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. But regardless, who doesn’t need a good, seasonal, berry cake recipe in their morning-treat repertoire? Nobody. And I have a recipe that fits the bill: buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake. On an old photocopied sheet of paper in my mother’s handwriting, 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. Lemon-scented, perfectly sweet, punctuated by juicy berries — 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.)
3 More Favorite Lemon-Blueberry Treats
- The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
- Perfect Lemon-Blueberry Scones
- Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby (crowd pleaser!)
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.
3,628 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
I’ve made this before and loved it! I only have frozen blueberries right now, though – will that work?
Yes!
This has become my ‘go to’ recipe whenever I have blueberries in the house.
Wonderful served with soft vanilla ice cream as dessert.
Wonderful to hear this, Kathryn!
The best cake ever and easy to make. I have baked this so much I almost have memorized the recipe
So nice to hear this, Pam!
This has been a quarantine regular. Delicious and great for a crowd, when doubled. Super easy too.
Wonderful to hear this, Kendra!
Good day Alexandra,
I stumbled on your buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake which I will be making this morning. Looks delicious.
But I must tell you that you are such a good story teller. I enjoyed you sharing with us about your brother, mom, and experiences during your childhood.
I will definitely follow your blog.
A grateful baker (and reader).
Louise ❤️
Oh Louise, so nice to hear this! Thank you for your kind words. Means a lot 🙂 🙂 🙂
I just made this cake this morning for breakfast. It is really excellent! I did use 3/4 cup of sugar since we don’t like our food too sweet–it was just right for us. I did take your suggestion and used 1-1/4 tsp. kosher salt (worked for me). I sprinkled the top of the cake with King Arthur Sparkling Sugar which made the cake look pretty as well as taste good. Thanks for sharing the delicious recipe.
What can I use in place of the 1/2 unsalted butter?
I know some people have used apple sauce in combination with oil, but I don’t know the exact proportions.
This was wonderful! Simple and moist; I’ll definitely make this again and again.
Wonderful to hear this, Gretchen!
how much calories does this have??
Check out a site like “my fitness pal dot com” for nutrition information.
This was regally delicious! The lemon with the blueberry was a perfect pairing!
Yay! So wonderful to hear this Darcy!
Can you use a dairy free milk substitute like oat milk?
Yes!
This recipe is easy and so delicious, moist and tasty!!!! Honestly, I’ve been making it once a week during blueberry season.
Wonderful to hear this Lauren!
I made this today for a co-worker’s birthday tomorrow. I tried it with the parchment paper, which made it easy to lift out of baking dish onto flat surface for cutting. I LOVE it!! It was relatively easy and super delicious. It’s mildly sweet and moist. Will be making many more times. Thank you.
Wonderful to hear this, Janie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Made this over the weekend and the family loved it. Enjoying a piece now with my morning coffee.
Wonderful to hear this, Dee!
This became my recipe, now there are a lot of blueberries in the house, a very tasty combination with lemon. True, I added less sugar
I was looking for a recipe to use up some extra buttermilk and blueberries we had. This was perfect. Easy to make and so delicious. I have made it twice in the last two weeks. Definitely a new family favorite. The cake is moist and the lemon and blueberry go so well together. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Beth!
Amazing!!!
Yay 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is a great recipe, but I don’t know if you know. It’s not very printer friendly. When I printed it, the icons blew up to a full page. My printer then printed three large icons of green. I thought I’d let you know in case others aren’t printing because of that. I appreciate the recipe!
Hi! This is so bizarre … when I click the print icon, a clean page opens up… so sorry this happened to you. I’ll look into it more.
Can I use lacose free milk?
Yes!
Can I use lactose free milk?
Yes!
Hi! This looks so delish! I am def going to make tonight! QQ: can you use whole wheat flour?
Yes! I would use half to start however. I worry 100% whole wheat might make it a little dense/heavy.
I made this recipe today and I do like it but too much lemon zest so next time I wont use a big lemon
So nice to hear this, Lori! You can definitely get away with using less lemon.
Did anyone find it dry? how can I make it more moist
Hi Lori,
Are you using a scale to measure the flour? If not, that would be my first recommendation. You’re probably adding too much flour if you’re using cups.
I love this recipe! I made this for my parents and now my mom makes it for my dad twice a week! Can you use this recipe for muffins?
Yes! See this recipe, which is basically the same.
Wowsers!! This is SO good! It’s like a wonderful mutant combination of cake, scone and muffin that just melts in your mouth. My husband and everyone else who had it agreed.
I added a lemon glaze that I use for my blueberry muffins, and it was perfect with it! I doubled the recipe for the cake and used a 9×13 pan, and so am giving you the glaze recipe doubled also, if you would like to try. Just half for the smaller cake.
Just stir together 4 TBS melted butter, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice, and 2 c Confectioners sugar. Drizzle over warm cake.
I’ll definitely be making this again and again. It’s perfect for breakfast, dessert, or just general NOM-ing! Thanks!
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Kat! And thanks so much for sharing your lemon glaze recipe, which sounds absolutely divine!
I made this and it was SO delicious. I reduced the sugar a little but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I baked it in a Pyrex dish, it took about 45-50 mins and came out perfect. It melts in your mouth and the blueberry flavour is divine.
Thank you for your amazing recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Joshua! Great to hear, too, that it worked with a reduced amount of sugar. Thanks for writing!
So good! Comes out perfect every-time! Thank you for sharing 😍
Wonderful to hear this, Lindsey 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just made this it turned out beautiful looks just like the picture
Wonderful to hear this, Carol!
Perfection. I used frozen blueberries so it took awhile but it was worth it!
Great to hear, Tania!
Can we use lime instead of lemon or will it not taste as good?
Lime would be great!