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.
3,548 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
Oh, you just have to cook it 10 minutes longer right out of the fridge.
i happened upon your blog via pinterest and i am obsessed..It is perfectly laid out, with gorgeous photos and amazing recipes. I made this blueberry breakfast cake last night for this morning and it was a hit!
i will be posting and linking to your blog later in the week! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
so i made this tonight (yes, its 1 a.m, don’t judge) just because i wanted to. I had fresh blackberries that i substituted and even though they made the dough extremely blue it cooked great and tastes wonderful. I’m sure you could substitute any fruit in this cake and it be delicious. And adding buttermilk in replacement of regular milk may be the solution to not eating half of the dough before I bake things (it makes the dough taste horrible to me at least) thanks for that:)
Found on pinterest as well (the crack site that it is) and am SO excited to try this! I’m in charge of breakfast treats at work, and I’m thinking I’ll have to do a test run tonight 🙂
For those who don’t have or haven’t heard of buttermilk, I would suggest looking up buttermilk powder online. It lasts forever even after opening (keep refrigeraged) and it works really well for baking!
I am making this right now this morning and can’t wait to taste it. On a side note my favorite kitchen items are turquoise blue. Where did you find your egg crate?
Another great pinterest find! Thanks so much for sharing, so yummy!! And I just emailed the link to a bunch of friends too 🙂
I came across this recipe on Pinterest and made it for dinner tonight! This was soooo delicious! We couldn’t get enough! I used frozen blueberries and they tasted just like fresh ones when baked in. I did have to cook it 10 minutes longer, like the recipe said we might. So good! We’ll be making this again. Thank you so much for posting for all to see!
I am going to try this very soon. Looks delious!
Hi hun, Just wanted to let you know that I have linked to you on my blog – https://mammymade.blogspot.com/2011/09/feed-me-friday-blueberry-breakfast-cake.html I found you on pintrest and have to say, this looks lush! I will definitely be trying it!
Please help! This looks delicious. But what is 7/8 cup of sugar?
I want to make this, but not quite sure how much 7/8 cup is?
Hi Jennifer — 7/8 cup is equal to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
I can’t wait to make this to share at work. I have to comment on how awesome the photography is. about the 7/8 cup question- why not use the 1/8 cup measuring cup 7 times?
This is, hands down, the most delicious thing I have ever made. I could have eaten the whole dish! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
I finally made this, and even though I might have overbaked it a little, it came out absolutely delicious! https://mary-making.blogspot.com/2011/09/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake.html
My Mom made this MANY times every summer when blueberries were in season. She called it Blueberry Tea Cake. It is devine, especially served warm.
I can’t wait to try this, I am wanting to double the recipe and put it in a 9X13….any suggestions on baking times?
I would definitely still check the cake at 35 minutes for doneness but imagine it will need an additional 10 minutes (if not more) of oven time. Letting it cool for at least 15 minutes is probably a good idea as well. Report back if you have success baking in the larger size pan — it would be so good to know that this size works. Happy baking!
I am planning to make this in the morning and just realized I don’t have a lemon. However, I do have an orange. Would orange zest be a good substitute?
Thanks for the recipe. I made it for my family a few weeks ago and loved it! I thought I’d let you know I added this recipe to my cooking blog. Thanks so much!
I have been looking for a great recipe and I think I just found it!! My question is, have you or anyone else tried making muffins with this recipe? I’m planning on, I mean…I’m GOING to make this for my sons rowing team Sunday! They will go nuts for this, I just know!!! Thank You!
Yes, definitely make it as muffins. My mother used to use the recipe interchangeably — the muffins turn out beautifully! Happy Baking!
I am making this cake as we speak. I cannot wait until it is finished. I was upset that I didn’t have enough fresh blueberries. I went back to the store and they were completely out. So I used dried to make up the difference. I’ll let you know how it turns out. (The soft dried ones, not the crispy dried ones, obviously.)
Ok the dried blueberries did wonderfully. I don’t think I would substitute ALL the blueberries with dried,because my cake seems a bit dry, and that may be due to the lost moisture from not having all fresh blueberries. I think next time I’ll add a bit more buttermilk.
I’m baking for the first time in my new house- it’s an old electric oven and I didn’t bother calibrating it. I’ll need to do that. The cake was made in an 8×8 so I thought it would take longer to bake but it was done at 35mins.
Even though it is dry, it is very very good.
I just made this cake this morning and it was WONDERFUL! I took it to our Mom’s group meeting and got lots of compliments 🙂 Just wanted to add that I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 pan and it cooked in 55 minutes. This is definitely a keeper–thanks!
How do you measure 7/8 cup of sugar? It looks delicious and I would love to make it. Thanks!
Hi Kristen,
7/8 cup equals 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Happy Baking!
THANKS KRISTEN FOR ASKING THE QUESTION ABOUT THE SUGAR. I HAD THE SAME QUESTION. IT LOOKS DELISH.
I absolutely can’t wait to make this~I love blueberry anything!! Thanks for sharing!!
I used a cast iron skillet, and I used frozen blueberries picked this summer. The cake was still perfect. I probably added 15 minutes to the cooking time. Thanks for the great recipe.
So have you ever tried this recipe with other types of fruit? How was it?
I have not tried with other fruits, but my mother tried with peaches (with some success — preferred blueberries) and another friend tried with strawberries (who also said she preferred blueberries.) Let us know if you make any discoveries!
I just popped this in the oven but I’m a little worried about the batter. The batter is thick, it looks more like cookie dough than cake batter. Is that normal? Thanks!
Scarlett — Yes, the batter is surprisingly thick. I hope it turned out well for you!
I tried to double the recipe and put it in a bigger pan, but that did not work out very well. the middle wasn’t cooked at all but the top was golden. I would suggest sticking to the smaller pan. But it such a yummy recipe!! 🙂 Thanks!
Great recipe, which I just did with frozen blueberries. I loved it, and the girls too.