I swear buttermilk is magic. I’ve dwelled on this before. Buttermilk seems to turn everything to gold. Super-moist, super-delicious gold.
Anyway, I needed a simple, summery, breakfasty, cake-like-but-not-dessert-like recipe to make this morning. 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 crave having a good, seasonal, berry cake recipe in their morning-treat repertoire?
Nobody. And I think I’ve found the recipe that fits the bill. 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.
Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Serves 6-8
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk
* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. 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.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 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.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
691 Comments
I can’t wait to make this cake! Will be perfect for a Mardi Gras breakfast party in a couple of weeks. Has anyone added a handful of choc chips to this recipe?
I am allergic to eggs. Do you think applesauce would work in this recipe instead? I am always looking for breakfast foods I can eat.
Would sour cream be an ok substitute for buttermilk in this recipe or would it affect the flavor too much? Not sure if it is there for flavor or just moisture. Thanks!
can you give us the nutrients counts in this?specially calories
Just made this and substituted plain greek style yogurt was very liquify– for the buttermilk, and added a handful of fresh raspberries to fill out the 2 cups of blueberries. I also substituted orange zest for the lemon, as thats what I had on hand. The batter tasted delicious and the cake is happily baking in the oven. Looks pretty!
Tiffany — I think sour cream might be OK actually. Anything tangy like yogurt or kefir or sour cream probably won’t affect the flavor too much. Report back if you make any discoveries!
Beckie — gosh, I don’t know how to make these sorts of substitutions. I know applesauce can often be used in place of fat or sugar (sorry, I’m terrible with the food science) but I don’t know how it works as a substitution for eggs. I’ve used a product called EnerG in some vegan muffins that worked quite nicely. Maybe give that a go. I store the box in my freezer since I don’t use it that often.
Juniper — I say go for it. Or maybe try substituting half of the sugar with applesauce to start? I am terrible with these sorts of things. Please report back if you make any discoveries. I’ve had success with using applesauce in recipes in the past but it’s never very scientific
Kelly — it’s definitely best the day it’s baked, but it is a super-moist cake and holds up better than most. So, if you need to make it a day in advance, I don’t think anyone will be complaining.
Any suggestions on substitutes for the butter? Would applesauce work?
Can I make the batter the night before and refrigerate it for the morning? If I use frozen blueberries should I defrost them first? Thanks.
Do you have to use lemon ZEST, or could you substitute with just a little lemon juice? Is it more for flavor or texture? No lemons on hand, but I do have lemon juice…maybe I’ll just test it out. Also would you double for a 13X9 pan? Or would that change the consistency when baked? Thanks
Thanks for the recipe…yum! I didn’t have any lemon zest, so I used a little lemon juice and it still turned out delicious.
Looks delicious. I’m anxious to try it. Thanks!
Just made this. It tastes amazing
Hi,
Do you have any suggestions on doubling the recipe to make it larger for a bigger crowd? Maybe using the 13×9 pan?
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it : )
Thanks,
Leslie O.
Any suggestions on doubling the recipe?
This sound awesome and plan on making it for a large group of people.
Thanks! Yum, yum!
I made this today for breakfast and it was killer! Hubby compared it to his favorite blueberry muffin from Mimi’s Cafe being that good! Thank you!
Made this today and it was killer! Hubby even compared it to his favorite blueberry muffin at Mimi’s Cafe! Thank you!
Bekie, we eat vegan and I use 1 TB corn starch plus 1 TB water for each egg in a recipe. I’ve not tried this recipe yet, but this formula works in all my other baked goods. Hope that helps!
Jackie — so happy to hear this!
Hi Leslie — sorry for the delay here. I have not doubled it, but many of the readers have and they suggest using a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Some of them had to increase the baking time by about 10 minutes, but otherwise, doubling was pretty easy. Happy Baking!
I just made this – so awesome! Thanks for sharing!
To Rachel above:
As a recent culinary graduate, and with a very vague idea on how baking science works, I would say applesauce would not work as good. In the picture, its brown and crispy and thats due to the fat in the butter. Applesauce is a good substitute in recipes that are like a regular cake where color isn’t a desire to have. But in this cake the top is crackly and crunchy while the rest is moist. Fat is lighter than water (two of the three components that make up butter) and when it melts in the oven, all that fat goes to the top of this cake and bubbles and browns. Its the best part : )
Thanks for the recipe! DELICIOUS! Just made it for my husband and 2 little boys for a special Valentine’s Day breakfast! ALL were wanting more!
My substitutions were agave nectar for sugar, coconut oil for butter, and plain yogurt for the buttermilk. This recipe has officially landed in my tried-and-true-recipes cookbook!
FYI – I made it all last night, put it in the Pyrex, covered it with foil, and tossed it in the oven this morning. I didn’t seem to have any problems by doing it early and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.
Hi, I love the pictures… I’m on no sugar, no chocolate and no gluten… pictures are getting me through and this looks AMAZING! I will use one of your recipie’s in the future… after I’ve reached my weight goal!
how in the world do you measure 7/8 cup of sugar?
Your photos are great! What camera are you using?
If you are increasing from a 9×9 to a 9×13, you will have to increase baking time. I usually try an extra 10-15 minutes and keep a close eye. It will make a thicker coffeecake so you can cut smaller pieces than if you were using a 9×9 pan. Making this for my grandkids for breakfast….looks amazing!
You make me smile…but sound like my stepmother. She takes an old family 4 ingredient recipe and makes a substitution for all four of the ingredients and serves it as “an old family dish”.
Jeri — thanks for these tips!
Auntie M — I use a canon rebel xt. I never use the flash — the built in one with this model is not very good. Let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Randi — 7/8 cup equals 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Courtney — great to hear this. It’s so nice to be able to make/assemble ahead of time, especially at breakfast.
2BMrsWalsh — thanks so much for your insight. I am a terrible food science, so I really appreciate your knowledge!
I made this this morning for my nephews birthday. It’s gone.
Thanks for a great recipe!
These look amazing! I will definitely have to try these out. Check out my blog post for another breakfast recipe, Raspberry Coffee Cake:
http://eatsaroundtheworld.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/raspberry-coffee-cake/
We just made this but didnt have a lemon so used a lime. The batter was very good! My three year old licked the bowl clean.
Can’t wait for it to get out of the oven!
Alexandra,
Thank YOU for this delicious recipe. I’ve made it twice and am making it again tonight!
I think I over bake it though, it doesn’t turn out as dense and moist looking as yours. Im going to try and cut it to 25-30 minutes. Either way, its always very good!