Blueberry Muffin Cake โ This fast and easy cake tastes like a big buttermilk pancake that ran into a blueberry muffin on the way to the oven. Itโs fluffy, tender, and moist from both the buttermilk and sour cream thatโs incorporated into the batter!
Easy Blueberry Breakfast Cake
I was going to make blueberry muffins but didn’t want to deal with the one-by-one nature of muffins. I thought about blueberry pancakes, but didn’t want to be held hostage to the stove flipping them.
So I made batter that was a hybrid of muffin batter and pancake batter, poured it into an 8-inch square pan, and baked it as a cake. It turned out to be one of the softest, moistest, and best little cakes. And so easy.
It tastes like a big buttermilk pancake that ran into a blueberry muffin on the way to the oven.
It’s the kind of cake that I’d want served for breakfast in bed or leisurely Sunday mornings with coffee and the newspaper. Since those things never happen for me, it’s also a great Wednesday cake.
The batter comes together like standard pancake or muffin batter in 5 minutes flat. A bowl of dry ingredients and a bowl of wet. Pour the wet over the dry, stir, pour into a pan, and bake. No mixer, nothing complicated or fussy.
The cake is like a good muffin or pancake should be. Light, soft, fluffy, and tender with just enough density to give it some heft and dimension, with a springiness to it that I loved.
I loathe dry cake and muffins so I used buttermilk, sour cream, and oil to keep it moist. And boy, it’s falling apart soft and moist. That could also have something to do with the abundance of blueberries. They’re juicy and add so much moisture.
They sank a little, but I don’t mind blue walls at the bottom of my cake. A trick to prevent sinking is to roll them through flour before folding them into the batter.
However, with this cake, it’s thinner and I used a ton, so they’re bound to be near the base, no matter what tricks are used.
I’m so glad I decided not to make muffins or babysit pancakes and made this cake instead.
We polished it off in 12 hours. In our defense, it’s a small, thin muffin cake and not some big Bundt that’ll be lingering for a week.
I’m wondering what this blueberry breakfast cake would taste like with strawberries, apricots, raspberries, or peaches. I’ll have to find out.
What’s in the Blueberry Muffin Cake?
To make this easy blueberry cake, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream
- Oil
- Vanilla extract
- Blueberries
- Confectioners’ sugar (optional, for topping)
How to Make Blueberry Muffin Cake
Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then combine them. Gently fold in the berries.
Pour the batter into an 8×8-inch baking dish. Bake the muffin cake until the center is slightly domed and set, golden in color, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Absolutely! I actually used frozen blueberries in this recipe because I’m cheap and don’t bake with fresh. I save those for eating and bake with frozen.
When baking with frozen blueberries, add them into the batter frozen because they’ll run and bleed less than if you thaw them first.
Can I Double This Recipe?
I imagine so! Double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Tips for Making a Blueberry Breakfast Cake
The baking time listed reflects using ice cold, frozen berries. If you’re using fresh, the baking time could, and likely will be, dramatically less. This is definitely a recipe where you should watch your cake, not the clock. Bake until it’s done. Simple as that.
At any time your cake is beginning to look a bit too golden brown before you suspect the center will set up, tent it with a sheet of foil laid across the top.
Optionally dust the blueberry muffin cake with confectionersโ sugar or a simple glaze. This lemon glaze, this buttery vanilla glaze, this browned butter glaze, or this vanilla cream cheese glaze are all excellent, quick, and easy options.
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Blueberry Muffin Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ยพ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 large egg
- ยฝ cup buttermilk
- โ cup sour cream, thick, full-fat Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ยผ cups frozen blueberries, donโt unthaw, add them to the batter frozen; see below about using fresh
- confectionersโ sugar, optional for dusting or see glaze suggestions below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 6 dry ingredients (through optional salt); set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the next 5 wet ingredients (through vanilla).
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Lumps will be present and this is okay. Donโt overmix or try to stir them smooth.
- Gently and briefly fold in the frozen blueberries.
