Incredibly fluffy lemon flavoured sponge swirled with tasty blueberry jam. My Blueberry & Lemon Swirl Loaf Cake is so light and fresh, the perfect flavours for summer.
Do you use jam in cakes?
I love using jam in cakes because it provides a delicious fruity flavour without needing fresh or frozen fruit. Don’t get me wrong, fresh fruit is amazing, but fruit out of season isn’t as tasty.
I also don’t want to be limited to when I can make cakes, but I’d rather not use fresh fruit that is less than perfect.
This is why jam is so great to use. It is something a lot of us have in our cupboard and fridges which makes it a readily available ingredient for when you get the cake cravings.
I know this sounds incredibly lazy, but opening a jar of jam is far easier than washing fruit!
I used blueberry jam for this recipe because it is a fantastic paring for lemon. My favourite brand of jam is Bonne Maman and their blueberry jam has whole blueberries in it which I think is a nice touch.
I’m sure there are other brands of blueberry jam available so find your favourite. If blueberries aren’t your fruit of choice, you might prefer my Raspberry & Vanilla Swirl Sheet Cake.
Every time I make this cake, the jam in the middle is in a different place. I definitely wouldn’t worry if it isn’t in the middle of the cake. If it is, its pretty and the cake gods were on your side that day. If its not, its still very tasty!
You can’t beat a loaf cake in my opinion!
Loaf cakes are my favourite week night bakes. I know it sounds odd to have a favourite type of cake to bake on a week night, but there is logic to my madness!
Although they tend to take slightly longer than some other cakes to make, they are easy to whip up and once they have baked you just need to let them cool.
No frosting or other time consuming steps which makes them perfect for a busy week night.
The flavours of this cake are enhanced further by the yogurt which makes it deliciously moist and fluffy. I really like using yogurt in cakes because of the lovely texture it provides.
Pin for later
Blueberry & Lemon Swirl Loaf Cake
Incredibly fluffy lemon flavoured sponge swirled with tasty blueberry jam. My Blueberry & Lemon Swirl Loaf Cake is so light and fresh, the perfect flavours for summer.
Ingredients
- 225 g margarine
- 200 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 lemon zested
- 120 g fat free yogurt
- 100 g blueberry jam
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 170ºC (fan assisted or 190ºC non fan) and line a 2lb loaf tin
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Cream the margarine and sugar together until pale and fluffy, usually around 5 minutes
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Add the eggs one at a time and mix after each addition
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Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until completely combined
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Spoon in the yogurt and lemon zest and mix until just combined
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Pour half of the cake mix into the loaf tin and spread out. Add half of the jam on top of the cake and drag a knife through the jam to create a ripple effect
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Pour over the rest of the cake mix and even out before adding the rest of the jam and creating the ripple effect again
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Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes until a cocktail stick comes out clean
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Allow to cool for 10 or so minutes in the tin before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is given as a guide only.
Amanda says
I cannot wait to try this! That little swirl of blueberry jam is so sexy!!! I love that you swirled it through the centre too. Cracking recipe! 🙂 xo
Cat says
Thank you very much! I’ve never had one of my cakes referred to as sexy before 😉 xx
Sylvie says
Blueberries and Lemon work so well together! This load looks soooo yummy!!
Cat says
Thanks 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
What a tasty looking cake, I love the ripple effect you’ve created!
Cat says
Thanks Kat 🙂
Anca says
The ripple looks fab, your loaf must be really delicious.
Cat says
Thank you 🙂
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Blueberries and lemon appear to be a flavour combination of the season 🙂 . Lovely cake Cat and that swirl… Yum! x
Cat says
Haha that’s because they’re so tasty! Thanks x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
You gave me a cake craving, that’s for sure! I was afraid that this would be too complicated, but using jam makes this recipe very approachable. I wish I could reach through my screen and grab a slice!
Cat says
Fresh fruit is lovely obviously but sometimes you just want a simple cake!
jacqui bellefontaine says
I love the look of this cake. What a fabulous idea of swirling jam through the cake before cooking. I must try this. Lemon and blueberry is a favourite combination of mine too. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare.
Cat says
Thank you 🙂 I have another swirl cake coming soon, love how easy they are.
Jenny Paulin says
ooooh Cat this looks delicious , I love the flavours you have used and that purple/blue swirl is perfect ! yummy 🙂
thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek x
Curly says
Thanks Jenny 🙂 x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
What a great looking midweek cake (I know just what you mean ablout having a midweek cake that’s easy to pull together Cat) – I just love that ripple of jam through the centre – it makes it look incredibly inviting. And those flavours too – serious yum! Thankyou too for sharing with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Curly says
I’m glad someone else understands haha. Thanks Angela x
Katie says
This was a super easy and REALLY delicious cake. It was a crowd favourite. I felt that the batter was a bit thick and potentially dough like, so I squeezed in the whole lemon along with the zest. It was phenomenal! Thanks!
Curly says
Oh that’s strange. Great idea on how to make the batter a bit looser though! So pleased you really liked it 🙂