Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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”
Disregard my last comment! I just read where you said to double it!
the whole 7/8’s of a cup is blowing my mind – i can’t calculate that in my head in the least – what is that just a little less than a cup????
Hi Jennifer, 7/8 cup is 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. Happy Baking!
I grew up in Scotland so I have a few recipes my parents picked up there that also use weight and need to convert them sometimes. [Link no longer active]
it says 7/8 cup of sugar is 200g hope that helps
7/8 of a cup is 7 ounces.
Could you make the batter the night before and bake it in the morning? I am planning on bringing this in for coworkers one morning, but I don’t want to get up at 5 am to mix and bake! 🙂
TA — I haven’t made the batter the night before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. My only suggestion would be to store the batter in a different pan than you are planning on baking it in. This is mostly because I worry that the blueberries might all sink to the bottom when it rests overnight. So, when you transfer the batter to the pan in the morning, I think it will help get the blueberries back to being more evenly dispersed. Does that make sense?
Delicious!
Makes sense to me. I’ll try it and see how it goes! 🙂 Thanks – so excited!!
This is delicious! I made it this morning with just regular milk and it turned out wonderful. Since I use Skim milk I doubled the amount listed in the recipe. I still can’t believe how moist the cake is. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing
I have fallen in love with your recipes. They’re fun, delicious and tried and true! I have never really used a recipe from a cooking website before but when I discovered this recipe on Pinterest I had to try it! I used frozen blueberries and from the suggestion of another reader of yours, I drained them overnight in the fridge in a colander. It took about an hour to cook (I’m at a higher elevation as well) but I just kept checking it and when it turned golden, pulled it out. The cake was dense, moist and delicious! The same recipe would make great muffins as well. Thank you!
Thanks, Cassie. You’re nice.
Just made these for the second time and added extra lemon and substituted cranberries and it was amazing. Also in muffin form instead of a cake.
Love this recipe. Its one of my favorites.
Heather — This makes me so happy! I’ve been dying to make this recipe with cranberries for the holidays. Might have to try this out tomorrow morning! Thanks for writing in —
I wonder if this could be made gluten free — using almond flour and something different for the sugar to lower the carb count? Thoughts? Please comment if this might work??
Staci — hi, did I never respond to this?! So sorry. I have no idea how to replace flours in recipes. I would imagine you could replace a quarter of the flour with almond flour? I have no scientific basis for this, however. Also, have you seen C4C flour? It’s made by somebody who worked for Thomas Keller, and apparently you can replace any flour (cup for cup) with this C4C mixture, and it will be gluten free. I bought some from Williams Sonoma but still haven’t tried it. It’s a bit pricey, but it might do the trick. Wish I could be more helpful!
My family has eaten and loved every single blueberry recipe known to man and we cannot stop talking about this dish. It is by far our favorite (including our dogs!). Very yummy! Also came out as a beautiful dish! Perfect for a family brunch or get-together. Thanks so much for posting this. Found this on interest and passing it on to extended family
Linda — so glad to hear this!
I was wondering if you could use frozed blueberries? If so what would you need to change?
Thanks
Brandy — definitely use frozen. I haven’t personally but many of the commenters here have. Scroll down to read their tips.
I was also wondering about frozen berries? Thank you
Mariah — definitely use frozen. I haven’t personally but many of the commenters here have. Scroll down to read their tips.
I made these tonight and doubled the recipe. I did make a few changes, I used 12oz frozen Publix brand berries, I put the juice of the lemon I zested in my measuring cup and then filled up the cup to 1cup w/ buttermilk. They are delicious and moist and zesty!!
Jennifer — So glad the recipe turned out well for you!
Also, I made muffins instead of a cake.
@Jennifer V or anyone- how would I adjust the time if I did muffins instead of a cake. Also, how long do they stay good for? I am leaving tomorrow evening for a weekend family Christmas and need stuff baked for breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning… Any clue? Thanks!
Lindsey — For muffins, I would bake them at 375º for 30 minutes, checking at the 25 minute mark for doneness. As for their longevity, is there anyway you can prepare the batter in advance and bake it in the morning? The batter can definitely be made the night before, so that would be ideal. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bake them more than one day in advance of serving.
Question on the amount of sugar….is it 7/8 cup or 7 to 8 cups of sugar? Making it this weekend for a Christmas breakfast so please respond soon 😀
Thanks in advance,
Heather
Heather — It is 7/8 cup of sugar, which is equal to 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. Have fun with your breakfast!
I’m making this for a Marine’s homecoming tomorrow. I was planning on making it anyway and then found out he loves blueberries. I will post how it turned out.
Laura — So much fun! Please do report back. My husband is a Marine. Enjoy the homecoming!
Isn’t the sugar pretty close just 1 whole cup? Does the 1/8 make that big of a difference?
I’ve never made it with a full cup of sugar but I’m sure if you measured a scant cup, it would work out just fine. Let us know!
Can you use fresh cranberries in this recipe instead of blueberries?
Yes! It’s my most current post: https://alexandracooks.com/2011/12/16/cranberry-buttermilk-breakfast-cake/
how do i print this recipe?
Hi Annette — There is a little icon at the end of the post that says “print-friendly.” Click on that. If it doesn’t work, let me know.
I actually have mine in the oven as I type this. Mine was REALLY thick…is that how it is supposed to be?? I thought about doubling the buttermilk but decided since this was my first try, I better follow the recipe.
Lauren — Yes, the batter is super thick. Happy Baking!
Was planning on making this for Christmas morning, but can the batter be made the night before then go in the oven in the morning?
Allie — I haven’t made this batter with blueberries the night before, but I am sure it would work because I just made the batter with fresh cranberries the night before, and it worked beautifully. My only suggestion is to not store the batter in the pan you plan on baking it in — this way, when you transfer the batter to the prepared pan in the morning, you sort of help to make sure all the blueberries haven’t sunk to the bottom. They might be fine because the batter is thick, but I wouldn’t take any chances.
Was planning on making this for Christmas morning, but can the batter be made the night before then put in the oven that morning? Would that make any difference?
I saw that you told a reader that 7 eighths cup equals 3 fourths, but of course it does NOT. 6/8 = 3/4, so 7/8 would have to be a little more than 3 fourths…half way between 3/4 and a full cup actually.
Hi Michelle — I hope I didn’t say that! I’m pretty sure that I said that 7/8 = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. I hope?! So sorry if I made that mistake!
What if I don’t have buttermilk? What could be used in it’s place?
@Victoria- I’m not sure of the recipe but there is a way to make buttermilk with regular milk and vinegar. I have seen my grandmother do this substitute many times. And whatever she makes is always wonderful. So maybe do a search on this and you will find something. Good luck!
One of the yummiest things I’ve ever tasted! The taste combination of blueberries and lemon is just incredible. This will be a mainstay in my recipe box.
Sandy — so glad to hear!
What if I need to double the recipe? or for a 13×9 instead? Oven temp and time?
Elizabeth — one of the commenters did make this recipe in a 13X9-inch pan and doubled the recipe. It’s some place in the comment section below, but it might take awhile to find. I’m pretty sure she kept the oven temperature the same, but had to bake it for about 10 minutes longer. Hope that helps!