Blueberry Basil Breakfast Cake

A simple buttermilk and blueberry snack cake recipe served with honey yogurt. A quick and easy summer dessert recipe for all of your backyard barbecues.

blueberry basil breakfast cake, sliced

I love you guys, but you aren’t the most helpful bunch when helping me with recipe ideas. Last week, I had a bunch of juicy little blueberries in my fridge so I took an Instagram poll asking if you’d like to see a snack cake recipe or a scone recipe with them. It was a real nail-biter and when I started planning the recipe out, snack cake was winning by five votes. By the time I finished photographing, scones had taken over. It was too late so this week, you are getting a snack cake recipe and I’m back to work in the kitchen for those scones.

what exactly is a snack cake?

Besides being my very favorite category of baked goods, what makes a snack cake a snack cake? While there isn’t a completely definitive answer for this question, the general consensus is that a snack cake is a simpler-style cake. (If you’re interested in reading what a bunch of pastry chefs consider a snack cake, check out this article). For my personal definition, snack cake criteria is as follows: single layer, made with simple pantry ingredients, easy mixing method (this means blending method with liquid fat or creaming method with solid fat). Whatever the official definition, they are simple and they are delicious and I love them. I’m calling this specific snack cake a ‘breakfast cake’ because it tastes a bit like a muffin and gives me permission to eat it for breakfast.

blueberry basil breakfast cake, sliced and plated with honey yogurt

how to make (and adapt) a blueberry basil breakfast cake

This cake is easy-peasy and is endlessly adaptable based on whatever fresh fruit you have on hand. To start, basil leaves are rubbed into sugar which breaks them down and releases all of the oils inside. Then the sugars are whisked together with your standard dry ingredients (flour, leaveners, salt) + a little semolina flour. I love using semolina flour to give a coarser texture to baked goods, but you could very easily substitute this with cornmeal or even another flour, like spelt or rye. Or just use more all purpose—I told you this cake was adaptable.

For the wet ingredients, we are using melted butter (you can brown it for an extra oomph of flavor), vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk for extra tenderness. Wet ingredients are whisked into the dry to create a thick batter and then fresh blueberries are folded in. The whole thing gets topped with more fresh blueberries and a layer of crunchy demerara sugar before baking. I like to serve this cake with sweetened yogurt, but you could use whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer. It’s also great plain with a giant cup of coffee.

a piece of blueberry basil breakfast cake

Yield: serves 8

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Blueberry Basil Breakfast Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

A simple buttermilk and blueberry snack cake recipe served with honey yogurt. A quick and easy summer dessert recipe for all of your backyard barbecues.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (80 g) semolina flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (54 g) brown sugar
• 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (230 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar
• 1/4 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the chopped basil leaves and use your fingers to rub the basil into the sugars until fragrant and combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, semolina flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugars/basil and whisk until combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth and homogenized.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until no dry spots remain and you have a thick, smooth batter. Add 3/4 of the blueberries, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in until evenly dispersed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the remaining blueberries and demerara sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until deeply golden brown and the center of the cake is no longer wiggly. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
7. To serve: whisk together yogurt and honey. Add a dollop of honey yogurt on each slice of cake and serve immediately.

Notes:

This cake is endlessly adaptable. Substitute any summer berry you have on hand!

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Gingerbread Cake with Molasses and Turmeric Cream Cheese Frosting

When I originally started brainstorming my 12 Days of Christmas Desserts, this recipe was supposed to be my traditional one. In my little notebook, I actually have written down “classic gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting”. I wouldn’t say that this cake is classic, but it’s definitely Anna. What can I say? I can’t help myself.

While not exceptionally classic, there are some really fun flavors at play in this cake and it’s still a very simple recipe. An ultra-moist, blending method cake gets loaded with grated fresh ginger and carob molasses and then topped with a semi-traditional cream cheese frosting, spiked with a little turmeric. Sprinkling the whole thing with toasted pecans and candied ginger feels a little festive and so while is this is decidedly not a traditional gingerbread cake, it’s a very fun one.

Gingerbread Cake with Carob Molasses and Tumeric Cream Cheese Frosting

makes one 9x13” cake

Ingredients

for the cake 

2 1/2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (from a piece about 1”)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup carob molasses (or regular molasses)

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar

1 cup (200 g) neutral oil

3/4 cup (170 g) warm water

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tbsp vanilla extract

for the frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz (113 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp turmeric*

toasted pecans, optional

candied ginger, optional

Procedure 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9x13” baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and fresh ginger. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, molasses, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, orange juice, and oil until smooth and combined.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together until incorporated. Gradually whisk in the warm water until batter is smooth and loose.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center of the cake is set. Let cool.

