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
Lana — yes! Bake them at 375º for 30 minutes.
Chris — Many of the commenters have found success with blackberries, strawberries, and with various others frozen/non-frozen berries, so I think you can safely make a substitute using the berry of your preference. Good luck with it!
Loretta — I don’t usually add all of the remaining flour. I kind of scoop out the berries and some of the remaining flour always falls in, but I don’t generally add the remnants — the flour helps keep the berries from sticking to one another when you fold them in to the batter, so the excess isn’t really necessary. Hope it turned out well for you!
Shawn — so happy to hear this!
Kiiki — This recipe should yield 12 standard-sized muffins. Make them at 375º for 30 minutes.
Allie — You are so nice to spoil your mother! I wish I could do the same for mine… too many hours away
Tina — yes, the batter is super thick
Mandy — so great to hear this! It’s so nice when you can mix up batter the night before.
Thanks Amanda!
Annie — If you bake it the night before, you probably won’t even need to reheat it. It tastes great at room temperature and it will still taste fresh just a day later. If you do want to reheat, however, I would cover it with foil and bake it at 350º for 15 minutes. Another thing you can do is mix up the batter the night before, spoon it into your greased pan, store it in the fridge, and bake it off in the morning. It works beautifully!
MarineMomJenny — So happy to hear this. And, silly question, but are you a Marine mom? My husband is a Marine.