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.
3,543 Comments on “Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake”
It seems really delicious : ) I’ll try it as soon as I have time . I wondering what is a buttermilk is it become liquid or powder ??
Thank u very much for the recipe
Maram — you can find buttermilk in both liquid and powdered form. Real buttermilk is the liquid that separates from the solids when making butter, but most store bought buttermilks are not true buttermilks, but they do the job very nicely. Hope that helps. See the notes in the recipe for a substitution for buttermilk.
I have been looking at this ever since I pinned it. My husband loves blueberries! It’s in the oven as I type. Super easy to make! I can’t wait to taste it and hope he loves it!
Roxanna — I hope it turned out well for you and the husband! It’s one of my faves.
i pinned this recipe then promptly made it. i used frozen blueberries (fresh that i froze at the end of summer). it turned out beautiful. & SO good.
this is going into my “oh crap i have to bring something brunchy” rotation.
thanks so much!
Jamie — I love it. “Homemade” frozen blueberries must be a real treat to have on hand this time of year. Hope your brunch crew enjoys it. Happy Holidays!
Can’t wait to try this on my family – can this recipe be doubled?????? Need to know this – our family is HUGE!!!!!
THANKS!
Roberta — yes! use a 9×13-inch pan, and bake for at least 45 minutes, but start checking after 40 just to be safe. Hope your huge family enjoys this! Happy Holidays!
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe! I’ve spent years obsessing over food and cookbooks, but only recently have I had the nerve to try my hand at baking. 🙂 This cake turned out perfectly!! I actually feel successful in baking something from scratch now. 🙂 I had to bake about 7 minutes longer, as you suggested. I love the addition of the lemon zest, it really makes the cake. One potentially silly question for you-should I store this at room temp or in the fridge?
Thanks again, from an amateur baker! 🙂
Malissa — So happy to hear this. Isn’t the lemon zest nice? I would store it at room temperature…it usually disappears quickly enough (1-2 days) that refrigeration isn’t necesssary. Thanks for writing in!
is this self rising flour or all purpose?
Thanks!
K — it is all purpose. Happy Baking!
made this last weekend for breakfast, was very impressed with the way it all came together and at how moist the cake was.
I used frozen blueberries, since they are not in season at this time, but I don’t feel there was a difference in the texture or taste for that matter,
I will for sure be making this again, but I think I will add a little more sugar next time.
I bake with raw sugar and have noticed a need to added a little more than what a recipe calls for, also my family noticed that the buttermilk was a little over powering, which I feel could be taken care of by more sugar 🙂
thanks for sharing this
Dede — Somebody else made the same observation after using raw sugar. I am not experienced with raw sugar, but it’s nice to know it can be substituted (with minor adjustments.) So happy this came out well for you!
Enjoy!
YUM, and so easy! My house smells amazing, thank you.
Bethany — so happy to hear this!
I have a question about the buttermilk. Your recipe calls for 1/2 cup but your directions to make homemade buttermilk calls for a cup. So do I use the full cup in your recipe or do I make the “homemade” buttermilk then measure out a 1/2 cup. I know I should just go to the store and buy buttermilk but I don’t want to get out of my pj’s!
DeAnna — I am probably getting to you too late, but I hope you didn’t have to get out of your pjs! Just use the 1/2 cup and save the rest for another purpose (perhaps another blueberry cake tomorrow morning?). I think it’s hard to make buttermilk in smaller quantities than 1 cup other wise I would say halve that “homemade buttermilk” recipe.
I used a bigger pan and my came out kind of flat and not fluffy. Would it have been ok to use a 8 inch pan?
Chandra — yes, an 8-inch pan would have worked just fine. You probably will have to bake it for a little bit longer, and depending on how high the sides are, I would be careful not to overfill the pan with batter, and just to be safe, bake the pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet for easy clean up in case there is any spillage. If the 8-inch pan you have has high enough sides, then you are good to go.
Being the “southern” girl that I am. I’m going to use a wooden skewer ( slightly larger than tiny toothpicks) and make a “poke” cake and pour melted butter over the top!!! Yummy!
Terilyn — yesssss. I love that idea. Perhaps all cakes should be poke cakes?
I wonder if I could use a parchment liner and bake these like a cupcake/cake…..
