Blueberry and lemon are paired perfectly in this mini blueberry lemon upside-down cake! The small 6-inch cake is soft, buttery, and kissed with bright lemon. Topping the upside-down cake is fresh blueberries that have been baked to jammy goodness!
I originally published this recipe in 2019. I have updated it with new photos, step-by-step pictures, and helpful tips!
Table of contents
Everything To Love About This Small Blueberry Upside Down Cake
When spring rolls in, who can resist sweet little blueberries? And what better combination than blueberry and lemon? Like my refreshing blueberry lemonade or you’d never know they are gluten free blueberry crumb bars.
To show off the little berries, let’s make a buttery lemon cake with tons of jammy blueberries on top (or the bottom, however, you choose to define an upside down cake!), and this blueberry lemon upside down cake has some pretty delicious features:
- Super-soft butter cake.
- Bright lemon flavor thanks to fresh lemon juice and zest.
- Fresh blueberries that burst into a jammy sauce.
- The upside-down blueberries are paired with brown sugar to create a caramel-like texture.
- The lemon + blueberry flavor combo is incredibly harmonious!
Ingredients
- Fresh Blueberries – I do recommend fresh blueberries for the upside-down cake for the texture, flavor, and ability to burst into jam when baked.
- Brown Sugar – The brown sugar combines with the blueberries to make a thick jam. Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Lemon – 1 medium lemon for the lemon juice and zest in the cake.
- Unsalted Butter – This is a butter cake and I recommend unsalted, room-temperature butter.
- Sugar – I like to use organic cane sugar (link in the recipe), though granulated white sugar will work.
- Egg – 1 egg at room temp.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk will give the butter cake extra flavor and a soft texture. I have provided an easy way to make homemade buttermilk in the recipe!
- Vanilla – For more layers of flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour – I have not tested this particular cake with any other flour. However, you can try my gluten free pineapple upside-down cake recipe and swap the pineapple with blueberries!
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – We use both in the cake to provide texture, balance the acidity of the lemon juice and buttermilk, and help the cake rise.
- Salt – Salt is a wonderful ingredient to balance and enhance flavors in desserts!
How To Make The Small Cake
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
2. Toss the blueberries with the brown sugar – light or dark will work.
3. Line a 6-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment and grease the entire pan. Pour the prepared blueberries into the pan.
4. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl.
5. Mix until the butter and sugar are light and creamy.
6. Add the egg, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla to the butter mix.
7. Mix to combine. The mixture will look curdled (thanks to the lemon juice), and this is ok! Sprinkle half of the flour mix over the wet ingredients.
8. Add the buttermilk to the batter and mix until just combined.
9. Sprinkle the remaining flour into the batter. Mix until combined, smooth, and no dry streaks remain.
10. Pour the batter over the blueberries in the cake pan. Smooth out with a spatula. Bake at 350F degrees for about 35 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Helpful Tips
- A few blueberries may rise into the cake batter – This is ok. Some may be light and as the cake bakes and rises, a few may as well.
- Invert the cake after 10 minutes – We need to give the cake time to cool in the pan to finish its baking process. But, we don’t want to wait too long or the blueberries may stick to the parchment.
- Carefully invert the cake – Run a knife around the edge of the cake before you flip it. Then carefully invert the pan on the cooling rack and gently lift the cake pan to release the cake.
- Some blueberries may stick – A few rogue blueberries may stick to the parchment, and that’s ok. Just snuggle them back onto the cake.
Recipe FAQ
You can! You can also bake the upside-down cake in a 6-inch square cake pan.
You can certainly try it. However, you may lose some of the plump blueberry texture you get with fresh blueberries when you use frozen.
Keep the cake covered at room temp for up to 3 days. Beyond that it will start to dry out.
Related Recipes
Love the idea of upside-down desserts, or looking for more blueberry dessert ideas? Try these recipes!
Recipe
Mini Blueberry Lemon Upside Down Cake
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup (74 g) fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) brown sugar, light or dark (or granulated sugar)
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line the bottom of a 6-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit. Grease and flour the pan and paper.
- In a small bowl, mix the blueberries with the brown sugar. Spread the blueberries evenly into the bottom of the cake pan.1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, light or dark
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use a hand held mixer on medium speed and beat until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest. Beat until well combined. The mixture will look curdled, which is ok.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup organic cane sugar, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the dry ingredients over the wet. Mix until just combined. Next, add the buttermilk and mix to combine. Add the last 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and no dry streaks remain.1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Pour the batter over the blueberries in the prepared cake pan. Smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden on top, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife or offset spatula around the cake to loosen from the pan. Then, invert the cake onto the wire rack. Carefully remove the piece of parchment paper and allow the cake to cool completely before transferring to a serving plate.
- Top with your favorite whipped topping, ice cream, or whipped coconut cream.
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small cake recipe that can be doubled. Use an 8-inch round cake pan.
- Yield – As written, the cake will yield 4 to 6 slices depending on how large you cut them.
- Blueberries – I recommend fresh blueberries as they will provide more flavor and jammy texture when baked.
- Lemon – For a stronger lemon flavor, add more zest vs. juice. Too much liquid will change the texture of the cake.
- Buttermilk – To make homemade buttermilk, add 3/4 teaspoon to a liquid measuring cup, then fill with milk to the 1/4 cup line.
- Cake Storage – The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze the cake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bage. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
NUTRITION ESTIMATES
about the author ...
With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers! I’ve tested, written, and photographed the hundreds of small batch dessert recipes on my website. From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you!