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”
This was hands down the best blueberry cake I have ever had! I am commenting here as soon as I had the first piece. Thank you so much for the lovely recipe! This one’s a keeper! I did not have any buttermilk, but I had some home-made yogurt that I thinned out with a tbsp of water. Its a trick that we Indians(desis) use. 🙂 Once again, thanks lot for this recipe that I can fall back on!
Absolutdiamond — I am so happy to hear this! Love the homemade yogurt-thinned-out-with-water idea. Very cool!
omg this looks soooooooooo yummy!! i make buttermilk pancakes alot but i never have buttermilk so i just use milk.. but now that ive read this i think i might have to invest in some buttermilk hehe .. definatly putting these ingrediants on my shopping list this week 🙂
I made this today for a Memorial Day potluck and it was a MAJOR hit! I topped my cake with homemade Whipped Cream and fresh strawberries (going for the red, white, and blue thing!) and holy yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!
Whitney — Wow! That sounds amazing! And I love the red white and blue theme!
My son has allergies to most of the ingredients here. So I used bobs red mill all purpose gluten free flour , I used 1tbs of flax seed and 3tbs of water as the egg, and used so delicious coconut milk with a tsp of cider vinegar, and added 1tsp of xanthan gum. It’s baking right now I can’t wait to try it
Oh yeah and I used earth balance soy free instead of butter
Do you use non-fat buttermilk?
Margie blueberry recipe
I just baked this today! I followed the directions as stated and it came out very yummy! Also, I didn’t need to add any additional time to the baking. I just have one question… When I coated the blueberries with the 1/4 cup flour, there was still left over flour in the bottom of the bowl… Was I suppose to add that into the batter along with the blueberries? I kind of sifted the blueberries out and then folded them into the batter. Either way, it was delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe… I will definitely be making it again…. soon!
I just baked this for tomorrow morning… I cannot stop tasting it! So delicious–it turned out wonderfully. Can’t wait to surprise my mom for her birthday tomorrow morning! Thank you!! 🙂
I just made these yesterday and they are AMAZING! I usually mess up baked goods, but these came out fantastic. Very moist and yummy. I really like the blueberries, but look forward to experimenting with some other berries as well. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that even a bad baker can’t mess up!
I must have done something wrong because I baked this for over 45 minutes and it was still not done. I used a 9″ square pan and it was full to the top. I think a larger pan might work better.
Looks delicious… Can’t wait to try it this weekend. Can you use sugar substitute? And would you use the same amount?
Looks delicious.. Can’t wait to make it this weekend.. If you use sugar substitute would you still use the same amount?
Kim — I am not experienced with sugar substitutes. I’m sorry! Several commenters have had success with using sugar substitutes, but I don’t know their exact proportions.
love easy recipes
This cake is amazing!! I made it over the holiday weekend for our out of town company and it was a huge hit. It wasn’t sugary or sweet at all…we all loved how it was so light on sweetness, but let the blueberries add all the flavor and sweetness. I used frozen blueberries and plan on making it again tonight for my in-laws this weekend. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!!
What can you use instead of buttermilk? What exactly is buttermilk anyway?
Daniela — you could definitely substitute regular milk for the buttermilk. I have a blueberry muffin recipe very similar to this one that I make with milk rather than buttermilk. Also, according to many of the commenters, you can always make your own buttermilk: 1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. 2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. 3. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
i made it with peaches instead of blueberries.. YUM! I was a bit bad and drizzled cinnabon coffee creamer over it…to die for! this cake is so tender and yummy 🙂
Holly — you’re funny. Love the sound of your variations/additions. Yum!
Oh my goodness, this looks perfect! I love blueberries. SO much. I need to go out and buy some now, wow!
This recipe looks absolutely awesome! I will have to try this one for sure!! Thank you for sharing.
Delicious! I substituted splenda for the sugar (in equal amounts) and it turned out pretty good. Splenda generally makes the batter a bit more dry, so I added 1/4 C. more buttermilk (due to the consistency of the batter).
I will definitely make this again!
That was mighty tasty! Thanks for sharing.
(changes: replaces 1 cup of flour with whole wheat, reduced sugar to 1/2 cup)
Absolutely love this cake! I will definitely make it again and again.
This cake is awesome !!!! I will definitely make it again and again.
can i use self rising flour or no?
Meka — I have not but several of the commenters have with great success. Good luck with it!
What an excellent breakfast alternative. I bet this cake would work well with strawberries and raspberries to mix up the flavor. Or even a mixed berry style. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi ! I am making this tommorow morning !
I have a question ? have you ever made this larger –as in 13 x9 size?
do you think you could just double it or is that not a good idea for this cake?
Gloria — I have not, but many of the commenters have. Double the recipe and bake it for about 10 minutes longer. That seems to be the consensus. Apparently, it turns out great!
I finally got a chance to make this recipe and it has now become my latest pregnancy craving. I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend (gluten free) and it still came out delicious. I can only imagine how delectable it is with regular flour. I am making it again this weekend. Thank you for sharing.
Jenny & Wynona — thanks so much for sharing your variations!
Tweeked it…..and it was delish! Made 1/2 recipe. Used baking mix (like Bisquick)….few drops lemon juice…the dry Buttermilk for Baking mix (mix with water re directions….it was good). Used 1 egg, vanilla and diced fresh strawberries. This 1/2 recipe won’t last long! (the dry Buttermilk for Baking mix is in the canned milk section at store – first time I used it and it’s a good product when you don’t have the real thing) Baked in small pan for 25 minutes.
Do you think you could make it in muffin tins? Have a swim meet this weekend (and blueberries to use before we go), and wondered if I could make as a snack.
Melissa — yes, definitely make muffins. Bake them at 375 for about 30 minutes. Good luck with the swim meet!
This sounds delicious. I do have a question about the blueberries. I have a ton of them frozen so I am wondering if the cake would work with frozen blueberries? I have always made muffins with frozen and they turned out great so I am wondering if frozen would work in the cake.