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.
3,550 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
Is there any way to prepare the batter the night before and bake in the morning?
Hi Chelsea — Yes, definitely. Mix up the batter the night before but don’t store it in the same pan you plan on baking it in. Store it in a Tupperware or something, then transfer to a buttered baking dish in the morning — this will help remix up the batter and redistribute any blueberries that might have sunk to the bottom of the dish. Hope this makes sense.
Would like to know about making it a day ahead and either refrigerating it, or freezing it. Think either would work?
Hi Heidi — I don’t know how to advise — I’ve never frozen this cake, but if you have experience freezing cakes and have had success with doing so, then I say go for it. It is a super moist cake, so I imagine it might be a good fit for the freezer.
Lara – what exactly is white whole wheat flour ….?
I want to make this for ou work, but would like to use a bigger pan (9×13). How would you tweak recipe to make that work?
Hi Meesha, To answer your question ~ most 9 x 13 recipes double perfectly. Just double the ingredients. Baking temp should stay the same for this since it is only a flour cake as opposed to say a cheesecake. Cooking time should be almost the same too. Possibly 10 minutes or more. I am sure it will be great. I could never bake a 9 x 9 of anything. (well maybe if I was eating something all by myself ~ hahaha) Hope this helps.
Patricia Cesare
Hi Patricia & Meesha — Thanks, Patricia, for answering Meesha’s question. Just to reiterate, several commenters have had success with doubling the recipe and baking it in a 9 x 13 pan. One commenter noted that she did have to increase the baking time by 10 minutes. Hope that helps!
I just put this batter in a scone pan and made scone shaped blueberry breakfast cakes. Delish! Would be great with a lemon glaze!!!
Is it supposed to be dough-like or batter-like?
Rachel — The dough is very thick. It shouldn’t be bread dough-like but it’s much thicker than normal cake batter. It’s probably not quite as thick as cookie dough either, but it’s closer to cookie dough in texture than cake batter. Hope that helps!
All I can say is Amazing! I made it this morning and everyone loved it!
Rosie — So glad to hear this!
I made this yesterday and it was a huge hit with my 18 mo old. Thank you for the recipe!
Found you on Pinterest and then a friend said I had to try the recipe, so I did and it is fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
Tricia
https://tastes-from-tricias-table.blogspot.com/2012/01/blueberry-breakfast-cake.html
Tricia — so glad the cake came out well for you!
If I made this with whole wheat flour ,would I have to
Change any other ingredients ?
Leisa — I’m not the best with substitutions, but I think if you substitute all of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, the texture of the cake will be different. I don’t think it will be bad, but it will probably by a little denser and it might taste a little healthier if you know what I mean 🙂 If you don’t mind this sort of taste, which I don’t — I actually kind of like it every so often — then go for it. You shouldn’t have to make any other changes. If you are a little bit worried about the result, maybe try substituting half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat to start, and if you have success, substitute more next time. Just a thought.
Can this recipe be made with frozen blueberrys?
Nicole — yes, definitely, many of the commenters below have had success with frozen blueberries.
I just put this in the oven. My batter was very tthick. I had to press the dough onto the pan and I couldn’t get the blueberries to mix very well without breaking them. Maybe I mixed it too long. Hopefully it will still turn out!
Jill — the batter is very thick, which does make it a bit hard to fold in the blueberries without breaking them. But if your batter looked like that, that’s a good sign! I hope it turned out well for you!
Patricia & Alexandra-thanks for answering my question.
Leisa, I’ve read that when substituting whole wheat flour for white, you need to decrease the amount of whole wheat flour by 2 Tbsp. per cup of flour. I just subbed white whole wheat flour for white in my banana bread recipe and it turned out awesome. Hope that helps!
Sara — thanks for the tip on subbing whole wheat flour for white flour.
Not sure where I went wrong, followed the recipe all the way except used frozen blueberries (which might not have been thawed completely but had been sitting out for over an hour). My dough was still kinda runny and even after cooking for 50 minutes it still seems to be runny inside, kinda hard to tell with a toothpick but it does look gooey instead of dry.
