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”
Sorry! For some reasons I missed a lot of the comments, so now I see people were successful with frozen berries. I’m going to try it this morning!
Sarah, no worries! Hope you have success with frozen berries, too. I’ve personally never tried, but everyone seems to have success!
Hi Alexandra
I am living in India and berries is just so difficult to find here – frozen or otherwise. I’d love to try this out someday…but could you suggest some other variation for kosher salt and blueberries.
Thanks! 🙂
PS: The cake looks yummy and the colors are absolutely beautiful!
Shini — gosh, I’m stumped about the berry substitute for this cake. You can use table salt in place of kosher salt, just cut it back a little bit. And, let’s see, I’m thinking diced mango might be really good in this. It definitely works with a variety of fruit from berries to apples. Wish I could be more helpful!
Alexandra, I LOVE this recipe. thank you so much for sharing. I doubled it and used whole wheat flour for one of the four cups of flour and it turned out wonderfully. brought it to lunch at my sister’s and kids and adults all loved it. Very moist and delicious. Do you have a banana bread or cake recipe that you love too?
Liz, so happy to hear this! And yes, I have a most delicious banana bread recipe to share with you. Seriously. It is amazing: https://alexandracooks.com/2012/03/08/mrs-myers-banana-bread/
This is one of those rare instances where the end result tastes and looks exactly like you hope it will. Absolutely delicious. I only made a half batch, thank god.
So glad to hear this Chris!
I bake all the time and have figured out you can change almost any recipe. I always sub some white flour with wheat. If you do add baking soda. Cut the sugar in half with blue agave syrup. Its very sweet and concentrated, but does not do what sugar does to your body. If a recipe asks for 1 cup sugar, I do 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup blue agave. It can replace honey on anything. I can’t eat honey because of allergies. Google blue agave. Its natural and you dont need to use fake suger.
Colette — very interesting. Thank you so much. You’ve given me an idea. I’ve been dying to find a good homemade granola bar recipe. I’ve tried tons of recipes, and they’ve all been good, but just not quite what I’m looking for. I have a feeling blue agave would make a great binder in a homemade granola bar recipe.
I literally dreamt about this cake last night after having it pinned on pintrest for quite some time… so I woke up early to make it. I didn’t have lemons, buttermilk, vanilla or blueberries so I subbed in orange juice, homemade buttermilk (milk + vinegar), almond extract and blackberries.
It is so good! I will certainly try the original recipe soon and look forward to more variations. Thanks for the great (adaptable) recipe!
I made this for my boyfriend and he is obsessed! This is such a great, simple recipe and I know I’ll be making it again!
I made this with blackberries!! I just like them better!!! I also substituted the buttermilk for 1/2 cup of sour cream 🙂 It was awesome!! Also baked this in a bunt pan vs. an 8 x 8. It was pretty 🙂 Thanks!!!!
Shannon — awesome. Thanks for the variations. Love bundt pans — they always seem to bake things so nice and evenly.
This might be a dumb question but can I make this at night for the next morning? Do you refrigerate it or leave it on the counter? Just curious! Much easier to cook at night when the toddler is asleep!
Candice — I hear you regarding the toddler! Yes, definitely. Mix the batter the night before, place it in your greased or parchment-lined pan, and store it in the fridge overnight. Bake it in a preheated oven the following morning. It comes out beautifully. Some commenters have noted that they’ve had to bake the cake for 5 min more if they’ve stored it overnight.
Thanks for the yummy recipe. Made some last night and it is very good.
I know that buttermilk adds a special something to whatever it is added too but can you use regular milk instead for this recipe? It looks so great and I can’t wait to make it!
I have made this cake three times in one month. Wonderful, every time!
Sue — so happy to hear this!
Thank you for the great recipe! It was easy and turned out great. My whole family loved it!
Heidi — so happy to hear this!
Made this yesterday for Father’s Day brunch. Absolutely delicious. Looked just like pictures, and just as delicious as it looks. Blueberry muffins in a pan. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
i just made this cake and its a really stiff batter.. do u think that there should be more liquid in it or maybe another egg or less flour? not sure how this is going to turn out .
Camilla — the batter is super thick. This response is probably too late to have an affect, but shouldn’t have to make any substitutions.
Can I substitute whole wheat flour in this?
Kayla — I wouldn’t substitute all of the white flour for whole wheat, to start at least — it will just make for a “healthier” tasting cake if you know what I mean. Start with half (or less) and see how you like it, then substitute more if you think the substitution is working out.
