Blueberry Loaf Cake with Cornmeal
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Blueberries baked with cornmeal — doesn’t that sound just like summer? Here’s a no-fuss, not too sweet blueberry loaf cake recipe that will remind you of a cornmeal muffin or fruity cornbread, only in the form of a cake!
Everyone needs a few back-pocket recipes for using up fresh berries (that is, if you ever get tired of gobbling them up by the handful, which I admit is my personal favorite way to eat them :).
This hefty little loaf is studded with fresh blueberries that become jammy and concentrated as they bake in the oven. I used olive oil instead of butter in the batter, and cornmeal for a rustic crunch and toasty corn flavor — the texture and golden yellow color is why I’m a huge fan of cornmeal in cakes.
The texture of this cake gets even better a day or two after baking — it’s a “keeper” cake, which to me is code word for “slice into thick slabs and slather with butter and jam.”
Baking and prep steps
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, trimmed to fit. Let the edges overhang. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder and salt) in a bowl.
Use a stand mixer to mix the blueberry batter. Scrape into the pan and top with more blueberries. After baking for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, transfer the loaf to a cooling rack. 
Turn the loaf out when it’s cool to the touch and slice into thick pieces.
Blueberry Loaf Cake with Cornmeal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1½ cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a standard loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5") and cut a piece of parchment to fit inside, with the long edges overhanging by 2 or 3 inches.
- Whisk together 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt in a small bowl.
- Beat 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, and 1 cup sugar in a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Stream in ⅓ cup olive oil until it's blended into the batter.
- Lower the speed to "stir" and add 1 cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest Add the cornmeal mixture and mix until just blended. Add 1 cup of the blueberries and fold in by hand.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of blueberries over the top. Bake for 1 hour. The top of the cake should be golden and a toothpick inserted in the top of the cake should come out clean. If not, continue baking 10-15 more minutes.
- Cool the cake on a rack. Once it's completely cool, gently turn the loaf pan upside down to release the cake, using the parchment paper as a handle.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Make a creamy icing and pour it over the cooled cake.
- Play around with the fruit — substitute blackberries or raspberries for the blueberries, or a mixture of all three.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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I’m getting ready to bake now, but thought you should know, when the recipe printed, there was a “Puffs” tissue ad right over the first
2 Ingredients. (The cornmeal and the flour…pretty important)
I’m sure it’s not your fault but thought you should know.
I’ll write the recipe out if I’m happy with the results, which I’m sure I will be. It looks delightful and easy.
I couldn’t resist when I got the newsletter this morning featuring this cake! I had a refrigerator filled with blueberries so nothing was stopping me. It turned out picture perfect after 70 minutes in the oven (I checked it at 60 minutes and it needed a bit more time to get that lovely caramel-colored top!). I can’t wait until it is cool enough to taste.
I don’t have a stand mixer Karen ! Can I beat batter with a hand mixer. Thank you Ingrid
Hi Ingrid, Yes you can use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar. Once the mixture is thick and creamy, stir in the other ingredients by hand. I hope you enjoy it!
Cooking time is way off. Only needed one hour and probably could have removed it at 55 minutes.
Hi Tony — Exact baking times can be tricky because different ovens can run hotter or cooler. I re-tested this recipe yesterday and the baking time was just over an hour (70 minutes). I’ve edited the baking time in the recipe to reflect a wider range. Thank you for letting me know!
This cake is perfect! Not too sweet, moist and has a nice bite.
That’s a beauty! I’m happy you enjoyed it Joanne.
Joanne, it really does look perfect!! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake.
Could you sub semolina flour for the cornmeal?
Natalie, I haven’t tested this recipe using semolina flour. It does have a finer texture than cornmeal, so it will certainly change the texture of the cake. Almond flour might be a better substitute, or you can try switching out up to half the amount of all-purpose flour with semolina.
Question! Will enriched de germinated yellow corn meal work?
Hi, I would like to make this for breakfast tomorrow but I only have frozen blueberries. Do you think this will work?
Hi Jen – Yes you can use frozen berries. The baking time might increase by 10 minutes or so.
I substituted buttermilk for the sour cream accidently added all the berries to the batter. Worked fine. Added 1tsp almond extract. Great recipe
Hi – I’d like to make a bit healthier version of this – can I substitute Almond Flour & Plain Greek Yogurt?
Hi – I haven’t tested this with almond flour. But you can try subbing if for the all-purpose (keep the cornmeal). Yes to plain Greek yogurt – that should work fine!
Such a lovely cake for summer!
as soon as I get home, I am making this! XO
Looks so delicious! I love blueberry cakes and the combination with cornmeal and olive oil sounds simply divine! Can’t wait to try this recipe!