Buttermilk and Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Juicy blueberries, lemon zest and tangy buttermilk make this easy to prepare buttermilk and blueberry breakfast cake an early morning pleaser.

slice of blueberry breakfast cake on a white plate sitting on a white and green napkin

I never knew my kids were such blueberry fans until we went blueberry picking last summer. My best friend’s husband knew a fellow who had SO MANY bushes bursting with berries and they were just going to the birds. It was a hot, muggy evening and the mosquitoes were rampant. But it was still a lot fun and we came home with several pounds of fresh berries.

picking blueberries

The next day I measured out an appropriate amount of our bounty for snacking. Little Brother and The Husband will eat them raw like candy. The remainder I measured into two cup increments, vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer. Big Brother and I don’t care for fresh blueberries – I think it’s a texture thing. But we love them in baked goods such as Cheddar Bacon Blueberry Scones, Bourbon Blueberry Pound Cake and this yummy Buttermilk and Blueberry Breakfast Cake.

Start your morning off on the right foot by pairing this breakfast cake with a yummy Mocha Iced Coffee.

How to Make Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Before you get started, make sure you set out one stick of unsalted butter to allow it to come to room temperature. This will take about 30 minutes or so.

ingredients for buttermilk and blueberry breakfast cake including butter, lemon zest, sugar, one egg, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, blueberries and buttermilk

Place the room temperature butter in a mixing bowl with two teaspoons of lemon zest and one cup of granulated white sugar. Mix on medium to medium-high speed until the butter is fluffy and the sugar and lemon zest are incorporated. Add one egg and one teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix until combined.

butter, sugar and lemon zest on a metal mixing bowl on the left. Creamed butter and sugar on the right.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine two cups of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder and one teaspoon of salt. If you’re using a stand mixer, now would be a good time to switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Once the flour is mixed in, add ¼ cup of buttermilk. Repeat until all the flour and buttermilk has been mixed into the batter.

Toss two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries with ¼ cup of flour. Turn the mixer off and gently stir the blueberries in. Using the mixer will just crush the berries, causing them to release their juices and turn your coffee cake purple. Which is totally fine if you don’t mind purple coffee cake. It will still taste just as delicious.

breakfast cake batter in a metal mixing bowl

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread it around into an even layer. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw) over the top. Turbinado sugar is sugar that hasn’t been processed as much as white granulated sugar. The crystals are larger, so they don’t dissolve like regular sugar, creating a sweet, crunchy crust across the top. You can find them in the same aisle as the regular sugar.

breakfast cake batter spread into the bottom of a white baking dish and sprinkled with turbinado sugar

Bake the breakfast cake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted the center of the breakfast cake comes out clean. Allow the breakfast cake to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

baked blueberry breakfast cake

How to zest a lemon

Zesting means to scrape off the very top layer of the lemon peel, where all the oils are stored. You can do this with a microplane or a box grater. Simply rub the microplane against the outside of a whole, fresh lemon for a few seconds. Once you begin to see the white pith underneath, stop grating and move to the next spot.

whole lemon and zest laying on a wooden cutting board

Why you need to toss the blueberries in flour first

You don’t want to cut into your coffee cake, mouth watering at the thought of all those juicy blueberries evenly distributed throughout, only to discover nothing but cake at the top and berries at the bottom. To prevent this from happening, toss them in a little flour to keep them suspended in the batter.

blueberries tossed with flour

How to Store Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Cover any leftover breakfast cake with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Blueberry breakfast cake with keep 4 days to a week in the fridge.

Blueberry breakfast cake can also be frozen. You can bake in a disposable aluminum pan and wrap the entire pan (once cooled) in plastic wrap. The cake will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer. Allow the cake to thaw at room temperature for about one hour before serving.

square of blueberry breakfast cake on a white plate

More blueberry recipes:

square of blueberry breakfast cake on a white plate
Print Pin
4.72 from 14 votes

Buttermilk and Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Juicy blueberries, lemon zest and tangy buttermilk make this easy to prepare buttermilk and blueberry breakfast cake an early morning pleaser.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 200kcal
Author Lisa B.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest (zest from 1 large lemon)
  • 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, lemon zest and sugar until fluffy.
  • Combine the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together all but 1 tablespoon of the flour and all of the baking powder and salt.
  • If using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with half of the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Continue to mix until ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Toss the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour.
  • Turn off mixer. Fold in the blueberries.
  • Coat an 8-in. x 8-in. square baking dish with cooking spray. Pour batter into the dish and spread into an even layer.
  • Sprinkle the top of the batter with the turbinado sugar.
  • Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

How to store:
Cover any leftover breakfast cake with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Blueberry breakfast cake with keep 4 days to a week in the fridge.
Blueberry breakfast cake can also be frozen. You can bake in a disposable aluminum pan and wrap the entire pan (once cooled) in plastic wrap. The cake will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer. Allow the cake to thaw at room temperature for about one hour before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 8.6g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This blueberry coffee cake is delicious! Made it yesterday for this morning’s breakfast. Will definitely be making this one again. (Do watch your cooking time, as mine only took 45 minutes to bake.)

  2. 5 stars
    I made muffins instead of the breakfast bake. This is one fine recipe. Sooo good.

  3. I, too, have oodles of blueberries in my freezer. Have been making lots of Blueberry Zucchini Bread, but this will definitely be a Sunday morning breakfast treat tomorrow! Looks so good!

  4. Oh, goodness. I need to go and buy some blueberries. Like now.

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