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”
Just made this and mine turned out to be a little more like a blueberry scone cake…not sure why lol, but it still tastes great. The texture is just more like a scone than a muffin..kinda crumbly.
I made this recipes as individual muffins so we could take them out on a picnic and my kids loved them, great recipe, thank you!
This was so very delicious, fave reviews from my guests (and children). I did have to bake it for an hour.
This is similiar to my mom’s blueberry buckle recipe that we grew up on, her blueberry buckle has a crumb topping!
Thank you ever so much for a great recipe! I made one this morning, using the very first pick of ripe blueberries in this part of Sweden! Have a lovely summer <3
Erika, wow, I hope you are having a lovely summer in Sweden as well. Thanks for writing in.
Thank you so much for posting this! I stumbled across it on pinterest this morning and thought it would be just perfect for breakfast on my 21st birthday tomorrow morning! It looks delicious! 🙂
Can’t tell you how much I love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times both as written and doubling it with consistent rave reviews! This is a ‘go-to’ recipe of mine now! Thanks!
Laura and Becky — So happy to hear this! Becky, sounds like you have an adorably “baby boy” on your hands, too.
Jess — very envious of your “fresh” frozen berries. That’s a goal of mine this summer.
I’m trying this with my “fresh” frozen berries. I just froze a gallon last week, hoping it works!
After picking 40 # of blueberries Sunday, I baked and served this cake warm with lots of vanilla ice cream for dessert last night. My son said “This is what people eat in heaven all the time!” Needless to say after much begging there is another pan in the oven as I type. Amazing!
This looks amazing! I’m planning on making this for my office staff tomorrow. Is this something that can be prepare and put in the frige then baked in the morning?
Thanks
Nicole
Nicole, I think I’m too late! Yes, definitely prepare it the night before and bake it in the morning. You can even store it in your buttered baking dish in the fridge. It might need an extra 5 or 10 minutes in the morning, but it works beautifully. I hope I got to you in time!
Thanks for this! I’ve been wondering what to do with the two pints of blueberries in my refrigerator.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’ve made it 3 or 4 times now, and it has become my favorite thing to make with fresh blueberries. I’ve also found that the 7/8 of a cup of sugar is flexible. I’ve used 3/4 for a slightly less sweet cake and a whole cup for a slightly sweeter cake, and it is always delicious. I usually make 1 1/2 times the recipe to fit in a 9X13 pan.
Just wanted to say after loving this recipe I doubled it up because my husbands marine buddy was staying over. The double up came out beautifully. I had to cook it for an extra 15 minutes but other than its wonderful! So good on the wallet if you keep baking staples in your home too!
Kendra & Courtney — thank you both so much for writing in with your tips! And I’m so glad to hear that you like the recipe. It’s one of my faves this time of year.
Love how pretty this is! Have you ever used the buttermilk substitute of vinegar in milk instead of real buttermilk? Hope to try it tomorrow! thanks.
Can I make buttermilk by adding vinegar to the milk and will it get the same?
Elaine, I can’t believe it, but I still have not tried this trick…I always seem to have a steady supply of buttermilk on hand. Many of the commenters have had success with using the “homemade” substitute: 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk; let stand for 5 minutes.
Holy cow, this is good stuff. I substituted one teaspoon of lemon juice for the zest (not a fan of zest anything), and it was great! I made it to take with dinner to a new family in a disposable pan and have made it for my family, too. Delish!
Melanie — So happy to hear this!
I just made this and it’s wonderful…..thank you…!!!!
Is it supposed to be really thick? Mine was really really thick so I added more buttermilk. It was still really thick but not as dry so I could add the blueberries. Not sure where I messed up. Baking now. We’ll see what happens 🙂 I think I may have gotten the wrong kind of buttermilk??
Also thought I would add a tip about zed ting a lemon. I always did it incorrectly so I would never put zest in anything. The trick is only get the yellow part. No white! That is what wrecks the flavor. I’m sure most people know this but I went 30 years doing it wrong so maybe it will help someone!!
Jen — Thanks so much for the tip about zesting lemon. You are so right! The white can be really bitter and can leave an awful flavor. I should add that to the instructions whenever it calls for zest.
Also, yes, the batter is really thick. It is a little hard to fold in the blueberries at the end, but it should be so thick that folding the blueberries is impossible. I hope it was a success!
I can’t say how much I absolutely love this cake!!! I make it all the time. But I’m wondering if there are ways to make it healthier. Have you tried whole wheat flour? Any other suggestions?
thanks
Brooke — I have not tried making it healthier, but I bet you could use 1/2 or 1 cup of whole wheat flour without affecting the flavor too much. Next time I make it, I will try a healthier version and report back.
My husband made this for us this morning and it was delicious!!! Thank you so much for posting the recipe and thank you God for giving me a husband that bakes! 😉
Nickie — so happy to hear this!
Just made this today for breakfast, so good! and very easy, my granddaughter loves blueberries and she just loved the cake :), I did use the milk/vinegar to make the buttermilk and it worked out fine.
Am looking forward to making this. It looks fantastic! In the meantime I just wanted to vouch for my lemon zester. It is like a small handheld grater with little holes. (you kind of need a toothbrush to wash it) It is great for a million things but making sure I don’t get the pith (white part) in when getting lemon zest is one of the best. Thanks again for the recipe. Hope to try it this weekend.
Hey Victoria — thanks for the tip on the zestor. Send a link to it online if you feel like it. I’d love to check it out. I use my microplane, which I love, but I’m always up for trying new products. Thanks!
Delish! I didn’t have a lemon, so I subbed a little lemon extract instead. I also added brown sugar to the top instead of sprinkling white sugar. I’m eating it as I type, and I haven’t heard a word from the hubs, which means its good!
Do you know if this could be frozen? Also, could it made in a loaf pan?
I went ahead and made it in the loaf pan. Although it looks nice and tastes good I will not use the loaf pan again. After letting it cool for over two hours I attempted to remove it from the pan. It came out cleanly but then immediately started to fall apart. It ended up breaking in half. Not a big deal as far as taste but I wanted to see the whole loaf all pretty! I put the two halves in the freezer and will take at least one with us while we camp this weekend.
Annie, bummer to hear about the loaf pan, and I’m sorry I didn’t get to you in time. I think this cake needs a pan with a larger surface area to let it bake properly. Sorry you didn’t get to see a pretty loaf! I hope it at least provided some sustenance on your camping trip!
Delicious!!! I absolutely love it! I made it this morning and it was a complete hit! I have been sharing this link with my friends. Thank you for sharing!
I just made this tonight – for the morning breakfast tomorrow – but am wondering if I should refridgerate it overnight (it is already baking) . . .or it’d be ok sitting out “cooling” all night?? Just wondering if the buttermilk in it could spoil the taste in the morning!!??? I hope not!!! If I don’t hear back from someone – I am going to leave it out!!
Dana, my sister in law said it will be fine. She makes Texas Sheet Cakes all of the time with buttermilk. She said that once it cooks a buttermilk recipe does not need to be refrigerated and can be left out. We have the buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake cooking right now. Can’t wait!!!
Susan — Thanks so much for your response to Dana. And, yes, Dana, Susan’s got it right: You do not need to refrigerate the cake after it bakes. Hope it turned out well for you both!
I made these last night and tried them this morning. They were absolutely amazing.
Will be made again. Thanks for the recipe!!