Just a couple weeks ago, I discover Pinterest…yes, I know.  That’s me, slow but sure!   I have a sneaking suspicion that this could become a serious addiction…but what a great way to go!  It seems that some brilliant person/team figured out the perfect way for me to identify and store all those great ideas that I come across on the Internet, and better still, make it easy for me to share with friends!

One of the first things I came across on Pinterest was a pinned recipe for Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake.  The pictures looked quite delicious and I had just purchased 4 pints of fresh blueberries – perfect!  My problem is that, unlike Alexandra , I rarely buy or use buttermilk in my cooking.  If I do, I use it for one recipe and then the rest goes to waste.  But here’s another great thing about Pinterest…someone commented right after I “repinned” the photo that they had made the recipe and used yogurt and milk instead of buttermilk.  I just so happened to have plain yogurt!

With all the ingredients gathered, including some fresh lemons for zest from my friend’s tree (thanks, Jenn!) I whipped some of this blueberry yumminess.

Here is where I changed the recipe.  When I started paying attention to the original recipe’s ingredients, I noticed that it called for 1/2 cup of buttermilk.  I was doubling the recipe, so I would need to double that as well.  However, my friend had said something about using milk and yogurt with lemon juice.  I wasn’t sure about proportions, so I went online to see about substitutions for buttermilk.  About.com said that you could use yogurt, volume for volume (equal amounts) for buttermilk.  So that’s what I did.

Here’s the recipe, originally from Alexandra’s Kitchen.

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest or more – zest from 1 large lemon

7/8 cup sugar* + 1 tablespoon sugar** 

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup plain yogurt)

*7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

**This tablespoon is for sprinkling on top (I used Tahitian Vanilla Sugar on top)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Meanqhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3.  Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk (or plain yogurt.  The batter was very thick…almost too thick.  I thought it might have to do with using the yogurt instead of the buttermilk.  It work out okay in the end…just be aware that it might seem a little like mortar.)  Fold in the blueberries.

4.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray.  Spread batter into pan.  Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Check with a toothpick to see if done.  Alexandra said it might take as long as 10 minutes longer…mine took almost 15 more.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Since I needed to go out running errands and was just waiting for the breakfast cake to get out of the oven to leave, when I finally got to taste it, it was barely warm.  But it was delicious even at room temperature and just as good when it was cold later in the day!

This is a keeper.  Who knows…one day I might even try it with buttermilk to see the difference!