This light and Easy Blueberry Buttermilk Cake loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries in a lightly sweetened, moist buttermilk cake is ideal for summer.
Easy Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
I know many of my readers prefer baking from scratch over using boxed mixes, so I love to test new recipes and share the very best with you. This Blueberry Buttermilk Cake is one of the winners. Blueberries are one of my favorite additions to any dessert. A few other blueberry recipes I enjoy are Blueberry Banana Bread, Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (which are also gluten-free and dairy-free), Blueberry Scones, and Blueberry Peach Crisp.
The blueberries are the star of this cake, and I didn’t think it needed any frosting. I simply topped it with a little powdered sugar before serving (completely optional) or you can even serve it with some whipped topping (or Greek yogurt) on the side.
I set out to make a cake loaded with fresh blueberries without all the butter you would typically find in most cake recipes. I was so pleased with the results, and you will be too! The blueberries are the star of this light cake. Each bite is bursting with juicy blueberries. I used fresh berries, but you can use frozen if you prefer.
Creating low-fat baked dessert recipes is tricky and usually requires a few rounds of experimenting. Luckily, it only took me two attempts to get this cake just right. On the first attempt, I didn’t use buttermilk and used double the applesauce. Although it worked, it was a little dense, whereas this final cake is perfectly moist and fluffy. This recipe only uses four tablespoons of butter, plus applesauce, a great fat substitute in baked goods.
Is buttermilk good for baking cakes?
Yes, buttermilk is good for baking cakes. Buttermilk is more acidic than regular milk, which helps break down gluten, leaving you with a more tender, moist cake.
For some more buttermilk recipes, try my Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones and Skillet Mixed Berry Buttermilk Cobbler. And, buttermilk isn’t just great for baking desserts, it’s also excellent in savory recipes, like my Buttermilk Roasted Chicken, Cobb Salad with Buttermilk Ranch, and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.
How to Serve Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
I didn’t think this blueberry cake needed any frosting, so I simply topped it with a little powdered sugar before serving (completely optional). You can even serve it with some whipped topping or Greek yogurt on the side.
Since this cake isn’t overly sweet, it also makes a delicious breakfast. I love eating it with my coffee in the mornings.
Blueberry Buttermilk Cake Variations:
- Use frozen blueberries instead of fresh.
- Swap the blueberries for strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Or use a combination and make this blueberry cake a mixed berry cake.
- Pour the batter into two muffin pans to make blueberry buttermilk muffins.
- Halve the recipe and bake in a 9-inch square pan for fewer servings.
- If you don’t have cake flour, check out this helpful tip from Joy The Baker on how to make your own.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute it with milk and yogurt. See this helpful yogurt swap guide.
More Blueberry Recipes You’ll Love:
- Blueberry Banana Bread
- Tropical Mango Blueberry Lassi
- Blueberry Cream Pie
- Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle
- Raspberry Blueberry Gazpacho with Fresh Mint
Easy Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cups low fat buttermilk
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla
- baking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with baking spray.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, in a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter for about 3 minutes.
- Add egg and egg whites one at a time and beat until combined. Add buttermilk, vanilla and applesauce until incorporated.
- Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Gently fold in blueberries.
- Place the batter into the prepared cake pan; bake cake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30-32 minutes.
- Serve room temperature.
I absolutely love this recipe! It is so light and filled with blueberry goodness. I have to share with family and friends or I will eat the whole cake!
The only suggestion I would have is to cook longer. I bake this for 38 minutes and that seems about right. The center was undercooked on the recipe.
My kids are begging me to make this again and again. I love how thick the pancakes are when baked in a sheet pan.
Hi. I used 3 cups of blueberries because we love blueberries. I’m glad it’s not too sweet. Should the cake be refrigerated and can it be frozen? Thank you.
Like another poster- my cake didn’t cook. After an hour and 5 mins I wanted to go to bed and took it out. The outside cooked but the inside was really a dense paste. I’m not sure why this didn’t work out. Could be that Czech bread flour is different. It did seem like a lot of liquid in general and a very liquidy cake. No clue. I had some of the outside edge of the cake though and wasn’t impressed really. Not sweet enough, I would have done a glaze to make it a proper cake/treat.
A very delicious moist cake.
Soooo delicious. Made exactly per the recipe and it is moist and flavorful. Didn’t even need the powdered sugar!
Excellent cake! I bake it a bit longer than called for, but it’s soooo good!
I love your recipes and am going make this!! But seriously who eats 1/18 of a cake! 😀❤️
I do not have unsweetened applesauce on hand. Is there anything else I can substitute?
I used bananas
We loved the texture and just-sweet-enough flavor. Like a blueberry pancake without the syrup, but you don’t even miss it!
When we try a new recipe in our house that we really like we say “It’s a keeper”. I made this yesterday and almost half of it got devoured before it even had time to cool off and add any powdered sugar on top! For anyone wondering about substitutions, here is what I did:
I did the cake flour trick with the cornstarch by taking out 5 1/2 tablespoons of all purpose flour (1/2 tablespoon per 1/4 cup flour) and replacing it with the same amount of corn starch. I did not sift but I did whisk it really well. I had homemade buttermilk on hand already by doing the milk/yogurt trick Gina showed us- https://www.skinnytaste.com/cooking-with-yogurt-how-to-substitute-yogurt/ , I used Silk brand unsweetened almond milk in this by the way! Lastly, I substituted Truvia blend (6 tablespoons total) for the sugar which really helped to bring the calorie count down to 125 for 18 servings or 150 calories for 15 servings. This recipe is definitely a keeper!