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.
3,634 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
Hi! I’m so excited to try this. But I was wondering if you could use blueberry pie filling, or do you think it would make it too sweet? Thanks!
Angela
This is a wonderful recipe! I am making this and the orange cranberry as well for our Christmas morning spread. I’m going to make it the night before and take it out in the morning and let it come to room temperature before baking. Should I wait to add the berries until morning or go ahead and add them the night before I wonder?
Definitely add the berries when instructed to in the recipe because the batter is thick, and it will be hard to incorporate once it is fully mixed and once it has been refrigerated.
Happy baking and happy holidays, Kellie!
This is SO good….I’ve made it numerous times and we love it. I just made a batch for the freezer and made a batch for Christmas morning! It’s soo good
Great to hear, Jessica!
The best thing I’ve ever made. Kids & hubby loved this. I used zest of 2 lemons because I love lemon. Perfect!
Great to hear, Mandy! Thanks for writing 🙂
This recipe is perfect! The only change I made was sanding sugar on top. I was patient as you suggested and in my oven it took 60 minutes. It was our Christmas breakfast with some dark coffee. A perfect crumb and so easy to make. By the end of the day it was 75% gone. We are jut two people. My husband is a chef and very picky. Your recipe totally scored 5⭐️ in our house.
Wow, so nice to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. Sanding sugar sounds so pretty. Happy New Year to you and the chef!
I put cooked chopped up bacon in tje batter. It was really good that way, too. Thanks.
I made this cake last weekend and it was incredibly delicious!!! I couldn’t stop eating it! I made mine in a 8×8 glass dish but there is only me. I can’t wait to try other flavors. I will definitely do cranberry orange. I am thinking raspberry and blackberry and cherries with lemon zest,
What would pair well with lime? Or even orange?
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love it and can’t wait to experiment with it!
So nice to hear this, Brie! Raspberry and blackberry and cherries with lemon zest sounds divine. I think strawberry and lime would be delicious.
I made this and it was wonderful! I think I used a little more lemon grind than what was called for but it gave it a great flavor and complimented the blueberries!
I did double, and increased the size of baking pan as recommended, but it took forever for the center to cook. I think I will just do muffins next time. I highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking for something new to serve!
Great to hear, Kyla! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this recipe! It is so versatile—I’ve made it with various gluten free flours and non-dairy milk and it always turns out great! I’ve also substituted the blueberries with cherries and that was delicious too!
Great to hear Laynee! Thanks so much for writing.
Absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to try the cranberry and orange flavored cake too!
Great to hear, Karen! Thanks for writing 🙂
I just made a double batch of this for a family gathering… added extra lemon and vanilla just because and it was an absolute hit! Everyone asked for the recipe… thank you, this one’s a keeper!
Great to hear, Renee! Thanks so much for writing. Can’t go wrong with extra lemon and vanilla 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hello!
Will be making this recipe in about an hour. One quick question — your conversion for 2 cups of AP flour to grams is 256g. I’m using King Arthur AP flour and the conversion chart on their website says 240g. …not a very big difference but is that amount just for the King Arthur brand or is it a universal measurement in grams for all AP flours?
Thank you!
Hi! There is no universal measurement unfortunately. My standard is 1 cup = 128 grams. Use the 256 grams here. When you follow a KAF recipe on their site, use their measurements. Every recipe writer has their own standard, which makes for some confusion, but it’s a good rule of thumb to follow the weight measurements provided by the recipe’s author. Hope it turns out well!
This was absolutely delicious! I used 2 small lemons, as I didn’t have a large one, and I added the juice from them and an extra Tb of sugar. It came out so nicely tart! Will definitely bake this again
Great to hear, Shelby! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Can’t wait to try! Will this recipe work as is with a 12” cast iron skillet?
Should work just fine! It will be a shorter cake, however, so the cooking time will likely be less… keep an eye on it after 30 minutes or so.
Suggest partially thawing frozen blueberries before incorporating into batter if using metal mixing bowls. My batter started to freeze! Am fairly certain this is a perfect storm scenario though. Delicious recipe.
Great tip, Sylvia! Thanks for writing 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe, we had a light and fluffy cake with a nice crunch on the top. It’s the first time I made a breakfast cake and according to the kids we’ll have it every day for breakfast now!
Yay! My whole family is down with cake for breakfast as well 🙂 🙂 🙂
This was so good. Love it. Definitely make extra sauce.
Sorry. I made two things from Pinterest and posted the wrong post to the wrong recipe. So skip the make more sauce part 😊
But this is amazing so that part was great!
Great to hear, Toni 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing!
This recipe is AMAZING! It never fails to impress!
I do have a question though..
what is the reason behind putting parchment paper on top of a buttered dish? It seems like I’m wasting the butter..? Or does it soak through the parchment and still benefit the cake?
Hi! The butter mostly just holds the parchment in place. You can definitely try not buttering or you could try not using parchment, which might be even more delicious.