6. To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and continue to beat until mixture is smooth and homogenous. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and tumeric, and continue to beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

7. Spread frosting on cooled cake and sprinkle with toasted pecans and candied ginger.

Notes:

-If turmeric isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to leave it out completely. The measurement listed in the recipe errs on the side of caution in that there is a faint turmeric flavor but not enough to scare people off. If I were making this cake just for myself, I’d probably up to 1 tsp in order for the flavor to really come through. Choose your own adventure. :)

-If you don’t have carob molasses, you can just sub in regular ‘ole molasses and get a slightly less chocolatey, more classic gingerbread flavor.

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Espresso Chiffon Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache Buttercream and Salted Caramel

Every year, I ask Martin what kind of cake he wants for his birthday and every year he replies with one word— “fluffy”. It drives me crazy! He never cares about flavor or frosting or fillings, but fluffiness is his peak concern. Maybe, sometime soon, I will learn to stop asking. In the meantime, he will get the fluffiest cake I know—chiffon cake.

What is exactly is a chiffon cake, you ask? Excellent question, one I wish I could give a definitive answer to. In my cakes class in pastry school, our chef taught us that chiffon cakes are similar to angel food cakes in that they rely on egg whites for their leavening. The key difference, she said, was that chiffon cakes also include some sort of carbonated ingredient like club soda, seltzer, or even champagne. When I began testing this recipe, I embarked on my own chiffon cake research and could find absolutely nothing on the internet about carbonation being a mark of a chiffon cake. So who knows? What I can tell you, is that a chiffon cake does rely on the use of egg whites for it’s lift, includes some fat (angel food cake does not), and is endlessly fluffy. Also, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to start incorporating more champagne in cakes.

This espresso chiffon cake is layered with the silkiest ganache buttercream and enough salted caramel for it to ooze out the sides. It feels sultry (is that a word I can use to describe cake??) and romantic and like a messy bun updo, it’s just the right amount approachable and elegant. I highly recommend doubling the ganache buttercream and keeping the leftovers in your fridge for all the leftover cake scraps.

Espresso Chiffon Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache Buttercream

Yield: 1 8” 4-layer cake or two 5” 3-layer cakes

Ingredients: 

for the cake: 

7 eggs, separated 

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup + 2 tbsp (8 oz; 230 g) granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (4 oz) neutral oil

2/3 cup (5 oz) strong brewed espresso

1 1/2 cup (9 oz; 260 g) all purpose flour 

for the chocolate ganache buttercream: 

recipe from Tartine

8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate, chopped 

1 cup (240 g) heavy cream

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

10 T (140 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

for the salted caramel: 

recipe from Bobby Flay via NYTimes Cooking 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

2 T unsalted butter

1 tsp kosher salt 

Procedure: 

to make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. 

2. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and baking powder.

3. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Whip on medium-low speed until whites are frothy then, with the mixer running, stream in granulated sugar and baking powder. When all of the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until a loose, silky meringue forms. When you pull the whisk out of the meringue, it should leave a ribbon mark that somewhat holds it’s shape. 

4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, oil, and espresso. Add flour, and continue to whisk. This should be a thick paste-like batter. 

5. Using a rubber spatula, add a small amount (one scoop, about 1/2 cup) of the meringue to the batter. Mix this vigorously until fully combined. (Doing this lightens up the batter and makes it easier for the meringue to be folded in.)

6. Gently fold the remaining meringue into the batter in 3 batches, adding more only when the previous amount is combined. 

7. When everything is mixed together, the batter should be light and fluffy, a light-tan in color, and there should be no meringue streaks left. 

8. Divide batter evenly into 2, ungreased and unlined 8” cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 

9. Immediately flip the cakes over onto a wire cooling rack, but do not remove the pans. Allow cakes to cool upside-down in the pans for at least 30 minutes, until cooled throughly. When cool, you can remove the cakes from the pans and set aside until you are ready to assemble.

to make the ganache buttercream:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl set over a double boiler. Heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate is completely melted and set aside. 

2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine heavy cream and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved and small bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pot. Pour half of the cream mixture into the melted chocolate and whisk to combine. Add the remaining cream to the chocolate and whisk until the mixture is completely emulsified. 

3. Add the butter, a couple of cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and homogenized and then whisk a minute longer. 

4. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap and let sit to cool at room temperature for at least 6 hours until thickened slightly. 

to make the salted caramel:

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water. Without stirring, cook sugar until a deep amber color.

2. While the sugar is cooking, heat cream in the microwave or a small saucepan until slightly warm to the touch, just to remove the chill. Remove caramel from the heat and slowly whisk in heavy cream. (Caramel will bubble up, this is normal.)

3. Return to the heat, and cook another minute or two. Add butter, whisking until combined, followed by salt. Remove from heat and let cool completely.