Description

A tender and moist blueberry breakfast cake that’s easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. This cake strikes a perfect balance of sweet and tart, making it ideal for weekend breakfasts or brunch gatherings. It features fresh or frozen blueberries lightly coated in flour to prevent sinking, with bright lemon zest for a fresh citrus note. Simply mix, fold, and bake for a delightful breakfast treat that feels like dessert but is light enough to enjoy in the morning.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur)
1 egg (room temperature)
1 lemon zest (finely grated)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1½ tsp lemon juice or white vinegar, let sit 5 minutes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature, about 70°F)
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries (patted dry to prevent sinking; frozen can be used without thawing)
1 tsp kosher salt

For the Topping

1 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling)

Instructions

Prepare Blueberries and Dry Ingredients: Pat the fresh blueberries dry to prevent them from sinking. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp kosher salt. In a separate small bowl, gently toss the dried blueberries with 1/4 cup of the flour mixture. This helps keep the blueberries evenly distributed during baking.
Cream Wet Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 8- or 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter, lemon zest, and 1 cup sugar (reserving 1 tbsp for topping) until light and fluffy. Beat in the room temperature egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the bowl sides as needed.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients & Fold in Blueberries: Alternately add the prepared flour mixture and 1/2 cup buttermilk to the creamed butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix on low speed until just combined to avoid overmixing. Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries by hand to avoid crushing them and turning the batter purple.
Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon sugar over the top to create a crispy crust. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the Cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature (about 1 hour) for better emulsion and cake texture.
Do not overmix the batter to avoid toughness.
Coating blueberries in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
Frozen blueberries can be used directly from the freezer without thawing.
Buttermilk can be substituted by milk with added lemon juice or vinegar.
Salted butter can be used if reducing added salt by 1/4 tsp.
Store cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to 5 days, or freeze individually wrapped for up to 3 months.
For a 9×13 inch pan, doubling the recipe is possible but increase baking time accordingly and check doneness by skewer test.
Other berries like raspberries or blackberries can be substituted for blueberries.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Breakfast Cake
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: blueberry breakfast cake, easy breakfast cake, make-ahead breakfast, weekend brunch cake, blueberry cake recipe, lemon blueberry cake