- Bake until done. I hesitate to give a baking range because you must watch your cake, not the clock. Bake until center is slightly domed and set, golden in color, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. At any time your cake is beginning to look a bit too golden brown before you suspect the center will set up, tent it with a sheet of foil laid across the top. I baked for 52 minutes total, and at the 45 minute mark, I tented with foil. Baking times will range dramatically based on if baking with fresh or frozen berries; ranging from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the temperature of the berries going into the batter and how much water they release.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Optionally, dust with confectionersโ sugar or a simple glaze. This lemon glaze, this buttery vanilla glaze, this browned butter glaze, or this vanilla cream cheese glaze are all excellent, quick, and easy options.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Blueberry Breakfast Recipes:
Blueberry Baked Pancakes โ Craving pancakes but not the work of standing at the stove flipping them? Make these EASY oven baked pancakes with only THREE ingredients!!
Pumpkin Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake โ One big oven-baked pancake so thereโs nothing to stand around waiting to flip!! The batter is made in the blender making this the EASIEST pancake ever!
The Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins โ An avocado replaces the butter (and much of the oil) youโd typically add to muffin batter. These are fluffy, moist, and so easy to make!
Blueberry Zucchini Bread โ This blueberry zucchini bread is a quick, no-mixer recipe thatโs sweet, but not too sweet. Each bite is bursting with fresh blueberries!
Extra Soft and Moist Blueberry Muffins โ These are hands down the best homemade blueberry muffins EVER. Theyโre fluffy and moist thanks to the addition of sour cream in the batter. Not to mention theyโre bursting with fresh blueberry flavor.
Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake โ This oven-baked pancake has the chewiness of crepes with the thickness of clafoutis, and making it is as easy as making pancake batter!
Blueberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping โ An EASY, no-mixer cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with big buttery streusel nuggets that are just SO GOOD!! Not overly sweet and PERFECT with a cup of coffee for breakfast, brunch, or a snack!!
This looks so light and delicious! I’ve loving blueberries in everything right now, so this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Super light and fluffy. We loved this one!
I always enjoy blueberry baked goods like this on the summer!
Mmmmm blueberries are like the perfect warm weather treat. The possibilities are endless! What an inventive idea…love it! And it looks sooo soft and moist and oh so delicious!
Beautiful photos as well.
We found you through the Wednesday link up. Hope you stop by soon!
Cheers,
Tammy (& Catherine) of Living the Gourmet
Thanks for stopping by Tammy!
What a great looking cake. Such a great idea to make it as a cake rather than individual muffins like you said. What a great time saving idea :-)
Huge time saver! Music to my ears :)
What a GORGEOUS cake Averie!
Haha I totally understand that you didn’t want to make pancakes… sometimes I feel that way too. It takes more than half an hour to make pancakes for 4 and I am too lazy to stand and flip each pancakes… this is a wonderful alternatives! Love that my favorite blueberries are in it. YUM!
Gorgeous photos! Love that platter.
thrift store find!
Gorgeous! I love the fact that you weren’t shy with the blueberries – it’s always a let down to see recipes calling for only 1/2 – 3/4 cup of berries. 1 1/4 cups is fierce! :D
1.25 c berries to 1 c flour was a good ratio I thought :) Sometimes as you said, it’s like 3/4 c to like 2 c flour. No way!
I love the idea of this cake. It sounds incredible and even though I just ate breakfast, I totally want to make this cake!
Ohhh, I want a slice of this for breakfast SO BADLY! It looks incredibly soft, sweet and perfect for enjoying over a lazy weekend with family. Great recipe, Averie!
I love the idea of a pancake cake. I’ve been toying around with some ideas since the heat has been climbing so quickly here. These are some of my favourite photos of yours, very simple and beautiful and for some reason they make me feel like I’m having tea with the Queen!
tea with the Queen! = I love that! Glad the pics have that effect!
This looks awesome — I was thinking, as I read, how good it would probably be with fresh or frozen raspberries. I’m putting it on my “make soon” list!
These are my go-to pancakes: https://taplatt.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/recipe-flourless-nutty-banana-pancakes/
I want to try raspberries or strawberries next! Great pancake recipe – I have one from 4+ yrs ago that’s flourless and vegan, sort of along those lines! https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/01/vegan-gluten-free-pancakes.html
Wow, wow, wow! This cake is absolutely stunning, Averie!
Thank you!
OMG! If you ever decide to start taking orders let me know. This cake looks insanely delicious. But then again, everything you bake does :)
Thank you!
As always, this looks amazing. Those blueberries…and I love those plates by the way!
Thanks! It was a big serving platter I found at the thrift store. Lucky find!
Looks so pretty Averie! We love all things blueberry so I’m pretty positive this cake would get devoured around here!!