are freezing here in my neck of the woods aka Toronto
Feel like making the blueberry loaf need a little citrus to liven things up😊💕
This is a fantastic recipe…..very simple and so delicious.
Hello Nagi. Love your recipes. Your site has become my “cookbook”. Question – apart from the colour of the batter, would using raw caster sugar affect the finished cake?
Hi Jan – no, not at all!
Hi Nagi, Love your recipes! I was wondering if I could bake this pound cake in a smaller bundt pan such as a 6-cup. Looks delish, can’t wait to try it!
I imagine that would work fine Maria 🙂
I made this three times. We love it. Always successful. I’m new to making desserts or sweets but this gives me hope. In the past I have thrown out a lot of unsuccessful tries of recipes.
I’m so glad this one worked out for you Donna!
Made this with my 2&4 year old kids. Even with their very inaccurate measurements & helping the recipe was delicious! We made it with mixed frozen berries. Yum!
I’m so glad it was a hit Rachel!
I’ve just read thru some of your recipes…….and you’re my best friend!
Haha I love this!
Love that you list categories wet and dry. It’s helpful in assembly!
Thanks so much for the feedback!
Made this cake – had to alter it as realised I didn’t have canola oil so managed to replace it with butter! Absolutely beautiful result, possibly the best cake I have ever made! Thanks Nagi!
I’m so glad it worked with butter Helen!! Good to know ☺️
2 Thumbs up and 2 Toes on the blueberry lemon loaf. I made it today with the icing and I will make it again. I want to point out that if someone is not using the recommended superfine sugar, to accommodate for the difference.
Thank you so much for allowing us to print your recipes.
It’s very helpful as I now have a 3 ring binder with all your great recipes close at hand
I LOVE reading your recepies am going to do your blueberry quick bread this evening. Thank you for sharing.
Hope you loved it Linda!! N xx
Nagi, I just have to say, Dozer looks particularly cute and fetching in this post!! 🐶❤️. We have a mini dachshund (I’m a first time dog owner) and I absolutely love him to death… wish we could have a golden retriever too (Dozer looks so hug-able!), but we live in an apartment…
Now on a food-related note 😁… I love your recipes and how you have very detailed and helpful notes… I made the glazed ham for Christmas with great success! (first time ever, didn’t even grow up celebrating Christmas 😄). So thank you for all the delicious inspiration! 😊
A mini dachshund!!! My gosh, Dozer would knock him over if he breathed on him! 🤣 I’m so pleased you enjoyed the glazed ham lily! N xx
I am making this to cut up and eat during the week as a snack. Do you know within how many days this loaf should be consumed??? 🙂
Hi Elisa! It lasts for around 4 days easily, it’s so most! But if you are in Australia, please refrigerate it if it’s super hot where you are!
Unfortunately ran out of canola oil for the last 1/4 cup and used grapeseed 🙁 Really changed the taste. Will try next time w Canola all the way
Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that BC.
Just made with frozen raspberries I had in the freezer. My challenge at the moment is trying to cook it’s what I have using your recipes. Thank Nagi for another winner!!!!!! You are a star! ⭐️
That’s terrific to hear Valerie! I’m so pleased to hear that. 🙂 N xx
Hi
pl suggest substitute for lemon zest!
Thank you
Just leave it out! 🙂
OK THANKS!!
10 stars Nagi! Knowing that your recipes are ace, I took the risk of making this for a work colleague’s birthday and you didn’t let me down. I made it as a tray bake and added lemon cream cheese frosting. Compliments all around 🙂
AWWWWW!!!! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Runa, thank you for letting me know – and the confidence! N xx
I have this in the oven right now. I could’ve eaten the raw batter!! It was delicious! I can’t wait for dessert tonight!! Thank you!!
Whoot! I hope you love it! 🙂