Hi Rian,
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. I’ve never used frozen blueberries with this recipe, but as far as I know, I don’t think you should thaw the berries before using them. Just toss the frozen blueberries right in with the batter (or toss them with the flour as the recipe suggests) and bake the cake immediately. Now, as far as cooking times go, some commenters have found the cake to take 10 to 15 minutes longer than what the recipe says. 50 minutes does seem like a long time. I’m not sure how to advise here. Do you have an oven thermometer? I have one that hangs from the oven racks — this helps know for sure what my oven temperature really is. When my dial says 350º, the oven thermometer reads 325, so I always set the dial to more like 375 or 400. Have you noticed other foods taking longer to cook in your oven?
I heard that using frozen blueberries is the best for the recipe. New to this and don’t know how to change it!
Audrey — I would say that using frozen is best this time of year, but come spring and summer, definitely try it with fresh blueberries. As far as using frozen berries goes, use them just the same as the recipe says for the fresh. One commenter noted that tossing the blueberries with flour was unnecessary, so it’s up to you if you want to do this step or not.
this looks amazing!!!!! I can’t wait to try it. I hope mine turns out as tasty looking and beautiful as the photos seen here. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Love this and so do my preschoolers. I used whole wheat pastry flour and frozen blueberries. It needed an extra 15 minutes or so in the oven (and maybe a slightly lower temp, to avoid over browning). I will try mixing the night before and storing in fridge: the blueberries would thaw w/o breaking in the mix and we can enjoy it that much sooner in the morning.
Thanks for your tips, Suzanne. Love the idea of using whole wheat pastry flour. Making it the night before is a great idea — I’ve never done it with the blueberry cake, but I have with the cranberry cake, which is essentially the same recipe.
Hi Alexandra! I found this recipe/page on Pinterest and just wanted to say that the photos you took of the ingredients and cake are awesome and I also enjoyed reading about how you came across the family recipe. :o) I have always told my kids (now 16, 14, and 10) that when they move out on their own I will make them each their own printed/bound cookbook filled with their favorite recipes that I have made over the years. You have given me great ideas about how to use photos in the book — not just of the completed dish but of the ingredients and process too. Thank you! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks for writing in, Denise. That’s a fantastic idea! I need to start collecting Ella’s favorite recipes… oh wait, she only eats oatmeal, hotdogs and yogurt 🙂 One day, I hope she ventures out. Love your idea of including process photos in the cookbook. Your kids will be eternally grateful!
I also found this recipe via Pinterest. A friend and I baked 2 cakes while our sons had a playdate. Unfortunately I forgot the salt (distracted by our kids) in our cakes but I just tasted it and it is super yummy. I plan on making it again with the salt to see how the flavor is enhanced.
So glad it came out well despite the salt, Elisa. Kids — they’ll do that to you!
can this be mad with frozen strawberries?
It look so easy and so delish! ummm I’ll make that for tomorrow breakfast! And easy for rest of the week not worry about to cook anything. We all LOVES blueberries, especially my 2 years old son that loves I mean LOVES blueberries! (my husband isn’t fond of blueberries, but maybe add fresh strawberries in it?) Now you make me hungry for it right now! I’ll add raw sugar on top instead of the white sugar.
I made it with frozen strawberries! So yummy;)
Thanks!
Megan — So glad to hear this. You are too speedy, too — didn’t get a chance to respond to you before you hit the kitchen! Glad to know this cake works with frozen strawberries. Thanks!
How would you change this to be a no sugar added recipe? This sounds great but I have to avoid the sugar. So hard to find good recipes I can eat.
Brian — I wish I could be more helpful. Unfortunately, I’ve never used sweeteners. I’m curious how the Splenda cake came out. Jill — did you have any success with the Splenda?
I used Splenda in ours it’s in the oven have to let you know how it turns out!!
@Brian
Are you allowed to have stevia? It’s a natural sweetener but zero calories. Or try agave nectar but since it’s fluid you may have to adjust the dry indigence. I hope that helps.
I made this over the weekend. I used an 8″ metal baking pan and baked it for 45 minutes. It looks exactly as pictured and tastes amazing.
So glad to hear this, Erin!
I love love love this cake. I’ve made it three times so far and its a real hit at my house. I also used your wonderful recipe as a base and used 2 cups of diced peaches and in stead of lemon zest I used orange zest and added a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon and used brown sugar as the topping. It was fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe and please keep them coming!!!!!
So glad it came out well for you Toni!
Can I use “regular” salt?
Julie — yes, you can use regular salt — like Morten’s table salt, right? Just cut back on the amount a teensy bit otherwise it will be too salty. Maybe do 3/4 teaspoon or a scant teaspoon of table salt.