One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
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Assembled in one bowl and baked in a loaf pan, this lemon-blueberry quick bread comes together in no time and thanks to both olive oil and yogurt, it stays exceptionally moist for days. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar makes the citrus flavor really shine and a clever mixing method ensures you’ll have blueberries bursting in every bite!
Last weekend, while flipping through Jessie Sheehan’s Snackable Bakes in search of an extra-crumb coffee cake recipe I’d bookmarked months ago, I paused two recipes in, struck by a photo of a blackberry-studded loaf cake.
In the notes, Jessie credits both Dorie Greenspan and Ina Garten and describes the result as “nothing short of summer in a loaf pan.”
How could I not make it?
Given that I am sharing the recipe here, it’s clear that I loved it. But do you know what I loved even more? The process.
The recipe calls for rubbing the zest of two lemons into the sugar, a step that releases oils from the zest into the sugar, heightening the lemon flavor. I remember watching Dorie Greenspan do this years ago on the Martha Stewart Show while making lemon madeleines, and whenever I take the extra time to do it, I think: Why don’t I always do this? The smell is intoxicating.
Next, the ingredients, which include yogurt, oil (as opposed to butter), and lots of fresh lemon juice, are added nearly one by one, with whisking called for after each addition. It’s a one-bowl job!
Finally, and this is perhaps my favorite part of the whole process, the blueberries (or blackberries) are not added all at once: you fold 1 cup of them into the batter, then, once the batter is in the loaf pan, you scatter the remaining 1/2 cup over the top, before sprinkling all of it with turbinado sugar and popping it into the oven.
One hour later, it will emerge, sugar-crusted, berries busting at the seams. It is a sight to behold! With a cup of morning coffee or afternoon tea, a slice of this loaf is such a treat, perfectly sweet, bright with lemon flavor, juicy berries bursting in every bite.
PS: Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
5 Favorite Quick Breads
Quick breads, in essence, really are cakes baked in loaf pans. Apart from the shape, there is nothing really bread-like about any quick bread I have ever made. Here are 5 of my favorites:
- Mrs. Myers Banana Bread
- Award-Winning Zucchini Bread
- My Mother’s Pumpkin Bread
- Super Simple Irish Soda Bread
- Beer Bread
Jessie Sheehan’s wonderful Snackable Bakes
Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients:
Zest the lemon into the sugar…
… then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
Add the oil and vanilla and whisk for 30 seconds.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Whisk in the sour cream or yogurt and freshly squeezed lemon juice:
Whisk in the baking powder followed by…
… the salt.
Switch to a spatula and stir in the flour.
The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.
Transfer the batter to a buttered- and parchment-lined loaf pan.
Scatter another 1/2 cup of blueberries over the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 350ºF for roughly 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool for 20 minutes…
… then remove the loaf from the pan by the parchment sling and let it cool to room temperature.
Slice and serve!
One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Description
Adapted ever so slightly from Jessie Sheehan’s wonderful Snackable Bakes.
Changes I’ve made:
- Used blueberries in place of the blackberries. If you want to use blackberries, roughly chop them before adding them to the batter.
- Upped the vanilla to 1 teaspoon vanilla from 3/4 teaspoon.
- Used extra-virgin olive oil in place of the vegetable oil.
- Upped the kosher salt to 1/2 teaspoon from 1/4 teaspoon.
- Used sour cream in place of the yogurt: I’ve made this twice with yogurt and once with sour cream, and while all were delicious, I think the sour cream version may have been the best. Not sure I would be able to detect a difference in a blind taste test, but just noting this to say both ingredients work great.
I use this 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan for this recipe.
Ingredients
- softened butter for the pan
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (118 g) extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or whole milk yogurt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (222 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 – x – 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (I love this one) with softened butter. Line with a sheet of parchment paper that extends up and over the long sides of the pan (like a cradle for your cake).
- Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar with your fingers in a large bowl until fragrant. Whisk in the oil and vanilla for 30 seconds. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then the lemon juice and yogurt. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt into the bowl, one at a time, vigorously whisking after each. Gently fold in the flour just until a few streaks remain. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in 1 cup (145 g) of the berries.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, then arrange the remaining 1/2 cup (72 g) of berries over the top of the loaf, pressing down gently. Lightly sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating at the halfway point. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a moist crumb or two. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then lift the cake out by the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Keep the cake, wrapped, on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: olive oil, sour cream, lemon, blueberries, vanilla
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
202 Comments on “One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread”
This quick read is absolutely amazing! I can’t even count the number of times I’ve made this since seeing it on IG. It is a huge hit around my home obviously and I didn’t change a thing. I did choose the sour cream option after making it both ways. I agree, I think I like. the sour cream better but you cant go wrong either way! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. I have your book, Bread Toast Crumbs and have loved everything I’ve made so far especially “My Mothers Peasant Bread”. Absolutely wonderful!
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Awww so nice to read all of this, Connie 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this.
The perfect lemon / blueberry loaf ..
Love the texture .. I baked it only for 50 mins on 175 C
We ate it with a a bit of lemon curd spread .
Delicious & zesty 🍋
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Great to hear!
I made this loaf a few days ago, it came out perfect!
Officially added to my baking rotation.
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Great to hear, Dana 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
I’ve made this a couple times now and it’s always devoured!! It really is delicious, thank you for the recipe! As soon as this heat goes away, I’m going to try this recipe subbing orange and cranberries. I can’t get it out of my head!
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That sounds amazing! I’ll do the same 🙂
I made this yesterday to have something to snack on while my kids and husband are away and I had to keep myself from eating the whole thing in one.single.day!!
I put in 150 g of sugar because 200g seemed like a lot and I tend to like things less and less sweet with age.
I also only zested one lemon and put in all of its juice (lazy lazy plus I hate the look of a naked zested lemon in the fridge—yeah I know I have issues). Threw in an extra heaped tbsp flour to counterbalance that.
And finally, not loving the parchment paper cradle thing, I see how it’s practical but the slightly crispy bottom of the cake was missing, so next time I am going back to my usual butter/flour the pan.
All that said, great great recipe!!
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I would give this recipe a 5 star rating! I did add some cardamom to this recipe it was delicious. Thanks for posting this recipe, will make it again ❤️❤️❤️. Barbara
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Great to hear Barbara 🙂 Cardamom sounds yummy.
I’m so glad I came across this recipe — it’s delicious! Never had I heard of rubbing zest into sugar, but it really infuses the lemon flavor, which we all love. The combo of blueberry and lemon is classic, and this recipes showcases both. Thank you!
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Hello. This looks delicious and I’d like to try it. With frozen blueberries, should I thaw them before using them? Thank you.
Yes, I would!
Delicious. So moist
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Great to hear, Ann!
This is amazing! Rubbing the zest into the sugar really brings out the lemon flavor! I used gfjules gluten free flour and the bread came out so moist and delicious!!
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Great to hear, Patricia! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am going to see how these come out as muffins !
Turned out AMAZING! I used frozen blueberries!! Low-fat Greek yogurt as well.
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Great to hear, Eleanor!
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe! It turned out fragrant, moist, and full of real lemon & blueberry flavor. I used the weight measurements, frozen blueberries, sour cream, and canola oil.
I was testing AP flour vs. Authentic Foods’ Steve’s Gluten-Free Cake Flour blend, so I did a half batch for each. A half batch fits perfectly in a 6-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides, which was a nice surprise. I’m pleased to report that this recipe worked beautifully with GF flour, and the baked “breads” were indistinguishable from each other visually (same coloring, both rose to the same great height, etc.). Texturally, the GF batch was pretty much identical to the AP flour batch and perhaps even a touch more moist (will vary by GF flour brand). Hope this helps someone out there.
Thanks again for the awesome, adaptable recipe!
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So nice to read this, Trish! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂 This is so helpful for others as so many people ask about gf variations of this one.
Absolutely delicious! I replaced AP flour for GF flour and had fantastic results, as others have noted! Thanks for this wonderful recipe, I appreciated how quickly it came together!
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Great to hear Adia 🙂
So moist and good! I used what may be the last fresh blueberries of the summer and made 2 mini loaves. I was almost too much for just 2, but it worked out.
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Great to hear, Carol! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