I’m a newbie at baking and I’m really tempted to try this recipe after reading so many success stories! I have a question though: I read some muffin recipes and they say do not over mix the batter. So here, when you add the flour mixture to the batter, do you mix it well with the mixer, or you just mix it until the flour is moist enough?
Jessy — definitely do not overmix the batter. When you add the flour mixture to the batter, you can use a mixer, but make sure it is on low, and only mix until the flour is incorporated. The batter is very thick, but you can mix by hand, too, if you are worried about overmixing. Also, definitely mix by hand once you add the blueberries. Good luck with it! Let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Just LOVE IT! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!!
Where I live there isn´t any kind of fresh berries to use (I tried frozen berries and they melted… not in a good way) but I used Marraschino Cherries, dried cranberries and raisins, and it worked just great! I can not find my way in the kitchen, but with this recipe Is like I can cook! Jajajaja!.
Victoria — so happy to hear this!
I want to make this now but no lemon! 🙁
Any substitute for lemon zest that’s not lemon? 😀
Carol — any citrus zest will work just fine in place of the lemon — do you have an orange or a lime? If you don’t have any lemon, however, just leave it out. It will still be delicious!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it for my co-workers today and it was a big hit. 🙂
I made the batter last night and left it in the mixing bowl in the fridge. It was a little hard to get out of the bowl this morning (I didn’t have time to let it sit out for too long). I think in the future I’ll just refrigerate it in the baking dish if I do it the same way. As thick as the batter is (especially after being refrigerated), I’m fairly certain the blueberries won’t sink to the bottom. Thanks again! 🙂
Kristen — so happy to hear the cake was a hit. Several of the commenters have had great success with storing the batter in the greased baking pan and popping it straight into the oven the following morning. No sinkage of blueberries!
I really wanted to send this to a friend, but could not find anyplace shwew I could email it. Can you help?
Hi Phyllis, I don’t have a direct “email to a friend” link, but you could copy and paste the post’s URL into an email: https://alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/
This looks great! I’ve been wanting to make it for a while now and tonight I finally made it. The only problem is it’s been in the hour for over an hour now and it’s still not fully cooked. Have an external thermometer for the oven and it’s 350. Has anyone else had to cook their’s for longer than an hour?
Julie, hmmm, an hour seems a little long. I’m sorry! It’s frustrating when things don’t turn out as planned. I know you’ve probably already taken the cake out, but I would have probably removed it at the hour mark and let it continue to cook/set up outside of the oven as it cooled down. I hope it turned out OK for you.
@ phyllis – Just copy the web page link from your browser and paste it into an email. When you’re friend gets the email she’ll be able to click on he link and it will take her to this page.
Does this recipe keep well after a day or could I prepare it in advance and then bake it right before i want to serve it?
Margaret — I think somebody already responded, but you can definitely prepare the cake in advance and then bake it just before serving. I do this all the time with cakes and muffin batters. With this blueberry cake, you can even butter the baking dish, pour the batter into the prepared dish, and store it in your fridge overnight until you are ready to bake it off. You might need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time, but otherwise it comes out beautifully!
I just made this cake, but I had fresh peaches on hand, so I subbed in those for the blueberries and just used soured milk for the buttermilk. It was craaaaaazy delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Ashley — So happy yo hear this! I have fresh peaches on hand, too…. might have to give your variation a whirl.
Does it have to be kosher salt? cani use sea salt or table salt instead?
Kim — you can use sea salt or table salt in place of the kosher salt. If you use table salt, just use a little bit less (maybe half the amount or a little over half the amount), and I’m afraid I can’t advise you on the substitution for sea salt — I don’t use it often enough and sea salts seam to vary dramatically in crystal size from brand to brand.
I’m making this tonight. But do you need all purpose flour or self rising?
Melanie — I hope you got my email — I was on the road when you commented and couldn’t respond here. I use all purpose flour.
This looked so good, I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. It was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it! But finding fresh blueberries here is a big problem, frozen won’t suffice, if I thaw and drain well? Maybe help if I toss them lightly in a bit of flour to stop any bleeding out? Awww/who cares, if the batter is blue , so be it…it will still taste wonderful, I’m sure!
Karen — many of the commenters have had success using frozen blueberries. Some have thawed the berries, drained them, and dried them really well. Others have used them completely frozen. Either way, definitely toss them with a little bit of flour as the recipe suggests. Some commenters have had trouble with purple batter but it doesn’t affect the flavor. Good luck with it!
Looks truly delicious! Blueberries are a big favourite in our house so its lovely to stumble across new recipes to use them in.