Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your bundt pan really well with cooking spray or butter. I use a pastry brush to get into every nook and cranny. This prevents sticking and makes sure your cozy bundt baking masterpiece comes out whole.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. You'll know it's ready when the mixture looks pale and airy. This step builds air into your cake, making it tender instead of dense.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract and mix until everything's combined. Don't worry if it looks a little curdled — that's totally normal and it'll smooth out once you add the flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the dry mixture and milk to your wet ingredients, starting and ending with flour. Mix on low speed just until combined — overmixing makes the cake tough, so be gentle here.

Fold in the lemon zest gently with a spatula, then carefully add the blueberries last. I toss them lightly in a little flour first so they don't sink straight to the bottom. Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. The top should be golden brown and the cake should pull away from the sides slightly. My oven runs hot, so I check at 40 minutes and rotate the pan if needed — trust me on the rotation trick.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This is where the warm summer cake gets its tender crumb texture.