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Blueberry Breakfast Cake – perfect for breakfast, brunch or a light dessert. This luscious cake is a deliciously moist, lightly sweet “coffee” cake bursting with juicy ripe blueberries and a hint of lemon.
If I owned a Bed & Breakfast, I would probably … wish that I didn’t have to clean house everyday. No that’s not what I was going to write. I was going to tell you that I would probably make this Blueberry Breakfast Cake for every-single-one of my guests. While we don’t own a B&B, we do have out of town company from time to time – so given the recently renovated guest bathroom and this great recipe, maybe we’ll get some visitors soon? My husband does a great driving tour of DC! You know you want to come just to have cake for breakfast – and that’s okay with me!
An incredible recipe created by Alexandra, and adapted for our readers.
I have three brothers and three sister-in-laws (plus one sister). My sister-in-law Briana and I have a lot in common especially when it comes to baking and recipes. She sent me a recipe for Blueberry Breakfast Cake that she made on Mother’s Day, because she knew I would love it. The original recipe was posted by Alexandra on her blog at Alexandra Cooks. Since June 2011 she has had thousands of comments on her post. That is a serious endorsement of this recipe’s popularity and after seeing her post, how could I NOT make this wonderful creation?
Minor adjustments were all that was needed for this recipe.
I made only tiny adjustments to the original recipe; a little less sugar, baked at a lower temperature in an 8″ springform pan, half the salt, with raw sugar on top, etc. The recipe calls for buttermilk which performs amazing magic on this “coffee” styled breakfast cake. It’s moist and absolutely stuffed with juicy, ripe blueberries. With a little hint of lemon and a sugary crunchy top, this is a must make for your culinary bucket list.
My husband wouldn’t even share this cake with our favorite taste-testers – now that’s an endorsement!
Since originally posting this recipe, I’ve made this Blueberry Breakfast Cake many, many times. Every single person loves this moist and delicious cake loaded with blueberries. This recipe is a keeper.
If I owned a B&B
I want to host a brunch or shower just so I can make it again. Or, I could open a bed & breakfast and serve it every day. Can’t you see this wonderful breakfast cake on a brunch buffet? Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. You’ll want to visit a while!
Can this Blueberry Breakfast Cake be made with frozen berries?
Yes you can use frozen berries in this recipe. I would add them frozen instead of thawed. Also, I would not fold them into the batter as the color tends to bleed. Layer 1/3 of the batter in the cake pan, then top with 1/3 of the frozen blueberries. Repeat until all batter and blueberries have been added.
Can Blueberry Breakfast Cake be frozen?
Absolutely yes! But, please try a slightly warm slice before you cool and freeze. It’s just so good!
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Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g or 4oz)
- zest from 1 lemon (no white pith!)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (170g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons (252g plus 15g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups fresh ripe blueberries picked over, rinsed and dried (12oz)
- ½ cup buttermilk (4oz)
- 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Lightly grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan. Set aside.
- Set aside ⅓ cup of blueberries to put on top of batter before baking, if desired. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the remaining blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour and set aside. Make sure your berries are dry.
- In a small bowl combine 2 cups of flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, lemon zest and ¾ cup of sugar. Beat for several minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla just until incorporated.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat on low until incorporated. Add ⅓ of the buttermilk and blend until smooth. Repeat adding ½ of the remaining flour, then ½ of the remaining buttermilk until both are incorporated, repeat one more time. Remove the bowl from the mixer. The batter will be very thick.
- Gently fold in the floured blueberries and any extra flour into the batter using a rubber spatula. Take care not to rupture the blueberries.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Scatter the remaining ⅓ cup of blueberries on top. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake in a 325°F preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for 30-minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers for longer storage. The warm cake will crumble a little more than a cooled cake but it's absolutely delicious.
Recipe Notes
- Recipe can also be baked in a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. Watch the baking time in the 9x9.
- I use a dark colored springform pan. If using a light colored pan, you can adjust the temperature up to 350F.
- Recipe lightly adapted from Alexandra Cooks
Nutrition
Blueberries are a favorite in our house. They have the most amazing flavor and can be added in to almost anything baked. These Easy Blueberry Crumb Bars are absolutely fantastic, and who doesn’t love these amazing Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping too?! Blueberries really shine in homemade pies like this Blueberry Buttermilk Pie and this super popular Blueberry Crumble Pie. And don’t miss this wonderful Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake which is the perfect make-ahead dessert for company this summer.
Check out these Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes from Oh Sweet Basil – I really love the beautiful color! I can’t stop thinking about these beautiful glazed Blueberry Lemon Hand Pies from Shugary Sweets – I’m practically drooling! And don’t forget to add blueberries to your savory dishes too like this lovely Blueberry Apple Walnut Salad from Barefeet in the Kitchen.
Are you grilling this weekend? I want to – especially if it involves sitting on the deck and doing nothing. I’m thinking it’s about time for a vacation too. I can see “leisure time” in my future. Hope you have a wonderful long holiday weekend! Happy Memorial Day.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia
Chrissy
Very, very good. This is a keeper!
Tricia Buice
Thanks again Chrissy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. We LOVE this cake packed with blueberries. Yum.
IUL
Can this be frozen? I’m hoping to make it prior to Thanksgiving for breakfast the next morning. Since we’re having overnight guests I want to make a few things ahead and freeze. Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Yes this cake can be frozen but is best served the day it’s made. The crispy top will soften if frozen. It’s still great to eat, however. Enjoy!
