One of the most common questions I get is “how do you come up with your cake flavors?” I wish I had some super thorough, scientific process, but it’s literally this – I just ask myself what sounds good at that moment, and then I get to creating it. This blueberry buttermilk cake is a perfect example of that.
It was mid-day on a Sunday, and I was thinking about brunch. What’s more satisfying for brunch than a big ol’ stack of blueberry pancakes, topped with butter and maple syrup? In my book, nothing. So I figured, why not take it a step further and turn that nostalgic Sunday brunch feeling and all of those delicious flavors, into a cake?!
I had just gotten a ton of fresh blueberries and they’re so delicious right now, so I knew I wanted this cake to be bursting with fresh berries. I decided that the cake would be the ‘pancakes’ portion, and the frosting would be the ‘butter and syrup.’
The blueberry buttermilk cake
The base for this cake is a buttermilk vanilla cake that is LOADED with fresh blueberries. The cake is a pretty standard vanilla cake, but the addition of buttermilk gives it that pancake-y flavor, and makes it nice and moist. However, I’m a total cheater and I never have real buttermilk on hand, so I make my own.
Here’s how I do it – add 1 tsp of white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill it the rest of the way with (ideally whole) milk. Boom – buttermilk. Works great in this recipe, so don’t sweat it if you don’t have buttermilk!
Aside from the buttermilk hack, this recipe is super standard – combine your wet ingredients, combine your dry ingredients, and then combine the two. When it comes to adding the blueberries, roll them in flour before you toss them into the batter to prevent them from all sinking. The flour coating will help suspend the blueberries in the cake so they’ll be more evenly distributed.
The frosting
To achieve the classic pancake topping flavors, I had to use those same ingredients – butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. This frosting is essentially a buttercream, but the addition of maple syrup thins it out and gives it a rich, maple flavor which tastes AMAZING on this cake.
Simply combine softened, room temperature butter with powdered sugar, then add a little vanilla extract and maple syrup until you have your desired consistency. I like to beat my frosting in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment so that it ends up light and fluffy. My trick is that once the frosting is fully combined, I turn the mixer up to an 8 speed for about a minute. It makes the frosting suuuper fluffy and airy.
Blueberry Buttermilk Cake with Maple Frosting
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer
- 9″ cake pan
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking power
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup blueberries tossed in flour
- 1/2 cup butter softened to room temp
- 1.5 – 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a bowl and whisk together to combine
- In a separate bowl, combine egg, oil, buttermilk, vanilla
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and whisk together until fully combined. Toss blueberries in flour to coat and then gently fold into batter.
- Pour batter into greased 9″ cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
- Allow cake to cool completely before frosting. While your cake cools, combine butter and powdered sugar in bowl of a stand mixer and mix until fully combined (should be thick). Add vanilla and then add maple syrup 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- To make your frosting extra fluffy, using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, turn it up to an 8 speed once frosting is fully combined and let it whip for about a minute to incorporate some air.
- Frost your cake, and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and allow to come to room temp before enjoying.
Nutrition
Looking for other cake recipes?
You’re in luck – this gal makes a LOT of cakes. Check out some of these tasty cake recipes:
