Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake
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 (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
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
*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.
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 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.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
alexandracooks
Sep 30, 2012 @ 16:49:05
Carole, yes, definitely. I make this recipe, which is very similar, as muffins all the time: http://www.alexandracooks.com/2009/03/20/lemon-blueberry-muffins/
Sue
Oct 01, 2012 @ 04:21:17
This cake was deeeeeelicious! The only problem was the crumbliness! I thought it was because my butter was not completely at room temperature which affected the creaming at the beginning. I want to offer this recipe to my sister for a brunch but am concerned about the crumbing. Is there any was to make this less crumby? If it sits till it cools, does that help? I love the recipe though.
Amanda
Oct 02, 2012 @ 14:10:34
Ho.Ly. Cow. I made this and it’s awesome!! Thanks!
alexandracooks
Oct 02, 2012 @ 18:30:57
Amanda — So happy to hear this!
alexandracooks
Oct 02, 2012 @ 18:46:45
Sue — I am sorry to hear about the crumbliness. I don’t have a definite answer, but I imagine that letting the cake cool till room temperature will definitely help with that issue. The cake definitely is crumbly, but it’s also super moist, and I’ve never had a problem with it being too crumbly. Hmmm. And I wish I knew more about food science, but I don’t know how the creaming of the butter affects the final outcome. My gut is to say that having the butter at room temperature and thus getting a good even cream with the sugar might make a difference in the final outcome, but I can’t say for sure. If I learn anything along these lines, I will report back. Hope that helps!
Christy Ann
Oct 03, 2012 @ 08:03:58
I used this recipe, but made muffins instead of cake. 25-30 minutes is all they needed. They turned out AWESOME. I took them to work to share with the coworkers. These were the exact words of one of my managers … “The muffin was really good. Sweet with a little salty, lemony, and blueberry, not too cake like, definitely muffin … there’s just something je ne sais quoi about them.” And I completely agree. I’ve been looking for a good blueberry muffin recipe, and I have found it! And also, I used frozen blueberries, and they worked out great. And my husband loved how the muffin tops came out all fluffy and cracked on top, “like a muffin should be” as he said. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
Lindsay
Oct 03, 2012 @ 14:14:41
I made this for my Sunda School class, and everyone loved it! I posted it on my blog and linked back to yours. Thanks for sharing!
http://normalcooking.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/buttermilk-blueberry-cake/
alexandracooks
Oct 03, 2012 @ 19:55:51
Lindsay — Awesome to hear this! Thanks for posting about it. It looks wonderful!
alexandracooks
Oct 03, 2012 @ 19:56:53
Christy Ann — thanks so much for writing in and sharing this. It makes me so happy to hear these things. Sounds like you have nice coworkers… they’re lucky to have you too!
Sara
Oct 04, 2012 @ 09:58:26
I want to make this so badly!! My daughter and I have to be wheat and gluten free. I was going to try making it with Bob’s Red Mill all purpose baking flour which is gluten free. Would you know if this will work? Is there something I might have to add to replace the gluten? Thanks
Con Patridge
Oct 04, 2012 @ 11:03:10
Can these be made with frozen blueberries?
nutmeg
Oct 06, 2012 @ 06:37:10
Doubling recipe & making this morning for my 5 kids who are bugging me about it. The whole place smells wonderful and can’t wait to taste it! Being southern, I know buttermilk is gold! My Grandma even pours a glass to dunk her cornbread in(I call UT the southern equivalent to doughnut & coffee)!We use it a lot around here.thank you for sharing – lots of love!
Susie
Oct 06, 2012 @ 12:13:48
Oh my….. I am an experienced baker, I have never had a batter be SO stiff. Is this normal? It will be a miracle if it bakes up good. I’ll let you know.
Debbie
Oct 06, 2012 @ 19:48:24
Blue berry breakfast
Rachel mercer
Oct 07, 2012 @ 21:03:23
Dear Sara my husband also can not have gluten I always use bobs gluten free all purpose flour any thing u make u have to add xanthum it tell u on the package the amount to use for what your making . Use bobs for any receipt and xanthum and it always works great for me.
Rachel mercer
Oct 08, 2012 @ 09:54:45
Sorry Sara it’s called xanthan gum. Always add to any thing u make. It holds it together.
alexandracooks
Oct 08, 2012 @ 17:27:52
Rachel — thanks so much for your tips! I’ve been meaning to try this gluten-free myself. I love Bob’s Red Mill products.
alexandracooks
Oct 08, 2012 @ 17:31:01
Susie — Yes, the batter is super thick, but it shouldn’t be so stiff that you can’t incorporate the blueberries without crushing them. Hope it turned out well for you!
alexandracooks
Oct 08, 2012 @ 17:32:45
Nutmeg — So happy to hear this. It sounds as though you have a lively and lovely and beautiful home! Cornbread in buttermilk sounds amazing. Must try that the next time I make a batch. Thanks so much for sharing your morning!
Ruth
Oct 08, 2012 @ 23:55:45
I so need to try these. They look absolutely wonderful!
megbrothers
Oct 10, 2012 @ 21:00:33
this looks amazing and i can’t wait to try it! my sister is having a baby in a few weeks and i’m wondering if anyone has tried freezing it? i’d like to make it for her to have after the baby comes (it’s baby #4 and i’d like her to have a few items that don’t need any preparation but baking). i’ve looked through a few pages of comments but unfortunately can’t look any longer (there are a ton of comments on this post!). anyone had any luck freezing this? thanks!!
