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”
The first batch was so good that it didn’t last long. For the second batch, I made 12 muffins and Convection Baked 325° for 30 minutes. I wonder how long these will last!
This is the best blueberry bread of all time! I made it again within a week! Thanks for sharing!
Can you use frozen blueberries?
I find frozen blueberries work best
Ever try freezing leftovers for fast school mornings?
I make two & cut into individual pieces. Freezes very well
HI, Instead of the lemon rind can I just use Lemon juice and if so what would the measurement be.
I was wondering the same thing. DID you try it?
I made this last weekend and subbed in 1/4 cup cornmeal because I love it with blueberries. OMG, we adored this cake. I will totally be making this again, and I’m sure I’ll make it in the winter with frozen blueberries.
Do you know the nutrition facts for this recipes?
(ex. carb, sugar, fat numbers per serving)
Could a crumb topping be made and put on this coffee cake?
I want to make this for my family for a post wedding brunch but as things will be so busy, wondering if I can make it ahead and freeze it, bringing it out the night before to thaw and cook morning of? Thoughts? Thanks so much!
I’m wondering the same thing. I would love to make a few to put in the freezer!
BEWARE of typo. It is not 1 cup = 4 ounces. If you print out recipe it shows correctly. If you just copy the pin it is not.
Anyway, this is quite tasty. Didn’t have enough blueberries so I filled in with cranberries. I did make it the night before in an 8×8 pyrex dish. Batter is very thick but it turned out good.
Made this today and its great, only thing different was I sprinkled slivered almonds to the top!
I have made this 3 times now, and it has turned out so so good.
I doubled the batch into a 9×13 and just started checking the doneness around 40 mins.
I also made a crumble topping from a Blueberry Buckle Cake recipe… and IT. IS. AMAZING.
Here is the recipe for the crumble:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C butter. Cut in butter to mix of spices and spread on cake prior to baking!
Amazing recipe. I get huge compliments every time I make it. Thanks for sharing
Made this for my family and it was good but not great. All the other reviews are so positive so maybe it just me. We used fresh blueberries and found 2 cups to be way too many. Maybe it works better with frozen blueberries? But I’m not sure if I’d try this again.
What’s the calorie, sugar, carb break down please?
Can I substitute coconut oil for tht butter?? I want to double the recipe but don’t have enough butter!!:(
Worth a shot! I’ve never done it, but I absolutely would if I were in the same boat. Go for it!
Thanks for the recipe. Made this today everyone love it. Looks like I have a new breakfast favorite.
So happy to hear this!
I made this today but I cut the recipe in half since I didn’t have enough blueberries for the exact measurements. I also didn’t have organic lemons to zest so I ended up using 1 tsp of organic lemon juice. It was quite lovely!
OMG – this was so delicious, I followed the recipe but made it more lemony …I used zest of 2 lemons and when substituting for buttermilk, I used 2 heavy tsps of lemon juice in milk. I didn’t flour the blueberries but the batter was so thick it didn’t matter – while it baked the aroma told me it was gonna be terrific! Thanks for sharing this recipe, it will be my go to every time I want a little something, Blueberries and lemons…can’t be beat!!!
So happy to hear this, Terry!
How could this recipe be made for a paleo diet?
HI there. After all of the great reviews I can’t wait to make this. Just one question…..can it be frozen after baking?
Absolutely DELICIOUS! So good my family asked me to make it again (and triple the recipe) the next night! … the texture is so fluffy. The flavour is amazing. BEST CAKE I’VE EVER MADE!
Wonderful to hear this, Johanna!
We have been making this for years from this recipient! It is a favorite to add to our breakfast for dinner meals!! Thank you for sharing!
Oh yay!! So happy to hear this 🙂
I don’t use butter or milk anymore. Can this recipe be done with almond or soya milk, and coconut oil. Thx
So you didn’t use any buttermilk? How was the consistency? I bake gluten free and am trying to get away from dairy.
I made this follow direction it came out hard I don’t what I did wrong !
Likewise, the batter was quite thick although I increased the amount of buttermilk. I substituted though with coconut sugar. Will try once more with brown sugar to see if it comes out as described
Absolutely delicious – everyone at brunch loved it! I made it in an 8″ springform pan because I wanted it to look extra pretty on a cake stand. Turn out perfectly, and the wedges were a a beautiful presentation.
So happy to hear this 🙂
SOOO yummy! And SOOO easy! It’s very moist, nice lemony tones combine wonderfully with the blueberries. I love this recipe every time I make it. I think this is about the 4th or 5th time I’ve made this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
So happy to hear this, Melissa!
Blueberry is my fav! I’m collecting a recipe with it. Thanks!
We love this blueberry lemony breakfast cake! This in the oven for round two… the first one barely lasted 2 days in our house! I had a 10 lb box of blueberries I had frozen earlier this summer, so I imagine we’ll be making this often. The frozen blueberries work perfectly. I made my own “buttermilk” with the lemon juice from the lemon I zested. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂
This was amazing. It turned out really well and it was so good. I love the amount of blueberries in it. Thank you for sharing this family recipe. It will be one I will definitely make again.
Wonderful to hear this, Kathy!
Can it be made baked and then frozen for a later brunch??
I did it. Wonderful. Just add a little more butter milk. And add a litter almond extract. But the rest was step by step.