Last updated on July 2nd, 2026

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake. - harvestandnourish.com

Moist, tender and simply bursting with fresh berries and bright lemon zest, this Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake is a quick bake that doubles as a healthier breakfast, snack or dessert.

A family favourite for lazy breakfasts during the holidays, this lemony blueberry breakfast cake is as good to wake up to on a snowy winter morning as it is in late summer during berry season.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make it

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (12 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher or fine sea salt
2 cups (about 380 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries (*see note below)
½ cup (120 grams) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) + 1 teaspoon (4 grams) granulated sugar, divided
Freshly grated zest from 1 large lemon
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla
½ cup buttermilk (120 grams), room temperature

Lemon and blueberry are a flavour match made in heaven that can make any day feel like summer. Made with simple pantry ingredients and either fresh or frozen blueberries, this cake is a weekend brunch staple year-round.

🥛 The Room Temperature Rule

To ensure your breakfast cake bakes up with an incredibly soft, uniform, and velvety texture, always bring your buttermilk, eggs, and butter to room temperature before mixing.

When cold liquids from the fridge hit beautifully creamed room-temperature butter, the sudden chill shocks the fat and causes it to instantly harden and curdle.

This temperature shock breaks your smooth batter apart, resulting in an uneven bake that can leave your cake dense, heavy, or greasy.

Having all your ingredients at a matching, comfortable room temperature allows them to bond together seamlessly into a perfectly smooth emulsion.

How to make this Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake in 5 steps

Preheat oven and prepare baking dish.
Mix dry ingredients together with your blueberries in one bowl.
In a second bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients except the buttermilk.
In stages, combine wet and dry ingredients together with the buttermilk until a thick batter is formed.
Transfer to baking dish and bake!

The lemon zest, sugar and butter smell amazing!

Cake batter ready for baking.

A great make-ahead recipe

In case you need more convincing, the batter for this Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake can be made ahead of time. Simply cover, then keep it in the refrigerator overnight for an early morning bake. You can even stash the cake away in the freezer to enjoy later, it’s that easy!

This Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake is a moist, tender weekend brunch favourite made with basic staples. Lemony, summer-sweet, and perfect for lazy mornings. And who doesn’t love cake for breakfast?

Try this Whole Wheat Coconut Rhubarb Breakfast Cake or this Easy Lemon Blueberry Dutch Baby next.

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Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Moist, tender and simply bursting with fresh blueberries and bright lemon zest, this Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake is a quick bake that doubles as a healthier breakfast, snack or dessert.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:40

Total Time:1

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Keyword: blueberry, breakfast cake, buttermilk, cake

Servings: to 12

Author: Kerry

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries see note below
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon (4 grams), divided
Freshly grated zest from 1 large lemon
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup buttermilk, room temperature see note below to make your own

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and prepare parchment-lined or buttered 8-inch baking dish.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Gently fold blueberries into flour mixture just until they’re flour-covered and well distributed. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add 1 cup sugar and lemon zest and press together until the zest is fully absorbed into the sugar and the sugar is yellow and fragrant. Add butter and cream together. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
Fold 1/3 of the berry and flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Pour in buttermilk and continue to stir until well combined. Stir in remaining flour and berries and mix just until the batter is nice and thick, and the berries are evenly distributed.
Spread batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar across the top. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and a tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Adding the berries: Tossing the fruit together with the flour mixture is a necessary step. This helps to soak up any excess moisture and ensures the fruit pieces are both evenly distributed throughout and that they retain their shape.

Frozen blueberries: If fresh blueberries are not available, simply toss frozen berries into the flour mixture straight from frozen. Do not let them thaw first or the juices will seep into the batter.

Don’t have buttermilk? To make your own, stir 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice into ½ cup 2% or whole milk and let stand for 5 minutes while you mix together your remaining ingredients.

Make ahead: The batter can be made ahead of time and stored covered in the refrigerator overnight for a quick morning bake.