Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Ohhh, my friends... I may have wimped out, slept in, and missed my lovely tranquil morning hours... But I am currently blogging with the patio door open and a thunderstorm blowing in. I am in Heaven!!! Bracken, not so much. She's a bit anxious, and at the first grumble from those iron-grey clouds she will be hiding behind the toilet in our bathroom. After a while, if the thunder doesn't stop, she'll slink (very quickly) across the apartment to the boys' bathroom and try their toilet. It isn't a whole lot more secure, so she spends the next while rotating between bathrooms, unless the thunder is especially loud, then she just won't move. Poor girl.

It's truly getting to be the end of summer vacation. All Stephen wants to do is read (or watch movies) and he's dying to go back to school. Joe just wants to play his own games without dictation from his older brother. The draw of the pool has diminished, it's only fun to play outside in the evening (except the past three days), and they're just a little tired of each other's constant companionship. Summer vacation has served it's purpose! One more week and they're off to school. I hope to have my morning habits well established enough to wake up before the boys and make yummier breakfasts this year, something other than cereal and microwave oatmeal. Something like this!

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake (adapted slightly from Alexandra's Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest from 1 large lemon
3/4 cup plus 2 Tb sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rub zest into sugar with your fingertips. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder)

Cream butter and lemon sugar together until pale and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix after each addition until just combined and scrape down the bowl. Gently fold in the blueberries. (Careful! This is a very thick batter, don't crush your blueberries!)

Grease a 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Gently spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with a tablespoon or two of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. Check with a toothpick: if it comes out with crumbs on, it isn't quite ready. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Buttery, golden, lemony berry deliciousness! Smelled so wonderful baking too. I wish my Joe liked cooked berries... Sigh.

Well, Stephen and I loved it!! A simply scrumptious summer breakfast cake! Hints of lemon all through with those bursting pockets of warm blueberry goodness...

You all know how I feel about buttermilk, it is absolute magic for baked goods. It makes them more moist, more fluffy, and adds a subtle little tang that nothing else can match. This cake is a perfect example, and I hope you try it!

Anyone else out there counting down the days till school starts again??