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”
Excellent!!! Made this twice (but the 2nd one doesn’t count bc I forgot the baking powder and salt–a little dense and bland, but still tasty/edible!). Getting ready for round 3, but I have 2 questions. 1). It calls for buttermilk, but no baking soda. Is the buttermilk strictly for flavor in this recipe? 2). I normally use King Arthur AP flour, but I’ve been fiddling around with White Lily lately–any thoughts on the ability of WL to hold up in this recipe in terms of density/rise?
Hi Mark! Yes, the buttermilk is purely for flavor — I love buttermilk in baked goods. I actually have never used White Lily, which I know people love for biscuits and other baked goods for the lightness and tenderness it lends, but which I suppose I’ve shied away from because it’s bleached. I’ve always had great results with KA ap flour, so I’ve stuck with that. I’d be so curious as to your results, however! Report back if you experiment 🙂
Thanks for your timely reply! Here’s my project report…
I did batch #4 with White Lily, and it worked just fine without adding extra flour (some references say you need to add a little more WL flour when subbing it for AP). The texture was lighter, as you would expect, but it held together with no trouble. Those with exceptional palates (that’s not me) may notice a difference in taste, but I certainly couldn’t.
All in all, I think it just comes down to preference in this case. Since WL doesn’t seem to offer any remarkable advantage, I’ll stick with AP just because I prefer the extra body in the finished product for this recipe, but that’s just me.
Again, great recipe–thanks for sharing it!
OK! Great to hear, Mark. Thanks for taking the time to experiment and to report back with the results — so helpful for others and helpful for me when others ask. So glad you like this one 🙂
We love the recipe! This was our go-to comfort food during Covid. Do you know if it’s possible to make this into a sheet cake and what adjustments might be needed? I want to take it to a cake bar party and think the smaller portions would be better.
Hi! So nice to hear this. I think you would need to double it for a standard 1/2 sheet pan (18 x13 inches). I might quickly reference some other sheet cake recipes and see how much flour they call for… that will give you a sense if doubling this recipe will be enough.
Was in love with your lemon blueberry loaf so I thought I’d try this one for a change. It is incredible Ali! Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes with us.
Mo
So nice to hear this, Mo! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
This is my new favorite cake. I have made this twice now, once with blueberries and once with peaches, both times doubled in a 9×13, and it is absolute perfection. It has such a nice moist crumb with the fruit, and the flavor is outstanding. The batter is super stiff, and it feels like there is more fruit than batter, but it bakes up perfectly. Took 50 minutes in my oven. Thanks for such a great recipe!
So nice to hear this, Sara! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes about doubling, timing, fruit swaps, etc. — so helpful for others 🙂
I was wondering what your thoughts would be to make this with gluten-free flour?
I think a 1:1 swap with something like Cup4Cup would be great.
Thank you. I can’t wait to try it !
Hi Just wondering when making the buttermilk can I swap in half and half or light cream?
Thanks in advance.
Patricia
Yes!
Great thank you. I will make it this week as a special surprise for my family! Thanks again.
This is my 3rd time making this breakfast cake. It comes out great every time. I love it, a good way to use my blueberries when I have to many
Great to hear, Judy! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi,
Does this recipe work well with frozen blueberries?
Thanks!
Yes!
Can I use way less sugar? I don’t like sweet.
Sure.
Yummy! Perfect for breakfast
Great to hear, Denise!
My family loved this blueberry, lemon breakfast cake! Easy to make and it smelled so good as I was making it ;). I used an 8 x 8 and it took about 45 minutes in my oven. The combination of lemon zest and fresh blueberries is refreshing and delicious! I’m going to try your orange cranberry cake next :). Thank you for a yummy recipe!
Great to hear April! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
I made this on Monday as I had blueberries on hand and needed to not go to someone’s house empty handed and it was a huge hit. Thank you for all your recipes. I’ve got the cranberry orange one now in the oven baking and it smells like holiday season over here. Thank you again.
Great to hear, Jennie! Thanks so much for writing and for your kind words 💕💕