I’m keeping this one brief, here, peeps. There’s no reason not to, as the name of the recipe tells you all you need to know: blueberry buttermilk snack cake. Inspired by my mother-in-law’s blueberry buckle, a version of which I developed for baked occasions, this uber-moist cake is studded with blueberries and topped with a crispy, buttery crumb. It was one of my husband’s favorite treats growing up, made from a recipe that looks very much like this blueberry buckle recipe, and now my boys have deemed this blueberry buttermilk snack cake rendition one of their favorites, too.
The internet is chock full of blueberry buckle recipes that differ almost not at all from one another, and so distinguishing mine from the masses did not prove too difficult. I call mine “snack cake,” rather than buckle, because it is made in an 8-by-8-inch square, rather than a bundt pan (but stuffed full of plump berries, and topped with a crumb that literally “buckles,” the difference is perhaps in name only).
Substituting buttermilk for the milk that is in the majority of the recipes, seemed like an obvious move, as I love the combo of blueberries and buttermilk (think pancakes). I added a bit of oil for some of the butter to insure my cake was as moist as could be and added a yolk for the same reason. I used more brown, than white, sugar for that caramel-y flavor that it imparts. And cake, in addition to all purpose, flour, for a sturdy, yet soft, crumb.
Much air was incorporated into my batter, with much beating, resulting in an awfully fluffy cake, bursting with purple-hued berries. I’m not going to lie: this cake is pretty. And tasty. And will likely take the coveted place of “favorite” amongst those lucky enough to share it with you.
blueberry buttermilk snack cake
Ingredients
for the crumb topping
- 1/2 stick butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 - 2/3 cup cake flour
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
for the cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 yolk
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temp
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen (do not defrost blueberries first, if using frozen)
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 350-degrees. spray an 8 by 8-inch pan with cooking spray, line with parchment, and spray again. set aside.
to make the crumb topping
- combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with your fingers, forming clumps, or balls, of crumb. if the crumb mixture seems too wet, add an additional tablespoon of flour, or two. place in the freezer while you assemble the cake.
to make the cake
- combine the flours, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. whisk to incorporate and set aside.
- cut the butter into pieces, and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. cream the butter on medium-high until smooth. stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula, reduce the speed to medium, and add the oil and vanilla and cream until incorporated, add the sugars gradually, stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl periodically, until all of the sugar is added.
- increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high, and cream the butter, oil, vanilla, and sugars for at least 5 minutes until quite light and fluffy, stopping and scraping, occasionally. reduce the speed to medium, add the egg and yolk, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in three installments, alternating with the buttermilk, and beginning and ending with the dry. scrape the bowl after the second addition of the dry. stop creaming all together when the batter still has a bit of dry flour throughout.
- remove the bowl from the mixer and add the blueberries. using a rubber spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter. transfer the batter to your prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. remove the crumbs from the freezer, and cover the cake with them, pinching the crumbs between your fingers to form assorted-sized balls of buttery/flour-y deliciousness.
- place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the cake after 20. begin checking it at 35 minutes. it is ready when a toothpick comes out with only a moist crumb or two.
- let the cake come to room temp before slicing it and serving. the cake is very moist and will last on the counter for a few days, tightly wrapped. the slices also freeze well and can be reheated in a 350-degree oven, wrapped in foil.
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6 replies on “Blueberry Buttermilk Snack Cake”
Could I use 2 cups cake flour rather than 1 cup of each?
Also, I’ve read that if you use some of the flour to roll the blueberries in before you add them to the batter, they all won’t sink. Do you do this in some fruit recipes? If so, does it really help?
i’d use two cups of all purpose instead. and yes – rolling the fruit in flour helps!
Thanks! 🌝👩🍳
You’re welcome!
This is a delicious cake that I will be making for many years. I love that it is not overly sweet AND it is the perfect breakfast treat. After all it is loaded with blueberries. Thank you so much Jessie. Jo Jo
Yay! What great news. Makes me so happy. XO