CarmensKitchen — this recipe bakes beautifully into muffins. Of you could use this recipe: https://alexandracooks.com/2009/03/20/lemon-blueberry-muffins/
This looks delicious! Would it be possible to assemble at night and bake the following morning, do you think?? (I’m soooooo not a morning person. :/ )
Meghan — absolutely! I always mix up this batter and store it in the fridge. You can actually store it right in the prepared (buttered or parchment paper-lined) pan you plan on using and just pop it in the oven the following morning. You might need to add five or more minutes to baking time because of the refrigeration. Good luck with it!
Alexandra – I made this today and very much enjoyed Baby Boy’s Favorite! Thanks for sharing it despite your suffering as a lesser sibling to the boy prince 😉
And to Terilyn – Thank you for espousing the virtues of “poke” cake! Wow, I never knew such a thing existed (I grew up in California). Since I’ve moved to Australia, I’ve been having a bit of a butter renaissance and poke cake has got to be the most brilliant idea ever. Now I can freely pour butter over baked goods and confidently explain that it’s in keeping with cooking traditions of the American South. Viva la butter!
Buttergirl — I love it. You are funny. I think I am definitely going to have to give a poke cake a whirl!
Hi, I would love to try this however, my son as a dairy allergy. I can substitute most except I am not sure on the buttermilk. I really want to try to make a lactose free version. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Tanya, I have not tried myself, but I believe several commenters have had luck using almond milk or soy milk in place of the buttermilk. Hope that helps!
These look delicious !Thank you!
Thanks for posting this! Can you use frozen blueberries rather than fresh, and if so, can you toss them in frozen or do you recommend thawing them? Since it is winter here we do not have good luck purchasing blueberries in the store as we do when they are in season. However, I can usually find great frozen ones.
Kirsten — definitely use frozen. And thawing is unnecessary — just toss the frozen blueberries with the flour as instructed and follow the rest of the recipe as instructed as well. Many of the commenters have had great success with frozen berries. Good luck with it!
I know what I will be making for Christmas morning!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Question on the buttermilk though. Your homemade version says to fill to the 1 cup line, but the recipe only calls for a 1/2 cup. Do I use the entire 1 cup of homemade buttermilk, or just 1/2 of it?
El — just use half of it. I think it’s hard to make buttermilk in smaller quantities than 1 cup, which is why the recipe calls for a of milk. It’s unfortunate that you will have 1/2 cup buttermilk leftover. Or is it? You might just have to make a double recipe 🙂
Wow! This Blueberry Cake, looks soooo good! I will be making this for breakfast real soon! I also really like all of the pictures… Fresh, simple and beautiful! 😉
This looks awesome! I may have to double it for our huge family. Have you ever tried to make it the night before and pop it into the oven Christmas morning?
Christmas Breakfast, here we come! Call me lazy, but I didn’t want to look back over the 1,000 comments to see if this was already asked. Can this be mixed together the night before and refrigerated overnight. I want to be able to just throw it in the oven when we wake up Christmas morning!
Cathy and Melanie — definitely! I do this all the time. Store the batter in the butterd pan you plan to bake it in (if you have space) for a no-work morning. Happy Holidays!,
Do you think I could make these into muffins?
Rachel — definitely make this into muffins — it works beautifully. Bake at 357º for about 25 to 30 minutes. Or you could use this recipe: https://alexandracooks.com/2009/03/20/lemon-blueberry-muffins/
I mean, I want to make this SOOOOOO bad!!!! Here’s my problem….only have Parkay spray butter, lemon juice, and almond extract. Would it be AT ALL possible to sub those?????? Ohhhhh my fingers are crossed! 🙂
Nevermind! Had my hubby run to the store and I’m glad I did. We’ve found our Christmas morning staple! This was AMAZING!!!
JoMarie — So happy to hear this!
This cake looks wonderful, and I’m sure it is ~ I just lOve baked goodies made with buttermilk! Thanks for the recipe and a very Happy Holiday Season to you!
~ Marie, the EpicureanPiranha
hi this looks fabulous! blueberries are in season here in cape town and not too expensive so i am definitely trying this recipe tomorrow morning! your pics have me licking my lips in anticipation- thanks!x
You have gorgeous pictures! This looks so yummy. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
I made this for New Years Breakfast and enjoyed it, but it tasted too salty! What did I di wrong. I did use salted butter and self rising flour in addition to the baking powder and kosher salt called for. Do you think the salted butter and self rising flour make a difference? Maybe some like it salty? What are your thoughts?
Kathryn — I think the additions of salted butter and self-rising flour are the culprits — self-rising flour contains salt too. The recipe should not taste salty if you use unsalted butter and ap flour. Bummer 🙁