This Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake is a delicious, seasonal breakfast treat. The soft and tender cake is full of blueberries, flavored with buttermilk and fresh lemon zest, and has a light sugar crust.
Thanks to the buttermilk, this cake is super fluffy and moist. It also adds a tangy flavor that tastes incredible with the sweet blueberries.
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake
This easy, summery Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake is sure to brighten any morning. Honestly, it’s hard not to have a great day when you get to eat coffee cake for breakfast. This particular blueberry lemon breakfast cake is made with buttermilk which adds a great tangy flavor, but also makes the cake super moist and tender.
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Don’t have buttermilk at home? No problem – it’s a cinch to make yourself. Just throw a tablespoon of lemon juice into a one cup measuring cup, fill to the top with milk, give it a little stir and wait for 10 minutes. Bam, homemade buttermilk!
You can make this breakfast cake with fresh or frozen blueberries, or any other berries that you want. Or, feel free to swap out the lemon zest with orange or lime zest, and use different types of flavor extracts. Pro tip: it also makes a great dessert, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.
If you’re looking for more great coffee cakes, try our Apple Coffe Cake, Mixed Berry Coffee Cake, and a favorite during the holidays is this Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake.
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake Ingredients
- Butter – you’ll need room temperature unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Sugar – this recipe calls for white granulated sugar.
- Egg – any kind of large egg will work.
- Lemon Zest – fresh lemon zest really brightens this cake and compliments the buttermilk and blueberry flavors. If you seriously love lemon, you could add a ½ teaspoon of lemon extract as well.
- Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Flour – we usually use all-purpose flour but cake flour would also work great.
- Baking Powder – this helps the cake rise and keeps it super soft and tender.
- Salt – sea salt or kosher salt work great.
- Buttermilk – you can use either full fat or nonfat buttermilk. It adds a beautiful tangy flavor that tastes amazing with lemon and blueberries.
- Blueberries – we’ll usually use fresh blueberries but you can absolutely use frozen berries. You don’t even need to thaw them – just toss them right into the batter. This recipe will also work with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or even mixed berries.
- Sugar for topping – this is optional but sprinkling sugar on top of the cake batter just before baking makes a beautiful little sugar crust.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy, or about 3 minutes.
- Mix the cake batter. Slowly add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix on low speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix on low speed just until almost combined. Add the buttermilk and continue mixing on low until well mixed. Finally, use a rubber spatula to carefully fold in the fresh blueberries by hand.
- Add batter to cake pans. Transfer the batter to a buttered or parchment paper-lined 9″ x 9″ baking dish, using an offset spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar over the cake batter just before baking.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing. Enjoy!
Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe Variations
- Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake: Substitute some or all of the buttermilk in the recipe with Greek yogurt for a slightly different flavor.
- Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake: Top the cake batter with a layer of blueberry compote or fresh blueberries mixed with lemon zest before sprinkling with a crumb topping. Bake until golden brown and serve warm for a deliciously crumbly treat.
- Glazed Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake: Drizzle the cooled cake with a simple lemon glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice for a sweet and tangy finish.
- Lemon Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake: Swirl a ribbon of cinnamon sugar through the cake batter before adding the blueberries for added sweetness and flavor.
- Lemon Blueberry Almond Cake: Add almond extract to the cake batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe calls for baking the Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake in a 9” x 9” baking dish. However, you could easily bake the cake batter in two 8” loaf pans or muffin pans. The only thing you will need to adjust is the baking time. Keep an eye on the cakes and test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center to see if it comes out clean.
One trick to keep the blueberries on top rather than all sinking to the bottom is to toss the blueberries in a little bit of flour just before folding them into the batter. It creates a little resistance and helps hold them in place while the cake bakes.
You can easily make your own buttermilk at home! In a one cup measuring cup, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice then fill to the top with whole milk. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes. Voila!
Sure! You can make the batter, spread it into your baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. The next day, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven and then bake as instructed.
Storing and Freezing
- Storing – your Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake should be covered and stored either at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – you can also wrap your cake and store frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge or room temperature overnight.
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy, or about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix on low speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix on low speed just until almost combined.
- Add the buttermilk and continue mixing on low until well mixed. Finally, use a rubber spatula to carefully fold in the fresh blueberries by hand.
- Transfer the batter to a buttered 9" x 9" baking dish, using an offset spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar over the cake batter just before baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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More of Our Favorite Breakfast Cake Recipes
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Mini Blueberry Bread
- Homemade Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
- Triple Berry Muffins
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This easy Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake recipe makes for the perfect sweet breakfast or light summery dessert. It’s soft and tender, full of fresh blueberries and flavored with buttermilk and fresh lemon zest.
Categories:
Breakfast, Cakes, Desserts, Easter, Nut-Free, Quick Breads, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Vegetarian,
