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. 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.
3,553 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
Victoria – for 1 cup of buttermilk, add a tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) to a scant cup of milk. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes and there’s your buttermilk! I’ve used it many times and it works wonderfully.
Sarah — thanks for the guidance re buttermilk!
Can I use table salt instead of Kosher salt and just use 1/2 the amount?
Shannon — You can definitely use table salt in place of kosher salt. I think 1/2 the amount is about right. I just did a quick google search and found that 1 tablespoon of table salt equals 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, so your guess is right on!
I think I must have missed something… I didn’t see flour listed in the ingredients. How much flour do you need?
Stacy — it’s 2 cups of flour. I think your eyes are playing tricks on you 🙂
Our family loves everything blueberry! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Hi .. is there a difference between kosher salt and regular salt? AND can I use lemon juice instead of the ‘zest’? What would be the workable amounts if I substituted these ingredients?
Brenda — yes, there is a difference between kosher and table salt. If you use table salt, I would reduce the amount of salt a teensy bit. Maybe use 1/2 a teaspoon table salt instead of a teaspoon of kosher salt? I would perhaps google this to find a more precise amount. And yes, you can use lemon juice instead of zest. I would squeeze about a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half (about 1/2 lemon) of juice into your 1/2 cup measuring cup and then fill up the rest with buttermilk. Does that make sense? Write back if not.
Can you make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge overnight?
Brooke — yes, definitely. Just don’t store the dough in the pan you plan on baking it in. And you might have to bake it just a teensy bit longer.
Hi there! Can you use frozen blueberries for this recipe? Same amount as fresh? Thanks so much! 🙂
how much is 7/8 of a cup
This is so wonderful that my boys are requesting for Christmas morning! I must make to all!
I started making this this morning and I got very confused. The instructions are very confusing! I hope it turns out good. My whole cake was purple before I put it in the oven.
I don’t have a question just a thought…these look so yummy and easy, they remind me of something I made years ago for a brunch and boy was it a hit!
Thank you for posting, it is now back in my files so that I can bake it again. Yum I love fresh blueberries with lemon. And I have found you can’t seem to go wrong when using buttermilk. Can’t wait to make these.
Kathy
I made this today….mine did not turn out fluffly like yours….wondering if it is because i did not have egg at room temperature and i used canned blueberries which were drained…maybe my pan was too large? took 30+ min to cook….tasted fine (!!) but the texture i know was not right….i am going to try again though and get it perfected…thanks for the recipe!
Is it self rising flour or all purpose flour?
what about cooking these at high altidude??? we just moved to CO form TX and are now over 6,000 ft above sea level and im still learning how to adjust recipes for high altitudes.
thanks in advance!!!
I have made this recipe before and I love it, I I would like to try and make this vegan for my brother who is home, I know I can substitute the egg with applesauce but do you know a good vegan substitute for the buttermilk? Thanks!
Samantha, hi! So sorry for this delayed response, and I’m even more sorry that I don’t know how to help. Did you try to make a vegan version of this? So curious to know what would be a good substitution for buttermilk. Report back if you make any discoveries.
7/8 of a cup is 7 ounces. You could use 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons to make 7/8 c.
Oh my, this is beautiful! I am going to make this with fresh cranberries and an bit of orange zest in place of the lemon.
made it for my family christmas eve – left in fridge over night and cooked it this morning !!! huge it!!!!
Just made this for my grandchildren for Christmas breakfast! The recipe and photos are perfect. Not confusing to me…thank you for sharing <3
I made this recipe today, but modified it to allow for my son’s egg allergy.
I used 1/4 cup of Fage Greek Yogurt in place of the egg, and I used Kefir in place of the buttermilk. I reduced the temp to 330 and it cooked for about 20 minutes longer. But the flavor and consistency were perfect. Thanks!
THanks for this, Lynn! This will be a wonderful modification for many people.
Made this for Christmas breakfast. The only change I made was using lemon juice instead of zest because the grocery store was out. I was a little worried at the end because the batter is very thick, but it turned out perfect! So yummy! I did have to bake it about 50 minutes for it to be done in a 9×9, but I just started checking it every 5 min. At 35 min. Also, I put Sugar in the Raw on top and it turned out kind of sweet and crunchy- I recommend that. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear this Amber! Sugar in the Raw on top sounds fabulous. Thanks for writing in!
Do you know if this this recipe is freezer friendly? It looks delicious!
The picture is very misleading. The recipe is difficult to follow. The dough was super thick & the blueberries turned it purple. The finished product was okay in taste, but way to thick.
Ashley, sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. The dough indeed is super thick. Were you using frozen blueberries?
This came out PERFECT!!! Everyone LOVED it…thanks!!!!
We doubled the recipe and used a 9″ x 13″ pan. It then took much longer to bake. At least 60 mins.
Really great! I made this a few days ago and am going to make more for my mother in law’s 65th birthday brunch tomorrow. Would you recommend doubling and using a 9×13 or making two 9×9’s to feed a crowd?
Hi Heather — so sorry for this delayed response. I imagine you’ve already figured out what to do? Truthfully I don’t know how to advise. What did you end up doing? Did you follow Dana’s advice? I think a number of people have had success doubling the recipe and using a 9X13-inch pan, but I don’t think you can go wrong either way.
Recipe was perfect -looked just like your photos -the fiance had four pieces before he would pass it to his mother on Christmas morning – I made the day before and popped in the oven to warm it a little bit – super moist – STILL super moist three days later… Thank you for sharing – definitely a keeper!!!
Makes me so happy Dawn! Thanks for writing in. Happy New Year!
i made this today and it turned out great, always looking for different ways to use blueberries than just conventional muffins/
I may just have to try a gluten and egg free version of this!!! 🙂
Jessica — that would be fantastic recipe to know. Report back if you make any discoveries!
Turned out great! Thanks!