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 stumbled across this recipe 4 or 5 years ago and I’ve made it every year for Christmas brunch since. It’s a staple in our line up, everyone’s favorite!
Great to hear, Kianna! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Silly question- could I make this 2 days in advance with just the ingredients and then bake 2 days later? Basically, instead of making it the night before, would it be okay making it 2 nights before?
Hi! And apologies for the delay here… I’m likely too late. I think you probably could because of the use of baking powder (as opposed to baking soda). That said, I’ve never experimented personally, so I’d hate to lead you astray.
Made this Blueberry cake for breakfast Christmas morning. It was a big hit with the whole family. I used frozen berries for this cake. Will definitely make this recipe again. I found the recipe easy to follow.
Great to hear Susan! Thanks for writing.
I made this today. My husband and I like blueberries and lemon. What an easy cake. I did some substitutes like un sweetened apple sauce for the butter. I also used plain Greek yogurt for the butter. Milk. Thanks for the recipe.
Great to hear, Cindy! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
This was amazing!! I was worried about how thick the batter was but it turned out great. The recipe was easy to follow and I will definitely make again! I’m happy I found this!
Great to hear, Natasha!
Could I use 1.5 times the ingredients and make it a 9×12 size cake?
Thanks. I would like to make this for our large family.
Yes! Go for it 🙂
Yes I made it this morning and it’s delish!!! Thank you Ali 💕
Ok, this recipe is out of this world delicious. I have made a LOT of coffeecakes and fruit breads in my 49 years and this one might be the best. So simple, but absolutley ridiculous results. I followed the directions for the 8×8 pan. I used half butter/half oil and also half white/half whole wheat flour as was suggested. I made my own buttermilk, too. I initially started it at 325 because I was using a glass pan, but 3/4 way through I saw that it was not getting color or cooking very fast, so I upped the temp to 350. It took a wee bit longer to cook and when it was done it was PERFECTION! I really can’t say enough about this recipe. It is going to be on my rotation, taken to all my office brunches and ladies teas, and anywhere else I’m required to bring a dish. Thank you for sharing it, Alexandra!
So nice to read all of this. Thanks for writing and sharing all of your notes 🙂
GREAT RECIPIE! I made it for my 6 members of my family and I dont think there was even a crumb or a bluberry left over. Definitly going into the family cookbook.
Great to hear, Gianna! Thanks for writing 🙂
This is ridiculous! I fell in love with this cake— as in, Head over Heels! I made it three times in two weeks. It is seriously good: Moist, rich and full of blueberries. Fantastic!
Yay! Great to hear, Jamet 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can canned peaches be used in this recipe? I’ve made it as instructed and it turned out wonderfully. But I was given 3 cans of peaches that I don’t know what to do with.
I would imagine! I would drain them really well to ensure the cake isn’t overly moist. Sounds delicious 🙂
This was phenomenal! Made it today for my kiddos in a 9in glass pie dish because that’s all I had. We used frozen blueberries and chilled butter because we didn’t have time to waste. It turned out great anyway! This is a keep recipe.
Great to hear, Frankie! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Alex,
There are so many comments you must have already answered my question but with the comments on so many pages my “find on page” search isn’t very effective. I see you used a glass pan at 350. Have you or others done this is a metal pan and how did that affect timing, color and oven temp, or didn’t it? I don’t usually use my pyrex pans when baking but since you have been making this cake for years, I think I should dig out my 8×8 or buy the one you link to.
I made this cake 4times my family loves it.
Can you use lemon juice instead of zest 1 tsp to substitute?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Great to hear! And yes, that should work just fine.
I’m in the midst of this recipe, just got it in the oven! So, I used frozen blueberries and I don’t know if it was a good idea but I had heavy cream and used the vinegar with that? I will be back with an update for the end result? I have a tendency to switch it up and baking is a more technical sometimes for me? But I also decided to make it a blueberry cream cheese cake added about a 1/3 of block cream cheese and 1/8 c powdered sugar for a smoother blending. The blueberries were frozen and I did most everything else in your recipe exactly? But when I went to add in the cream cheese part I had already folded in the berries for a partially frozen pie? I put dollops on the top and proceeded to attempt to swirl it through, yeah I’m not sure how to do this another way but between the spatula and fork we got it done? I can’t wait to see what this comes out looking like? Cross all your body parts and I will be back!!
So I am back with mixed reviews? What I refer to as a delicate, tender or fluffy texture others may call crumbly? Sooo the result is that she may not be the prettiest prom queen, but it’s a royal winner in flavor and texture? If crumbly is wrong I don’t wanna be right, ever! I think you can hear my cat talking to me this morning as I impatiently waited for the baking to be efficient! And I did the whole 50+ 3 minutes! Interesting synchronicity for the cake to be sweet and fluffy, so am I and will be turning 53 years young April 1st! If I can say so myself I am like this amazing dish, warm and fluffy on the inside with a slightly sweet sugary crust on the outside! The perfectly pleasing imperfections are the calming of chaos I dream of! I wanted to post a little video or picture but I lack tech skills?
Lora, what an adventure?! Thank you for writing and sharing all of your notes as well for reporting back 🙂 🙂 🙂 There’s no way to post photos/videos here unfortunately, so I’ll just use my imagination. Sounds wonderful!
Very delicious yet unique buttermilk blueberry cake recipe.
This cake is delicious; have made several times. Today, I used 1/2 stick of butter and 4 T avocado oil instead of the full stick of butter. Still very moist and delicious!
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing these notes!
Can we use milk instead of butter milk
Yes!
Can I use just milk instead of butter milk
Yes!
I am not a blueberry fan but we’ve made this several times for Christmas and it’s fantastic. I’m wondering if I can do a cherry pie filling and skip the lemon…any thoughts?
Hi Jill! I’m not sure, but it’s worth a shot… are you making the cherry pie filling yourself? Or is this something you purchase?
I Purchased a can of cherry pie filling this time. It’s for a work function mid week so I don’t really have time to make my own. If it comes out okay I may try making my own next time 😁
OK, got it. I hope it turns out OK!