I’ve looked at this recipe several times and thought it sounded delicious. My husband has diabetes so I don’t make many sweets/baked goods that would tempt him. I recently tried a couple of baked goods using monkfruit sweetener and had great results. Today I threw caution to the wind and made this recipe exactly as written but substituted monkfruit sweetener for the sugar (1:1 ratio). It was amazing in taste, texture, and appearance! So happy to have tried it. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, amazing! Great to hear. Thank so much for writing and sharing your notes — so helpful for others 🙂
This is one of our all time favorite recipes, and made frequently in our house! My only question is if (or what) you would recommend as a an egg substitute? I have a child with an anaphylactic egg allergy, and I would love for her to be able to have this as well, as I think she would love it!
Thanks!
Hi! Great to hear 🙂 Here are a few ideas:
Flax egg: whisk 1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tablespoons of hot water; let it sit till it gels. (equivalent of 1 egg)
Vegan egg replacement such as Ener-G
3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas or beans): beat it lightly with a whisk or fork till it thickens slightly and becomes foamy. (equivalent of 1 egg)
Instant mashed potatoes: use 2 tablespoons to replace 1 egg
I’ve made this many times . It’s wonderful. Can it be made into muffins?
Yes! Try this recipe, which is essentially the cake recipe in muffin form: The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
Tenth time making this and my family loves it!!! It is the perfect breakfast and coffee treat! Thank you for such a simple foolproof delicious recipe!
Great to hear, Renee! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve made this recipe for years – I always have to make 2 batches because the first one is gone in a day! Truly a fantastic recipe and delicious!
BUT this time my batches did not come out well and I had to toss them – maybe you can help me figure out why. NORMALLY, I make my own buttermilk and I use an electric stove. THIS time, I used actual buttermilk from the store and I now have a gas stove vs. electric. Also, my blueberries all sunk to the bottom. The batter just didn’t cook either. Does anyone know why? Does an electric vs. gas stove make a difference? Does real buttermilk from the store make the difference? I’m bummed out – both batches in the trash 🙁
Denise, I have no idea! I almost always use buttermilk from the store, because I always have it on hand for other things (pancakes, waffles, etc.). It’s definitely possible that the oven is playing a role. Do you have an oven thermometer? That might help you figure out if your oven is actually at the right temperature — they’re cheap, and I find them helpful.
Any other changes? Different flour? Old baking powder?
I had some strawberries from the farmer’s market that needed to get used up before heading out of town for a long weekend. So I decided to use them in this recipe and I’m so glad I did. This “snacking” cake was fantastic! I call it a snacking cake because my boyfriend and I would run downstairs throughout the day to cut ourselves pieces for a snack 🙂 Something so easy to throw together, resulted in such a tender and moist cake. I will definitely be using this as a base for other fruits– can’t wait for summer so I can use local blueberries!
PS. Ali, you are one of the first sources I turn to for recipes and food inspiration. I know that your recipes will be successful (and most importantly delicious) every single time. I first tackled baking with yeast during COVID thanks to your mother’s peasant bread recipe. And now I make various breads and yeast baked goods weekly thanks to the confidence I’ve gained from your guidance, so thank you!!
Oh my goodness, Samantha… thank you! It’s so nice to read all of this. I love hearing about any bread successes but the peasant bread recipe continues to be near and dear to my heart. So glad it paved the way to other bread adventures for you. Great to hear about the strawberry snacking cake, too 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing!
Perfect balance between sweet & tart! Substituted King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure all purpose flour, swapped half of sugar to coconut sugar, 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract for lemon zest and used goats milk instead of regular milk. This is second time I’ve made it! Worked great accommodating my food allergies and baking for 48 minutes. This has become one of my favorite desserts! Thank you!
Great to hear, Selina! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of these notes/swaps.
Made this for the first time today, delicious
Cake is no too sweet and let’s the berries shine.
Great to hear, Theresa 🙂
Mad exactly as written in 8 in pan
Everyone LOVED it
Disappeared so fast
<y first recipe from four site, will not be my last
Great to hear, Carol! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is absolutely wonderful! I made it for a crowd during our spring furniture market and they raved about it! I am making it for coworkers this week & realized I’m out of lemons. Can I sub lemon juice or extract? If so, suggested amount?
Thanks!
Hi! I’m not sure if I’m too late here. I would try for 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
Great recipe…followed directions as written and ended up with a lovely moist, light and not too sweet cake. Thank you!
I did make one alteration which was to add lemon zest to the sugar that is sprinkled on top prior to baking. Also the sugar I used for that was Sparkling Sugar crystals to provide a little crunch as they don’t melt during baking.
I tend to favor coffee cake with crumb topping, however this cake was just as tasty without all that added sweetness. A new keeper!!! And swift to make!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
I made this recipe but I substituted cranberries instead of using blueberries that the recipe called for. It really came out great, just the right tang from the cranberries. I will definitely make this again.
Great to hear, Shirley!
Delicious! Made the night before and was a lovely addition to our Sunday breakfast. Very moist and yummy! Will definitely make again!