Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
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If you’re looking for a delicious, seasonal, berry cake recipe to add to your morning-treat repertoire, this buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake is perfect! The batter can be made ahead of time and stashed in the fridge, allowing you to bake the cake off in the morning. What’s more? It freezes beautifully!
Buttermilk is magic. It turns everything into gold: super-moist, super-delicious gold.
This morning I awoke needing a simple, summery, cake-like-but-not-dessert-like breakfast treat. One of Ben’s friends had crashed here last night, and I thought it only appropriate to treat him to a proper breakfast.
In other words, I was craving sugar and carbs. The truth is I’ve been craving sugar and carbs and a cake like this for months. But seriously, who doesn’t need a good, seasonal, berry cake recipe in their morning-treat repertoire?
Nobody. And I think I’ve found the recipe that fits the bill: buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake. On an old photocopied sheet of paper in my mother’s hand writing, I spotted a note: “Baby Boy’s Favorite.”
Oh Baby Boy. Baby Boy is my younger brother, my parents’ favorite child, and one of the most satisfying people to cook for. If it was Baby Boy’s favorite cake, it would soon be mine, too. This cake is delectable! I think you’ll like it, too.
(And if you’re looking for more fruit options, this cake is so good with cranberries.)
PS: Divine Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
Five Favorite Recipes Made with Buttermilk
- One-Bowl Buttermilk Birthday Cake
- Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Simple Rhubarb Compote
- Tartine’s Buttermilk-Blueberry Scones
- Joanne Chang’s Buttermilk Biscuits with Maple and Sea Salt
- One-Bowl Buttermilk Pancakes
Bonus: Favorite Buttermilk Dressing for Slaw
How to Make Buttermilk from Scratch
Scale this recipe up as needed.
- Place 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
- Fill cup with milk (2% or whole is best) until it reaches the 1/2-cup line.
- Let stand for five minutes. Use as directed.
Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 to 16 pieces
Description
This cake is a long-time family favorite. My mother made it for my siblings and me when we were young, and every time I pull it out of the oven, clichè as it sounds, I am reminded of summer mornings in my childhood kitchen. It’s simple, adaptable, and make aheadable 🙂
Over the years, many questions have been asked, which I’ve answered as best as I can in the comments. I’ve answered a few FAQs in the notes below the recipe as well.
Also, if you’re new here, welcome! You’ve landed on one of the two most popular recipes on Alexandra’s Kitchen, the other being My Mother’s Peasant Bread, which led to the creation of my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs, which includes 40 simple bread recipes and 70+ recipes for eating them up. (If you love baking, you’ll love this no-knead bread.)
Ingredients
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons | 4 oz | 113 g ) unsalted butter, room temperature
- zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 cup (214 g) sugar (set aside 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt (I like 1.25 tsp)
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
- ½ cup buttermilk, see FAQs below
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream the butter with the lemon zest and the 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and stir with spatula to incorporate. Add all of the buttermilk. Stir. Add remaining flour, and stir until flour is absorbed. Fold in the blueberries. (Leave excess flour from the blueberry bowl behind.)
- Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar—I prefer this 8-inch pan because I like the thicker pieces) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. If you have parchment paper on hand, line the pan with parchment on top of the butter. Spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes — a 9-inch pan will be done in closer to 35 minutes; an 8-inch pan usually needs 40 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary, especially if you’re using a smaller pan such as an 8×8-inch. It’s not unusual for this cake to take 50 minutes, so just be patient.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
FAQs
- Can this be made ahead of time? Yes. Prepare the batter, spread it into the prepared baking pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. In the morning, if time permits, bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar, then bake as directed. It may need more time if the batter was refrigerated.
- Can this be doubled? Yes. Bake it in a 9×13-inch pan … like this pan from Pyrex. Increase the baking time but begin checking at the 35 minute mark.
- What if I don’t have buttermilk? Use 2% or whole milk or make your own buttermilk: place 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1/2-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use as directed.
- Can this be made gluten free? Yes. I like Cup4Cup and King Arthur Flour gluten-free flour mixes, but use whatever you like, keeping in mind that all gluten-free flours absorb liquid differently, so you may need to adjust to get the batter to the right consistency.
- Should the batter be thick? Yes. As with all baking, I highly recommend using a scale to measure the flour. I have this one, which costs under $11.
- Can I bake this into muffins? Yes. Follow the baking directions on this post.
- Can I use frozen berries? Yes. No need to thaw.
- What other fruit could I use? Really any fresh fruit or berries. Around the winter holidays, I make this cranberry-orange buttermilk breakfast cake.
- Can this be frozen? Made ahead of time? Yes! Let cool completely, then wrap well with plastic wrap or other airtight wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature the night before serving. Reheat at 350ºF for 15 minutes before serving. If you are not freezing it, store it at room temperature for a day. Refrigerate if storing for more than 1 day.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: breakfast, cake, blueberries, lemon, brunch
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
3,388 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
Hi! I’m so excited to try this. But I was wondering if you could use blueberry pie filling, or do you think it would make it too sweet? Thanks!
Angela
This is a wonderful recipe! I am making this and the orange cranberry as well for our Christmas morning spread. I’m going to make it the night before and take it out in the morning and let it come to room temperature before baking. Should I wait to add the berries until morning or go ahead and add them the night before I wonder?
★★★★★
Definitely add the berries when instructed to in the recipe because the batter is thick, and it will be hard to incorporate once it is fully mixed and once it has been refrigerated.
Happy baking and happy holidays, Kellie!
This is SO good….I’ve made it numerous times and we love it. I just made a batch for the freezer and made a batch for Christmas morning! It’s soo good
★★★★★
Great to hear, Jessica!
The best thing I’ve ever made. Kids & hubby loved this. I used zest of 2 lemons because I love lemon. Perfect!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Mandy! Thanks for writing 🙂
This recipe is perfect! The only change I made was sanding sugar on top. I was patient as you suggested and in my oven it took 60 minutes. It was our Christmas breakfast with some dark coffee. A perfect crumb and so easy to make. By the end of the day it was 75% gone. We are jut two people. My husband is a chef and very picky. Your recipe totally scored 5⭐️ in our house.
★★★★★
Wow, so nice to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. Sanding sugar sounds so pretty. Happy New Year to you and the chef!
I put cooked chopped up bacon in tje batter. It was really good that way, too. Thanks.
★★★★★
I made this cake last weekend and it was incredibly delicious!!! I couldn’t stop eating it! I made mine in a 8×8 glass dish but there is only me. I can’t wait to try other flavors. I will definitely do cranberry orange. I am thinking raspberry and blackberry and cherries with lemon zest,
What would pair well with lime? Or even orange?
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love it and can’t wait to experiment with it!
★★★★★
So nice to hear this, Brie! Raspberry and blackberry and cherries with lemon zest sounds divine. I think strawberry and lime would be delicious.
I love this recipe! It is so versatile—I’ve made it with various gluten free flours and non-dairy milk and it always turns out great! I’ve also substituted the blueberries with cherries and that was delicious too!
★★★★★
Great to hear Laynee! Thanks so much for writing.
Absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to try the cranberry and orange flavored cake too!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Karen! Thanks for writing 🙂
I just made a double batch of this for a family gathering… added extra lemon and vanilla just because and it was an absolute hit! Everyone asked for the recipe… thank you, this one’s a keeper!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Renee! Thanks so much for writing. Can’t go wrong with extra lemon and vanilla 🙂 🙂 🙂