Marlene
I made this about a week or so ago just to use up some blueberries and wasn’t expecting much. Boy, was I wrong! The cake was amazing! I made it keto by using Wio Smart Foods flour, monk fruit sweetener, and lemon juice/milk instead of buttermilk. Also added lemon juice instead of rind (didn’t have any). One of the best cakes ever, and so easy. Making again tomorrow. Thank you, thank you for the recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Marlene! I’m so glad it worked well with you substitutions. Bravo!
Lily
I can see that people seem to love this recipe, but I did notice I am not the only person who found the batter too thick to even pour or spread. The ratios are just not right for a batter consistency that I would consider cake. I added more liquid until I had a consistency I would expect for a cake batter. It turned out nicely after that.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Lily. Make sure you measured your flour correctly so it’s not too dry. I’ve made this cake is various versions for years and never had any trouble. The recipe states that the batter is thick, as you can see in the video. But the cake turns out tender and the blueberries don’t all sink to the bottom. Glad it turned out nice anyway.
Chrissy
It was super thick, I used an off set spatula to spread it. The final product has a biscuit type top and soft cake on the inside, which was delicious.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Chrissy.
Miranda
I love this. I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and it turns out delicious every time. I have made this with oat milk and vinegar rather than buttermilk and have also used a flax egg when I am out of chicken eggs. It does alter the taste a bit but it’s still just as delicious.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Miranda! I love your substitutions and appreciate you sharing them with us. Happy baking!
Bethany Blocker
This was delicious! Family approved. I didn’t have a lemon on hand so I put in a little lemon juice. I couldn’t taste the lemon so I will try the zest next time. But it’s delicious – like a fluffy blueberry muffin.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Bethany! So glad you enjoyed it.
Angela Melzark
Excellent tasting, good height.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Angela. I’ve been thinking about this cake and have extra blueberries on hand. I may have to make it yet again 🙂 So happy you enjoyed it.
Dianne
I much prefer to use metric but am not seeing where in the recipe to make the conversion. Can you help?
Thank you……
Susan
Do you think this recipe would work as muffins? Hubby wants muffins and I have buttermilk, lemon and blueberries. This looks So good. I assume I would have to adjust the baking time.
Tricia Buice
Hi Susan. I have a really good Blueberry Muffin recipe that is very similar to this breakfast cake. Perhaps you’d like to give them a try? Here’s a link: https://www.savingdessert.com/classic-blueberry-muffins/. Good luck and enjoy!
HAJoiner93
I made this for a corporate breakfast & it was a big hit! I will definitely make it again!
Tricia Buice
Thank you!
Lora Ford
Do you still need to toss the berries in flour if your using frozen ones? Have some in freezer from blueberry picking and the recipe sounds perfect!
Tricia Buice
Hi Lora. I would still toss them in flour and feel this is especially important because frozen are typically a little more wet. Enjoy!
Evelyn
Do you have any suggestions about baking this at high altitude? Thanks – looks amazing!
Tricia Buice
Hi Evelyn. I haven’t lived at a high altitude for many years but always follow this comprehensive guide when needed: High-Altitude Baking | King Arthur Flour Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Smith
Have made this cake numerous times! It’s a favourite- easy and delicious 😋
Tricia Buice
Thank you Smith! We appreciate the feedback 🙂
Sharda
This cake looks gorgeous. However, it may not be sweet enough for us. Can I increase sugar to one cup?
Tricia Buice
Hi Sharda! Yes you can add more sugar and it doesn’t change the cakes texture or baking time. Enjoy!
Nan
It’s nice to have sisters-in-law who share your love of baking. Looking forward to trying this.
Tricia Buice
You’re going to love it Nan!
Kurt Fitzner
This recipe is simply fantastic. I’m not a real fan of lemon, so I omitted the zest and used stirred strawberry yoghurt instead of the buttermilk. I live in Nova Scotia, so was able to use wild blueberries. If you can find them, they are divine. All in all it turned out amazingly well. Next time I’m thinking a brown-sugar and cinnamon crumble topping. I’ll let you know how that turns out when I do it.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kurt! So glad you enjoyed this cake. It’s a personal favorite for sure 😉
Carole
My cake turned out like bread; no pouring just patting. I followed the recipe.
What do you think happened?
Tricia Buice
Hi Carole. I think you added too much flour. When measuring flour be sure to stir the flour in the bag first, then lightly scoop into a measuring cup. Don’t pat it or tap the cup. Use the dull side of a table knife and level off the top. Also make sure you’re using enough liquid. Sorry you had trouble with the recipe but I hope you’ll try again! I’ve made this cake more times than I can count and it always works.
Carole
I will be trying this again. My husband ĺoved it.
Tricia Buice
Good! Thanks Carole
Cynthia villanueva
Hi tricia. Can i use canned blueberry for this recipe? Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Cynthia. If you mean blueberry pie filling in a can, I’d don’t think that would work. Frozen blueberries will work but I don’t recommend mixing them into the batter as it will turn blue. You can layer the batter, then blueberries, then more batter, etc. Hope this helps!
Dianne Evans
I always “whisk” my flour in the cannister before measuring. Flour has a tendency to settle down, thus you might measuring out more than you intended to.
Tricia Buice
Yes! Stirring or whisking is essential before measuring. That’s why I love a digital scale for recipes that provide the measurements in grams and ounces. Enjoy!
Carrie W
I had the same issue. I am fastidious about measuring flour and found it was too dense to make manageable.
Mis Pyne
I made this with frozen raspberries. I laid half the batter down, spread the raspberries, placed the rest of the batter on top then swirled a knife through. Came out beautifully. Raspberries were a bit tart, so I made a simple lemon glaze. Perfect!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback! So glad you enjoyed this cake and bet it was terrific with raspberries. Enjoy 🙂