Blueberry and lemon cake squares

Name: Blueberry and lemon cake squares
Yield: Serves 24
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 250g self-raising flour (we like Allinson self-raising white flour); 1 tsp baking powder; 225g golden caster sugar; 4 large free-range eggs; 225g butter, softened (see p75); 3 tbsp milk; Grated zest of 3 lemons, plus extra; 250g blueberries; For the icing; 6-8 tbsp lemon juice; 200g icing sugar

9 Reviews

Portion size: Serves 24
Takes 15 minutes to make, 35 minutes to cook
Difficulty: easy

Recipe by: Donal Skehan

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Donal Skehan’s blueberry and lemon squares are full of fresh, sweet, vibrant flavours but the best thing about this traybake recipe is its simplicity – it uses the quick all-in-one method which means you weigh out your ingredients, throw them all in and mix together, giving a fragrant batter in a matter of minutes.

For another easy but impressive bake, try our strawberry and rose Victoria sandwich.

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Ingredients

250g self-raising flour (we like Allinson self-raising white flour)
1 tsp baking powder
225g golden caster sugar
4 large free-range eggs
225g butter, softened (see p75)
3 tbsp milk
Grated zest of 3 lemons, plus extra
250g blueberries

For the icing

6-8 tbsp lemon juice
200g icing sugar

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Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 3½. Line a straight-sided 30cm x 25cm traybake tin with baking paper.
Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the middle, then add the eggs, butter, milk and lemon zest. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and combined, then stir in the berries.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake on the middle oven shelf for 35 minutes or until risen and golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Mix the lemon juice into the icing sugar, a little at a time, until you have a smooth, spreadable icing. Drizzle over the sponge, then scatter with extra lemon zest and leave to set for 1 hour. Cut into 24 squares.

Nutrition

181kcals Calories
7.9g (5g saturated) Fat
1.1g Protein
26.3g (18.9g sugars) Carbs
0.6g Fibre
0.3g Salt

Quick wins & tips

For extra flavour, gently heat the juice of 2 lemons with 2 tbsp caster sugar in a pan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. When the sponge is cooked, turn it out onto a wire rack and pierce the surface with a skewer, then pour over the hot syrup. Cool, then continue with step 4.

Incorporating citrus zest into your cake mixture adds another dimension to the finished bake. Lemon is the obvious choice for this recipe as it works perfectly with the blueberries, but experiment with lime and orange zest, too.

Don’t feel you can’t alter the recipe to include your favourite berries or whatever fruit is in season. These squares are just as flavoursome if you use ripe blackberries or raspberries instead of blueberries.

Make Ahead

You can freeze the cooked and cooled cake, then defrost before icing.

Cook smarter

If the butter is too cold and firm when you add it to the mixing bowl it won’t blend with the other ingredients properly, leaving you with a lumpy cake batter. To soften the butter, heat it in the microwave on low for 30 seconds. Alternatively, dice it, put it in a bowl of lukewarm water and set aside for 2 minutes, then drain and pat the butter dry.

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Reviews

Candida Bradford

6th Jul 2025 a 8:36 am

Super light, moist and summery. Really pleased with this recipe and will definitely make again.

Phoebe Stone

7th Jul 2025 a 10:59 am

Thank you for your comment – we’re glad to hear this was a hit.

sharonandadam@adamcollins.com

30th Jun 2023 a 1:53 pm

I was looking for something to take to a bbq as a dessert & this fit the bill. I doubled it as was for a large crowd. The sponge was so light & moist, I had a few extra pieces over & it was still good 5 days after baking. This will definitely be made again.

Claire Fitzsimons

16th Aug 2017 a 4:00 pm

This has become a real family favourite – so delicious and very easy to make. Thank you Donal!

Rah Rah

30th Jul 2017 a 2:56 pm

This cake is easy and tasty and I’ll certainly make it again with a couple of changes. Firstly I think the quantities for the icing are far too much – you could ice the whole cake completely (not just drizzle) with the amount specified. Secondly, I would leave it to cool completely in the tin and ice it in there too – it’s easier to handle that way. I also made the lemon syrup (highly recommended) in the tips section, and leaving the cake in the tin makes this easier too. All in all a good recipe and I’ll make again.