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”
Made this this morning and it was a hit! I served it on the table right out of the oven and since no one could wait for it to cool, we “scooped” it onto our plates and it was incredibly delicious! I used frozen blueberries cause fresh were way too expensive and it worked out just fine. I very gently folded in about a cup, then after spreading the batter on my 9×9 pan I topped it with the left over blueberries and gently “pushed” them into the batter. It turned out perfect! Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Brenda — so great to hear this! Wish I could have joined you!
Alexandra, if you ever do visit Yorkshire be sure to drop in for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake!
I’ve shared squares of your breakfast cake with 7 friends and they all loved it. We’ll be making another one for tomorrow morning. Many thanks again for the recipe!
Jay — Will do! Sounds like a ball!
Hi Can you tell me how much in either ounces or grams is 7/8 of a cup of sugar is and same for the butter please? Het.
Het — 7/8 cup sugar equals 175 grams; 1/2 cup butter equals 114 grams
Opening a new restaurant this Wednesday and will have this ready to go!! thanks!!
Lori — so cool! Where? I want to visit!
In response to ELLE: Just buy the powdered buttermilk and add water, then you don’t have to purchase the whole quart and you will have it whenever you need it!!
I made this Sunday morning. OMG! That has GOT to be one the best things I’ve eaten in a looooong time. And boy, was it EASY! Use fresh Blueberries and REAL buttermilk. What I wouldn’t do for a piece (or two) RIGHT NOW!
Staci — so happy to hear this!
Anyone ever thought to put pecans in it?
Has anyone thought about adding pecans? Think I’ll try this in the morning. It will be my 13 anniversary!
Soooo yummy!!!
I was thinking of adding a drizzle on top next time, when its fresh out of the oven…of maybe powdered sugar and milk, kind of like the blueberry cake donut…just a thought!
Can u make this the night before & put in the refrig??
Nicole — yes! Definitely do this. Works beautifully.
So delicious!! I used whole wheat flour and added a little almond extract. I also felt bad using only the zest from my lemon, so instead of sugar on top, I made a lemon glaze with 1/4 cup lemon juice + 1/4 cup sugar heated over a low flame. It made it a little soggy, but it was soo tasty.
How many eggs are required for this recipe? sounds delicious. Can’t wait to make it. Thanks!
Please disregard my earlier question regarding the number of eggs. My newspaper reprinted the recipe but left out the egg and I now see it on this website. Thanks!
Betty — glad you figured it out 🙂
Very yummy cake! I made this gluten free. I used tapioca, rice, potato and sorghum flours but I think any of a favorite mix would do. I added 1/2 teaspoon “gum” into flour mix. Very nice, great and easy recipe…
Magda — thanks for letting us know that this can be made gluten free. I have been meaning to try a gluten-free variation myself.
Buttermilk is very easy to make in a pinch, just add 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk, let stand for a few minutes and voila!
Has anyone doubled this? Id like to make it a 13×9 for work
Michelle — I have not, but many of the commenters have. For a 9 x 13 -inch pan, double the recipe and add about 10 minutes (maybe more) of cooking time.
Yum! Had it for breakfast but w/ strawberry this am. Thanks for sharing your recipe, it was great!
This is in my oven as I type this! So excited to try it! It makes my house smell AMAZING!!!
MarineMomJenny — So happy to hear this. And, silly question, but are you a Marine mom? My husband is a Marine.
made muffins out of this recipe tonight. delicious!!!
what is your recommendation if I wanna bake it the night before & reheat in the morning?
Annie — If you bake it the night before, you probably won’t even need to reheat it. It tastes great at room temperature and it will still taste fresh just a day later. If you do want to reheat, however, I would cover it with foil and bake it at 350º for 15 minutes. Another thing you can do is mix up the batter the night before, spoon it into your greased pan, store it in the fridge, and bake it off in the morning. It works beautifully!
Tried this last weekend, was SUPER fabulous. My Mom liked it so much she is requesting to have it tomorrow for Mother’s Day. Thanks for the recipe, it rocks! Love the blog 🙂
Thanks Amanda!
A friend made this and brought it to work. AMAZING!!! She made it the night before and stored in the fridge, worked perfectly.
Mandy — so great to hear this! It’s so nice when you can mix up batter the night before.
Making this for Mother’s Day. I doubled everything but the batter was very thick. Is this normal?
Tina — yes, the batter is super thick
Discovered this on Pinterest and now I’m making it for my Mom’s Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. Thanks so much!
Allie — You are so nice to spoil your mother! I wish I could do the same for mine… too many hours away 🙁
i’d love to try these as muffins! i saw someone else already made these as muffins, any suggestions? how many muffins does 1 batch of the recipe make? thanks!! k
Kiiki — This recipe should yield 12 standard-sized muffins. Make them at 375º for 30 minutes.
Made this for my boyfriend and I this morning for breakfast. He absolutely loved it! So easy to make!
Shawn — so happy to hear this!
Do you add the remaining flour from dusting the blueberries? My cake is in the oven now. Anxious to see how it turns out.
Loretta — I don’t usually add all of the remaining flour. I kind of scoop out the berries and some of the remaining flour always falls in, but I don’t generally add the remnants — the flour helps keep the berries from sticking to one another when you fold them in to the batter, so the excess isn’t really necessary. Hope it turned out well for you!
I’m not a big fan of blueberries (though my family is) so I wonder if I could use raspberries or blackberries instead? Whatever I use, and based on the review here, it’s going to be super yummy!
Chris — Many of the commenters have found success with blackberries, strawberries, and with various others frozen/non-frozen berries, so I think you can safely make a substitute using the berry of your preference. Good luck with it!
Amiga, lembrei de você!!! vamos testar?!!!! Bjos
Would this turn out the same if I made them into muffins?
Lana — yes! Bake them at 375º for 30 minutes.