Berry Buttermilk Breakfast/Brunch Cake with Crumb Topping
This blueberry buttermilk breakfast cake is perfect for the weekend. It’s also the time of the week that’s most leisurely for us with plenty of time to bake in the morning. Settling down with our cappuccino or espresso and some poached eggs is a fantastic breakfast.
Blueberry Buttermilk Berry breakfast cake
Sometimes we still crave something sweet with our coffee, but not too sweet. So we created this morning a blueberry buttermilk breakfast cake that fulfills our morning needs. After making this morning treat several times, it’s hard to not think of it as the perfect brunch cake, especially for family gatherings. With Holiday brunch, family gatherings and celebration gatherings, berries are always a favorite. Now it is the perfect time to make this cake that is sweetened by the explosion of berry flavors and without all the sugar.
Watch the video making the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake:
Using Other Berries for this Breakfast Cake
Blueberries are always the go-to berry but it’s not the only one. We’ve used different combinations of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries mixed with blueberries. The results are always delicious.
- blackberries are usually the most juicy and often can make the cake mushy. So if you like blackberries, use it sparingly just enough to have the flavor.
- if you’re baking with frozen berries, here’s a great article on how to bake with frozen blueberries
Buttermilk-Berry Breakfast Cake w/ Crumb Topping
Ingredients
For the Breakfast Cake
- 1/2 cup (114 g) unsalted butter , (1 stick) at room temperature
- Zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large (1 large) egg
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup (225 g) flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk *see note below recipe
- 1 1/2 cups (340 g) fresh blueberries (8 ounces) or combination of different berries (approximately – feel free to use more or less)
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling, (optional)
- Whipped topping or whipped cream (optional)
- Extra berries for topping (optional)
for the crumb topping
- 1/2 cup (65 g) flour
- 1/4 cup (55 g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) kosher or sea salt , or to taste
- 1/4 cup (57 g) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190°C). Grease 9×9 inch (23cmx23cm) square baking pan or line with parchment and grease for extra ease in removing from pan when baked.
- Make the crumb topping: Mix together the 1/2 cup (65g) flour, 1/4 cup (55g) packed brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon (1.25ml) salt in a bowl. Pinch in the 1/4 cup (57g) of cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Set aside in the refrigerator to keep cold until ready to top cake.
- Make the cake batter: In large bowl, cream 1/2 cup (114g) room temp. butter, lemon zest, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice, and 3/4 cup (150g) sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg and 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla, and beat until combined.
- In separate bowl whisk dry ingredients for the breakfast cake (1 3/4 cup (225g) flour, 2 teaspoons (10ml) baking powder, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) salt).
- Add the 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk and the dry flour mixture to the butter/egg batter. Carefully stir the batter until combined, but don’t over-mix (it will be a thick batter).
- If using berries other than blueberries that are larger *see head note (strawberries, blackberries, etc.) cut them into approximately 1/2-inch (1.25cm) sized pieces. Fold in the 1 1/2 cups (340g) berries to the batter.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan so it is fairly even.
- Top the cake with the crumb topping made in step 2 in an even layer.
- Bake at 375ºF (190°C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely. If desired, when ready to serve sprinkle with powdered sugar and dollop of whipped topping or more berries!
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Can you make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, we definitely have made it the night before and it still taste great the next day. We we warm it up in the oven. When we made it in the morning and wanted it serve it right away, it took so long to cool down. By the time the cake cooled to cut, breakfast was over. So we started making it the night before and warming it before serving the next day.
Everything in the garden has been going bonkers now and we’re enjoying every minute of it. We have tons and tons of lemons and other citrus. It’s crazy to think how two people can consume all this citrus fruit. Maybe it’s time to start our lemonade stand we used to dream of building as kids. Hey, and maybe sell some of this awesome berry buttermilk breakfast cake? Maybe we’ll do that when we grow up one day! Enjoy!
More Great Recipes:
- This recipe was originally published in 2017 and re-published in 2025 with updated video & instructions.
- Amazing fresh blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Fizz blueberry meyer lemonade
- sticky fig blueberry crisp
- Puppy bellies and peaches
- baked tomatoes with parmesan cheese
This is the best tasting cake I have ever made in my life!!!!! BIG TIP…..I made it in a ZIG ZAG pan. They are made so you always have a corner piece for your brownies! It was perfect for this cake.
Thanks so much Lindsey!! love that style of pan where everything is crispy edges.
This was so perfect. I really loved the berries in this breakfast cake.
Everyone loved this for brunch. It’s so good! I added thawed frozen berries and cooked it for a little longer and still turned out great. Next time I’ll bake it in a more shallow pan so it cooks quicker and cooks out moisture from the thawed berries better. Otherwise, a great recipe!
Thanks Rebecca! So glad using frozen berries worked out.
Perfect breakfast cake! It’s so good with coffee!
I have made these a few times now and everyone loves them.thankyou for the great recipe
Hi Andy, thanks for the feedback and we’re happy that you enjoy the recipe! It’s one of our favorites too.
I made this lastnight.i used little silicone loaf pans and frozen berries. Everyone at home and work loved them.thanks for the awesome recipe
I really enjoy your works very much ! Thank you !
Love this pretty looking cake:) Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Hope you love it!
love that this is not designed to be super-sweet, prefer the savory side of the coffee cake scale (if one even exists!) I’m now very hungry after seeing your photographs, reading the recipe and imagining how this thing tastes, as you suggest, it’s the perfect weekend dish, thank you for this!
This looks so tasty! I love anything with berries!
Oh yes, this looks amazing!