Moist Lemon Earthquake Cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Pockets
A tender, moist lemon cake featuring pockets of creamy blueberry-filled cream cheese that burst with flavor. Perfect for quick, satisfying homemade dessert with a bright, fresh twist.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10-20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk (or dairy-free alternative like almond milk)
- ¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened (small-curd recommended)
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen blueberries (keep frozen if using frozen)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (for cream cheese pockets)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in blueberries and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and pale, about 3-4 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined.
- Pour half the batter into prepared pan, smooth evenly. Dollop spoonfuls of cream cheese blueberry mixture over batter.
- Pour remaining batter on top, gently spreading to cover pockets without mixing.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Check at 50 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing to keep pockets intact.
Notes
Keep blueberries frozen when folding into cream cheese to prevent color bleeding. Chill cream cheese filling before adding to batter to prevent sinking. Use a serrated knife for clean slicing. Check cake at 50 minutes to avoid overbaking. Room temperature ingredients yield best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of c
- Calories: 320
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Protein: 5
Keywords: lemon cake, blueberry cream cheese pockets, moist lemon cake, earthquake cake, easy lemon dessert, blueberry dessert, cream cheese filling