Wendy W.
Oct 12, 2012 @ 14:35:52
I found this recipe in a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that was published in 1988. I bought it new … *sigh*, yes, I’m that old!! This cake was the very first thing I made from the cookbook, and I’ve been making it every since. It is absolutely, without a doubt, the best cake EVER.
Megan
Oct 12, 2012 @ 16:54:29
This is probably a dumb question but when I baked this a few months ago, all of the blueberries went to the bottom of the pan & got burned…. is there a way to keep that from happening?
Jackie
Oct 13, 2012 @ 17:55:57
This recipe is delicious! I used strawberries instead of blueberries and feel that other fruits would work wonderfully as well (peaches, raspberries, blackberries). I’ll definitely use this again and again, thank you!
Hailey
Oct 14, 2012 @ 19:50:19
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! I used low fat vanilla plain yogurt as my buttermilk subsitute-worked out great! So yummy <3
Joy
Oct 20, 2012 @ 10:57:27
Has anyone made this with frozen blueberries?
Jen
Oct 21, 2012 @ 18:24:08
Made this tonight as something to take for a breakfast our firm is having for our bosses tomorrow. I already made a “test” batch to try, and I’m so glad I bought enough ingredients to make a second batch. It’s SO good, and the perfect combination of lemon/blueberry. I used frozen blueberries which made it a bit tricky to fold them into the batter without breaking them, but this may be due to the fact that I thawed them out before mixing the batter. I think I read on the muffin post that you can get cold spots where it won’t cook properly if the blueberries aren’t completely thawed. This recipe is easy, peasy, and I’m looking forward to taking an empty dish home tomorrow.
Robyn
Oct 21, 2012 @ 20:29:22
Just tried this today, it’s amazing didn’t change anything my kids loved it, also making a batch now to share with coworkers tomorrow!!! The lemon makes it spectacular, thanks for sharing this its was so simple to make also.
alexandracooks
Oct 22, 2012 @ 07:22:18
Robyn, so happy to hear this! And what a nice coworker you are!! I know, isn’t the lemon fabulous?
alexandracooks
Oct 22, 2012 @ 07:26:24
Jen, so happy to hear this! Your coworkers are in for a treat! And to thaw or not to thaw, that is the question?! It’s hard to know what is a better method, but it sounds as though you were able to use a delicate hand and were able to fold the blueberries in without any damage. I am sure your dish will be empty!
alexandracooks
Oct 22, 2012 @ 07:32:15
Joy — I have not yet tried with frozen, but many of the commenters have. Some have used thawed berries and some have used frozen berries. When the berries are thawed, as Jen just noted, they are harder to fold into the batter without breaking them and this can turn the batter blue, but the flavor is not affected. Hope that helps!
alexandracooks
Oct 22, 2012 @ 07:41:10
Megan — so sorry to hear this and so sorry for this delayed response. A few questions: Did you use fresh or frozen berries? And did you coat them in flour before mixing them into the batter? Was your batter extra thick?
alexandracooks
Oct 22, 2012 @ 07:51:39
Megbrothers — I am probably too late here. Has your sister already had her baby? Did you try freezing the cake? A few of the commenters have had success freezing the cake. Be sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap and to tuck it into an air-tight freezer bag (after it has cooled, obviously). My sister is having a baby in a few weeks too, but she’s too far away for me to bake anything. I hope that helps, and congrats on becoming an auntie!
Meg in AL
Oct 23, 2012 @ 09:09:27
I made this for breakfast this morning and it was superb! I had wondered about making it into muffins, and saw in the comments that someone else did that with success. My next attempt is going to substitute rhubarb for the blueberries. I had a lemony rhubarb brunch cake once, and have been trying to duplicate it ever since. This cake base is very close to the one I had, so I’m pretty sure it’ll work. Thanks for a great breakfast, Alexandra!
alexandracooks
Oct 23, 2012 @ 17:34:15
Meg — So happy to hear this! Yes, definitely make it into muffins. I have a similar recipes that is made into muffins, which might be a good reference:http://www.alexandracooks.com/2009/03/20/lemon-blueberry-muffins/ Otherwise follow the instructions exactly the same and bake them at 375º for about 30 minutes (or less if you are using the standard 12-cup mold — I like the jumbo size for these blueberry muffins
)
sara
Oct 25, 2012 @ 09:40:32
7/8 ths of a cup?
alexandracooks
Oct 25, 2012 @ 11:36:02
Sara — there is a note below the ingredient list, too, but 7/8 cup equals 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Mary Beth
Nov 04, 2012 @ 11:19:05
Can’t wait to make this for my bridge group on Tuesday! They will love it, I’m sure. One quick question: I am learning to cook with my new convection oven. It has been hit and miss so far. I seem to be over-cooking everything even though I am cutting back the temperature and the time. Has anyone cooked this recipe in a convention? If so, what changes did you make? Thanks for the tips!
Sheree
Nov 04, 2012 @ 19:43:53
The best way to prevent fruit from dropping to the bottom is to gently toss the fruit with some of the flour before mixing them into the batter
alexandracooks
Nov 05, 2012 @ 13:12:33
Mary Beth — I wish I could offer some guidance. Your oven doesn’t have a non-convection option, does it? It doesn’t sound as though it does. I don’t think you can do much more than turn back the temperature and cut back on the time and to just be vigilant at the end with checking for doneness. I hope it is a success! I used to play bridge with British granny. I miss those days.