It’s like the perfect blueberry muffin but in cake form! Sweet fresh blueberries in a tender cake, this buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake is exactly what I want for breakfast.
Last year I tested recipe after recipe for the best, the most delicious blueberry muffins recipe ever. The kids were so amazing to taste, test, sample, devour and analyze every single muffin. At the end of our search one kiddo said to me, “why don’t you just make a blueberry breakfast cake and then you don’t have to take so much time filling individual muffins?”
Truth.
And so there you have it, our delicious breakfast cake was born.
a photo of a piece of blueberry breakfast cake on a small white plate full of purple fresh blueberries.
It all starts out with rubbing sugar and lemon zest between your fingers which blooms or enhances the lemon oils and makes it really pop in the cake.
Then you’ll use butter and beat it with sugar to not only give it that buttery flavor but most of all to make it fluffy. There’s the issue though, butter is delicious but dries a cake out so we also add oil to keep it moist, and buttermilk to really kick it into the fluffy, tangy and moist level.
Folding the blueberries vs stirring is also a must so make sure you’re gentle!!

Ingredients for Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This recipe has a bunch of the standard cake ingredients plus some key ingredients (that I just mentioned) to make this cake moist and fluffy. Here is your shopping list:

  • Butter
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Lemon Zest
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Almond Extract
  • Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Buttermilk
  • Blueberries

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

a photo of a piece of fluffy moist blueberry breakfast cake on a small white plate surrounded by other small plates full of breakfast cake.

How to Make Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I love a fun breakfast that is super easy to make! This breakfast cake comes together like a dessert cake and everyone is going to feel like they are eating dessert for breakfast! Here are the basic steps:

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish.
  2. Add the sugar (minus 2 tablespoons) to a bowl and add the lemon zest. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers. This enhances the lemon flavor.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until it is fluffy. Add the oil and mix it again.
  4. Add the eggs and extracts and mix everything together.
  5. Add all the dry ingredients and mix until it is almost incorporated and then add the buttermilk and stir until it is all barely combined.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries.
  7. Spread the batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with the reserved sugar.
  8. Bake and then allow to cool before serving.
    • PRO TIP: Altitude will really affect the baking time. We are at over 4000 ft here so it takes about 50 minutes to bake. At lower altitudes, it could take as little as 35-40 minutes. Check it with a toothpick and pull the cake out of the oven when the toothpick comes out with just a few crumbles on it.

These instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. You can also save or print the recipe from there.

a photo of a golden brown blueberry breakfast cake in a 9x13 silver cake pan with two forks sitting along side the pan.

Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?

Yes, frozen blueberries will work fine. They should be added to the batter while still frozen. I would also add them between layers of batter rather than folding them into the dough. The color from frozen blueberries tends to bleed into the batter when you mix it. Pour a layer of batter, sprinkle the blueberries, then pour another layer of batter and sprinkle with berries and repeat until the batter and berries are gone ending with blueberries.

Can I Freeze this Cake?

Yes, this cake freezes very well! Let it cool completely and then wrap it twice in plastic wrap followed by foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, pull it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours until it is thawed.

a photo of a piece of blueberry breakfast cake with a bite taken out of it. the bite is sitting on a fork in the foreground.

Whether it’s Christmas morning, Conference morning, or brunch with the ladies, this buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake is the perfect recipe to please hungry bellies. It is moist, fluffy and full of juicy blueberries.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

3.40 from 28 votes
Servings: 16
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Cups Sugar, minus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 Eggs, large, whisked
  • 2 Lemons, zested
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 4 Cups Flour
  • 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk
  • 2 1/4 Cups Blueberries, fresh

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13" pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  • In a bowl, add the sugar, remove 2 tablespoons to a separate bowl for the topping and add lemon zest and rub together with your fingers.
  • In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the oil and mix again.
  • Crack in your eggs and add the extracts and then give the mixer a final turn before dumping in all dry ingredients. Mix until almost incorporated and then add in the buttermilk and stir until barely combined.
  • Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the berries. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and sprinkle generously with the sugar.
  • Bake 40-50 minutes (see note) or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool and serve!

Notes

Altitude really matters here so your cake could be done at 35-40 minutes while ours is usually closer to 50.

Nutrition

Serving: 1CupCalories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 172mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 246IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: Over 200 Favorite Easy Breakfast Recipes

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a photo of a piece of blueberry breakfast cake with a bite taken out of it.