blueberry cake – Brownie Mischief

Wild Blueberry & Maple Breakfast Cake

Posted on January 15, 2026February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

My personal eating philosophy is to eat everything in moderation. As you may know, I love enjoying desserts on occasion, but in my daily life I try to eat a variety of foods, mostly plants. One of my favorite plant foods, which happen to be loaded with antioxidants, are blueberries. Wild blueberries are especially rich in antioxidants. Wild blueberry season is during the summer, but luckily the frozen ones are available year around. I can happily eat a handful of blueberries, but it’s so much fun to make blueberry recipes too! I reached for my bag of frozen wild blueberries to make this subtly sweet breakfast cake. It reminds me of blueberry muffins or fluffy blueberry pancakes. For this recipe, I topped the cake with whipped cream and homemade Blueberry Maple Syrup, which is perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch. For a more simple, cozy breakfast, try this cake served warm with butter and maple syrup. So delicious and comforting!

Wild Blueberry & Maple Breakfast Cake

Subtly sweet, rustic wild blueberry and maple cake, topped with whipped cream and homemade blueberry maple syrup by Brownie Mischief

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Servings 9

Ingredients

Cake

1 ⅔ cups (212g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure maple extract or natural maple flavoring
½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
⅓ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature
1 cup (142g) wild blueberries, fresh or frozen See note below*

Blueberry Maple Syrup

1 cup (142g) wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup (60ml) real maple syrup
1 pinch fine sea salt
⅓ cup (78ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15ml) water, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sweetened Whipped Cream

¾ cup (177ml) cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar, sifted
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and maple extract in three additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream until well blended. Stir the flour mixture into the batter by hand, in two additions, followed by half of the milk mixture after each addition. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Gently stir in the blueberries.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Blueberry Maple Syrup

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the blueberries, maple syrup, salt and 1/3 cup (78ml) of water until the blueberries are softened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl, create a slurry by whisking together the cornstarch with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water. Stir the slurry into the blueberry mixture. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened, about 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

In a large bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until frothy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue whipping, at medium-high speed, until medium peaks form. Do not over whip. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

*If you're using frozen blueberries, there's no need to defrost them first. Just gently pat them dry with paper towels before adding them to your batter. If your blueberries are very icy, rinse them with cold water, then gently pat them dry with paper towels.

Keyword blueberry, cake

Blueberry Muffin Upside Down Cake

Posted on June 13, 2024February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Upside down cakes are so much fun and slightly exciting when you flip the pan over and cross your fingers. This blueberry version tastes like a soft, moist blueberry muffin in cake form. It’s heavenly served warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Blueberry Muffin Upside Down Cake

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened and divided
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (75g) packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus extra for the topping
2 cups (312g) blueberries
1 ¼ cups (162g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan* with nonstick spray.
In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons (85g) of the butter with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to the cake pan. Arrange the blueberries on top.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
In a medium bowl, beat the remaining 10 tablespoons (142g) of butter and the granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and the egg yolk in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract until well combined. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 2 separate additions, followed by half of the milk after each addition. Beat unit combined.
Gently spoon the batter into the cake pan over the top of the blueberries. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out nearly clean, about 45-50 minutes. You don't want to see raw batter on the knife, but a little moisture is okay. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

To find my favorite 8-inch round cake pan, click here.

Keyword blueberry upside down, cake

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on June 29, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Purple is passionate. It’s mystical. It’s regal. Don’t we all know someone whose favorite color is purple? It’s painfully obvious. They can’t hide it. They don’t want to hide it. They can’t just be friends with purple. They’re in a relationship with purple. The first time I made this Purple Berry Cake, a purple lover I know said that when she saw it, it spoke to her soul.

Fresh berry purée is added to the batter, creating a soft, moist cake. The layers are brushed with berry syrup, which helps keeps the cake moist and gives it a nice punch of berry flavor. I used blackberries and blueberries, but you can use any combination of purple berries that you like. After baking, the color of the cake layers will be a brownish gray with a hint of purple, depending on your berries. I think I need to come up with name for this color. How about Silverberry? You can see tiny flecks of the berries in the cake and I think the color is lovely, especially with the lavender frosting. If you want a more purple cake, feel free to add some gel food color to the batter. I used Wilton Violet gel food color to achieve the pretty lavender cream cheese frosting. The extra butter and the addition of heavy cream makes this frosting silky and spreadable.

I’m obsessed with edible flowers lately, so I garnish my baked goods with them whenever I can get my hands on some. I found these pansies in the produce department of my local food market. If you can’t find pansies, pesticide free violets or rose petals would also be pretty. Make sure to apply them to your cake right before serving, since they are delicate and will wilt over time. Brush some of your berries with a little dab of edible gold luster dust for an extra regal touch.

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

A soft, moist cake made with berry purée and topped with silky lavender cream cheese icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 1 6-inch cake (serves 6)

Ingredients

Purple Berry Cake

12 ounces (340g) fresh berries (plus more to garnish cake) I used blackberries and blueberries
1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar, divided
⅓ cup (75ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (118ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pound (454g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
Purple gel food color I used Wilton Violet

Garnishes

Fresh berries
Edible gold luster dust I used Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold
Edible flowers I used pesticide free pansies

Instructions

Purple Berry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). Like the bottoms of two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles. Grease and flour the insides.
Purée the berries in a blender or small food processor. Strain the puréed berries through a sieve. Reserve 2/3 cup (150g) of the berry puree. Set aside the remaining puree for the syrup.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups (250g) of sugar with the oil, eggs and vanilla extract, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in the reserved 2/3 cup berry purée. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beating at low speed just until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from pans and transfer them to cooling racks to cool.
While the cakes are baking, make the berry syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining berry purée with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar (50g) and 1/4 cup (59ml) of water over medium-low heat. Stir together and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Split each cooled cake llayer into two and brush with berry syrup. Fill and frost the cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting.

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on speed or by hand with a spatula, until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat at low speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the food color with a toothpick, a little at a time, until the desired shade is reached. Beat at low speed until well blended. Smooth out any air bubbles by stirring slowly by hand with a spatula.

Garnishes

Garnish the top of the cake with fresh berries. Brush a few of the berries with edible gold luster dust. Garnish with fresh flowers immediately before serving.

Notes

*To find my favorite 6-inch cake pans, click here. To find Wilton Violet gel food color, click here. To find Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold, click here.