The Cake Blog

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

by

Our contributor, Tessa Huff, is back with another tempting cake recipe….

Spring is the season for brunching.  Good friends, daffodils, pastries, and mimosas- there is no better way to celebrate renewal, bright blooms, and warmer weather.  Amongst the danishes, donuts, and other sweet treats, cake does not seem to make many appearances on the brunch menu.  But what not bring cake to the breakfast party?  Coming from someone who believes a nice layer cake is appropriate for all occasions, lets break the boundaries and eat cake for breakfast!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Tessa Huff | TheCakeBlog.com

Whenever I make pancakes, they are never ready all at the same time, especially when serving a crowd.  I typically serve my guests the fresh, warm pancakes, while I either snack on the oddly-shaped ones in the kitchen or eat alone once everyone else is served.  With this Blueberry Breakfast Cake, everyone can enjoy the nostalgic flavors of blueberry pancakes all at once.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Tessa Huff | TheCakeBlog.com

For this recipe, I deconstructed one of my favorite brunch food items and used the flavors to create a new dessert.  It uses all of our favorite early morning flavors that leave us feeling warm and fuzzy all day.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Tessa Huff | TheCakeBlog.com3

A blueberry-studded buttermilk cake serves as the base for this creation, with a sprinkle of cinnamon for a touch of warmth.  Fresh or frozen blueberries will work, but keep them frozen to prevent bleeding in your cake batter.  I was inspired by the luscious pats of butter and ooey syrup found atop stacks of pancakes for the filling.  The browned-butter is slightly nutty and pairs wonderfully with the addition of pure maple syrup.  Since the buttermilk cake is on the heavier side and browned-butter filling is fairly rich, the final cake is iced with a light, cinnamon whipped cream frosting.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Tessa Huff | TheCakeBlog.com

BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST CAKE
a recipe by Tessa Huff

3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries, frozen

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare 3 X 8” baking pans.
  2. Sift dry ingredients and set aside.  Toss frozen blueberries in a separate bowl with just enough flour to lightly coat and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed with a paddle attachment.
  4. Add sugar. Mix again until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes)
  5. With the mixer on medium-low, add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Turn mixer off and scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  6. With the mixer on low, carefully add about half of your dry ingredients until just combined.
  7. While the mixer is still running, stream in the buttermilk.
  8. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  9. Removed the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the blueberries.
  10. Divide batter evenly between the three cake pans and place in the oven.  Bake until a wooden skewer comes out clean or with little crumbs from the center of the cake, about 20 minutes.  Rotate pans halfway through baking.
  11. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before inverting.

for the Maple Browned-Butter Filling

3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons milk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Continue to cook until the butter becomes an amber brown, about 10 minutes.  Stir frequently to avoid burning the butter.  Once browned, remove from heat and cool.  After the butter has cooled, stir in the remaining ingredients.  Gradually add in the milk and adjust amount according to desired consistency.  Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.

for the Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2 cups cold whipping cream
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Using the whisk attachment, beat the cream mixture on high until stiff peaks form.  Be careful not to over-mix.  Use immediately.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Tessa Huff | TheCakeBlog.com

Tessa Huff , CONTRIBUTOR

Tessa Huff is a professional cake designer and lover of all things art and design. She particularly enjoys creating edible decorations, sugar flowers, and unique flavor pairings with fresh, seasonal flavors. Read more about Tessa on her bio page.

You're The Best Mom! Find the perfect treat for your mom in our Mother’s Day Gallery!

Comments

    • Sorry Ruth, I don’t think we have a calorie count to post. But… happy, delicious cake calories don’t have to count! Do they? If so, I’m in trouble!

  2. perfect timing – my dad’s birthday is this weekend and he will LOVE having this cake (for breakfast too) 🙂 thank you!

  10. oh my goodness. from someone who makes and tastes quite often, this cake actually made me want to EAT cake. looks and sounds so yummy! totally going to try this… ^__^ thanks for sharing!

  11. I’m going to make this today! If I double this recipe would it be enough for a 12×16 pan?

  12. In the cake recipe it says to add cream, I assumed that was the buttermilk?…but when it came up later I realized it wasnt. How much cream…heavy whipping cream?

    • So sorry to hear you’re frustrated. I think you’re referring to Step 4?

      “Add sugar and cream until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes)”

      If so, I’ve updated that step to help clarify. You’re not adding cream (the ingredient) to the recipe. But rather beating/mixing (creaming) the butter and sugar together.

      Hope that helps!

  16. Can you assemble the cake the night before? I just thought this would be a great treat for snack day at work, but am worried about the whipping cream layer going a bit flat overnight.

    Thanks!

  17. I just took the cake out of the oven had to cook longer than 20mins more like 30 ?? I didn’t know so I sprayed the baking pam will that change anything? seems a little soft on bottom when I turned them out of the pan. Going to assemble the rest tomorrow, as I want to take it to church Sunday.

  18. I want to make this for a bridal brunch but I am confused about the filling. When do you apply the filling? Brushed on after the cakes are cooled and before frosting? Thanks for any tips in advance.

    • Exactly Nicole! Once the cakes have cooled, stack the three layers of cake with the maple browned-butter filling in between. {It’s thick, just like icing} Then frost the outside with the cinnamon whipped cream.

      Hope that makes sense!

    • Correct Susan! The maple browned-butter filling goes between the layers of cake. The cinnamon whipped cream is used to frost the outside of the cake.

  20. Hello. 1st id like to compliment you on your work Your quite the talented artist!!!
    I started making your blueberry breakfast cake today. Everything was going smoothly until i noticed how much darker my maple brown butter filling was than what’s shown in the pic above. I did not over brown the butter How did your filling stay so white? The amber colored browned butter didn’t seem to effect the color of your filling. How did you accomplish that? i prefer a crisp bright white over the tinted. Helping me achieve that would be greatly appreciated Thank you.

  22. This cake was GREAT! I thought the filling was a little on the sweet side – I will thin it out more next time and use just a little, then put the whipped frosting in between the layers. But the cake was AWESOME! Thanks for sharing!

  23. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. My son LOVES blueberry pancakes, so I wanted to create a special cake for his 2nd birthday. Your cake was exactly what I was looking for and a giant hit – everyone commented on how delicious it was. I used this as the bottom tier of a two-tiered cake, and since it was going to get a layer of fondant, used a white chocolate ganache with a tiny hint of pure maple extract on the outside (I also set some ganache aside, which was whipped for the filling). Thanks again for helping make our day special!

  25. Hi,
    This cake looks amazing and I’d love to make it for a brunch baby shower. Can you please reply with whether it can be made a day before, or possibly the cake part even frozen, and then just thawed the day before and iced day off?? Thank you!!

HOME   |   ADVERTISE   |   PRIVACY POLICY