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.
3,543 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
I made this last evening and it looked good, but it was a little dry. Not as gooey as your pictures portray…did I over bake or could my oven be off?
The batter did taste delicious before I baked it!
Hey Alyssa, Sorry to hear that your cake was a little dry. Overbaking is the only thing I can think of. I usually run into the opposite problem with this cake… it’s so gooey inside that it sometimes takes longer than expected to bake.
I made this delicious cake for my birthday breakfast this morning, and let me tell you, it’s wonderful! I used splenda in place of sugar and wheat flour in place of white flour. Here are the nutrition facts for 8 servings ( which are hearty sized ) Per serving : Calories 241, Total fat 12.9g, sat fat 7.7g, Cholesterol 58.3mg, Sodium 352.8mg, Potassium 153.4mg, Total carbs 28.2g, Dietary fiber 4.6g, Sugars 4.6g, Protein 5.8g. Vit. A 8.7% Vit. C 6.9% Calcium 11.8% Iron 7.5%
I used the zest from 1 lemon, I think next time I’ll try a little more, I loved the hint of lemon flavor with the blueberry 😉
I loved it! instead of sugar top i put on a lemon glaze… drizzled on each piece as being served.. oh and i added a 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract.. just to boost lemony goodness.I defiantly will make again!
AMAZING! Made it tonight and trying not to eat the whole thing! I followed the recipe exactly except I had roughly an extra tsp of lemon zest-which was PERFECT. I made a complete mess mixing in the flour & buttermilk (flour flew out ALL over) & it was so worth the mess!! My dish was almost 9×9 and 3.5” deep & it took about 45 min to pass the toothpick test. Tangy, sweet, zesty! Can’t wait to have it for breakfast too 🙂
Ariane — this makes me so happy. Thanks!
My kids are not big blueberry fans so I substituted strawberries….it’s delicious! Strawberries were so moist I baked it an additional 10 minutes. It will be a new favorite at our house!!
Is it possible to use canned Wild Maine blueberries? Thanks~ 🙂
Marcie — I’ve never tried this, but I think you should probably drain the blueberries and maybe even pat them dry with paper towels. Hope it works out for you!
I don’t have buttermilk, but can I do the sour milk trip (milk + vinegar) to make this?
Kate — I’ve never done this, but several commenters have — essentially they’ve made homemade buttermilk just as you have suggested. I think some may have used lemon juice in place of the vinegar. I don’t know proportions but if you do a little google search, I’m sure you’ll find something.
Just made these, a little dry, this is more like a scone cake. It’s really yummy, but I would use more buttermilk and butter next time, maybe an extra egg. I don’t know, I am going to play with this recipe. It has all the amazing basics.
Took a leisurely stroll through this recipe for a late breakfast this morning and was delighted with the outcome! Perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch outing, especially with some doctored coffee. I can’t wait to try it with blackberries or raspberries, or some sanding sugar when I make it for company.
Just a note: I used sweet milk and lemon juice as a substitute for buttermilk and it worked just fine. Thanks for sharing!
I am so excited to try this recipe, especially since blueberries are my 3 year olds FAV! I am wondering if I thaw some frozen blueberries and strain off the juice if they would work in a pinch? I’m gonna try it both ways and let you all know if I don’t hear yay or nay. =)
stephanie – Forgot to mention in my earlier comment that I used thawed frozen berries this morning. Just be sure to pat them dry before you coat them in the flour so they don’t clump. 🙂
Thnx Kate! Will do =)
Found this recipe on Pinterest. Delicious!!! Had to stop ourselves from eating the whole thing. Left out the lemon zest because we don’t like it. Thanks 🙂
I made this yesterday, and it was sooooo good! Very easy to make and it was very moist! I did let it cook for an additional ten minutes. I am passing the recipe on to one of my friends since she liked it so much!
I made this earlier in the week and it was a big hit with everyone. I even replaced the flour with a mixture of rice, brown rice and coconut flour, used frozen blueberries (not thawed) and replaced the buttermilk with coconut milk (not the canned kind). Great recipe, thank you!
I had to use frozen blueberries because the store I went to didn’t have fresh ones. The cake still tastes good although it did increase the baking time significantly (by 25 minutes). I agree with the reviews that the cake wasn’t as sweet as I would have thought. Next time I make it I think I’ll add a little more sugar and try harder to find fresh blueberries (or at least wait tell the frozen ones thaw more- was too impatient to wait the first time),
Unfortunately this didn’t turn on right. Not that the recipe is bad, it’s just a little misplacement in the text, precisely in the directions part.
It doesn’t say to do the dry mixture in another place…
Here:
“2. 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.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.”
Just a head’s up, a little editing could save many people that get distracted doing other things and trust the recipe completely. I was making dinner and this cake altogether, wanting everything to be prepared and ready for the next day too, due to lack of time on my side.
Maybe you edit that “Add the egg and vanilla to the batter and beat until combined.” and “Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour in a separated bow, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.”
Although i think the blueberries should should only be added in the end…
Delicious! I love the lemon flavor. This cake recipe is definitely going into my save pile.
This looks to good for words. I am going to the store and getting blueberries now. Thanks for sharing.
this looks absolutely amazing!! i cannot wait to try it out. But i have one question. What is lemon zest?
Kathryn — lemon zest is the outermost part of the lemon — a microplane grater is the best tool for this, but you could also use a box grater or even a peeler. You just want to get the outermost layer, however — don’t get too much of the white pith, which is a little bitter. Does this make sense?
Not crazy about blueberries, do you think blackberries would work ok?
Lynne — I imagine blackberries will be delicious.
Mmmm. I just baked this and it turned out scrumptiously. I had to make a few substitutions so I didn’t have to go back out to the store. I used a frozen berry mix (mostly blue and raspberries) which I thawed, and sprinkled with both sugar and flour. I also substituted 1Tbs sour cream in 1/2 c milk for the buttermilk (but I do want to try this with buttermilk in the future). I doubled the recipe too and used a 9×13 pan and it baked for about 45-50 mins. The only citrus I had on hand were a few clementine oranges which I zested and put the juice from one Clem in as well. I added brown sugar for half of the sugar. Then I threw in a few flaked almonds on top too. Even after all of these modifications it turned out marvelously! Thanks for the recipe.
@KristenElizabeth
What do you think white flour is made from if not wheat…?
Thinking switching out the blueberries for peaches and the lemon for cinnamon! My grandpa grows fresh peaches during the summer! Yum 🙂
Thinking about switching the blueberries to peaches! and the lemon for cinnamon! Love me some fresh peaches this summer cant wait to try it!
This was a taste of heaven, a party in my mouth and did I mention how utterly delish it was!??! I substituted strawberries and lime zest for the blueberries and lemon, my boys devoured it…for once a quiet supper, lol.
Kathryn, lemon zest is the outside shavings of the lemon. You can buy a zester for small thin pieces.
Can’t wait to make this recipe!
I use frozen berries in recipes all the time. The directions in these recipes say “do not thaw”. Just toss them with the flour and add them to the mixture last. This way, your batter does not get blue colored from thawed blueberry juice.
I made the batter last night and left it in the refrigerator since we made breakfast for church this morning and I wanted it to still be warm and gooey. I baked it this morning. It increased my cooktime to 1:05, but it was still nice and moist! Everyone loved it!
I love this cake! I have literally made it 6 times since I first tried it a few months ago. I have taken it to many different functions, and everyone loves it. The first time I made it my husband and I ate the whole thing in a day!:) I did have to bake it longer though as you instructed. Thank you for sharing!