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
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
3,550 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
can you put the dough/batter in the fridge overnight and it still come out right?
Brianna — Yes, but store the batter in a tupperware or something similar, then transfer the batter to the buttered baking dish just before you plan on baking it.
I made this yesterday after seeing it on Pinterest. I doubled the recipe, but used only 1 stick of butter and added about 3/4 cup of applesauce. I also used only about 1 1/3 cup of sugar and used white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. It got rave reviews this morning! Oh, I was also short on blueberries and had some frozen dark cherries, so I tossed those in.
Michelle — thanks for sharing your adaptations! So good to know this cake is so versatile.
Oh my gravy…this looks delicious! Found this on Pinetrest ~ thanks for sharing.
Mine is baking now. Smells amazing. Cannot wait for it to finish!
Has anyone tried this using dried blueberries?
I made this in an 8×8 glass pan and my cook time was 45 minutes. It came out so pretty and delicious!
Do you have to use Buttermilk?
I only have frozen strawberries on hand, do you think this would work with strawberries?
wow, this looks amazing. totally agree with you on the buttermilk, it turns everything to gold without adding too much fat. i love it. first time visitor, very nice blog.
How do you store this? I am making it tonight for breakfast in the morning and I’m not sure if it needs to be refrigerated. Thanks!
You can make buttermilk at home. For every cup of buttermilk, use 1 cup milk (minus 1 tablespoon milk) and add 1 Tablespoon lemon or vinegar. If you have no lemon, I would (and have) use(d) Greek yogurt with a bit of milk to thin it out.
Is this freezable?
Mmmmm!!! I found you through pinterest, and I’m so glad I did! 😀 This looks heavn’ly! I’m sure it can be made with homemade sour milk…correct?
I made this last week for my daughter’s family…couldn’t wait to get home to make it for my husband. This is absolutely delicious!!! Thanks for the great recipe – made it exactly according to the recipe… Why mess with perfection??? Thanks.
made this yesterday. very simple, tasted wonderful, can it wait to have another piece.
This was wonderful yesterday morning!
I used both frozen and Dried blueberries on different occasions. I plumped up the dried BB in warm water first and then drained them well. Both turned out excellent! I do think that I actually liked the plumped up dried BB better 🙂
Also the consistency of the cake reminds me of a wonderful buttery flakey scone!!!!
I made this last night and it was delicious! My family and I loved it so much I just posted it to my blog with a link to your site. Thank you to you and Pinterest for helping me to discover a great side for my breakfast for dinner!
Can I make these as muffins? Any changes?
Thanks!
Beth
Made this for breakfast for the fam and it was De-Lish!!! thanks
Oh my I want this right now! I’m going to make it this weekend. Thanks.
I have made this several times before. It has been a big hit every time I have served it.
Last night I made in into muffins – same recipe just in muffin form. They turned out great. Thanks for the great recipe!
I was wondering if I could make this a day ahead of time, or is it better freshly baked?
Can I make this ahead of time, like a day before?
Kelly — it’s definitely best the day it’s baked, but it is a super-moist cake and holds up better than most. So, if you need to make it a day in advance, I don’t think anyone will be complaining.
I just made this but I used all organic ingredients and gluten free flour and it is absolutley delicious!!
Thanks for posting this – I was wondering about GF flour!
If u can’t use regular sugar, try using palm sugar. It’s derived from the coconut flour. Tastes just like sugar, but better for you.
Found this on pinterest and am so excited to make it but here’s my question…could I use applesauce instead of the sugar? Do you think it would make a big difference? Or should I just stick with the 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp?
Juniper — I say go for it. Or maybe try substituting half of the sugar with applesauce to start? I am terrible with these sorts of things. Please report back if you make any discoveries. I’ve had success with using applesauce in recipes in the past but it’s never very scientific 🙂
I can’t wait to make this cake! Will be perfect for a Mardi Gras breakfast party in a couple of weeks. Has anyone added a handful of choc chips to this recipe?
I am allergic to eggs. Do you think applesauce would work in this recipe instead? I am always looking for breakfast foods I can eat.
Beckie — gosh, I don’t know how to make these sorts of substitutions. I know applesauce can often be used in place of fat or sugar (sorry, I’m terrible with the food science) but I don’t know how it works as a substitution for eggs. I’ve used a product called EnerG in some vegan muffins that worked quite nicely. Maybe give that a go. I store the box in my freezer since I don’t use it that often.
Would sour cream be an ok substitute for buttermilk in this recipe or would it affect the flavor too much? Not sure if it is there for flavor or just moisture. Thanks!
Tiffany — I think sour cream might be OK actually. Anything tangy like yogurt or kefir or sour cream probably won’t affect the flavor too much. Report back if you make any discoveries!