Blueberry Coffee Cake
intro
Tender, moist crumb cake loaded with juicy summer blueberries, topped with crisp cinnamon streusel, perfect for sharing with coffee at casual gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C), then grease a 9-inch (23cm) square baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper for easy removal after baking. To make the cinnamon streusel topping, combine 3 tablespoons of the reserved all-purpose flour (allocated for topping and coating), packed light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the cold cubed unsalted butter allocated for streusel, and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Place the streusel bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the cake batter.
In a medium mixing bowl, toss the 2 cups (300g) of rinsed, thoroughly patted-dry fresh blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of reserved all-purpose flour until every berry is lightly and evenly coated. This thin flour coating prevents blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking. Set the coated blueberries aside until needed.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups (240g) of all-purpose flour allocated for cake batter, granulated sugar, baking powder, and fine table salt for 30 seconds until the dry ingredients are fully combined and no visible lumps of baking powder remain.
Add the softened room-temperature unsalted butter allocated for cake, room-temperature whole milk, and pure vanilla extract to the bowl of dry ingredients. Use an electric hand mixer on medium-low speed to beat the mixture for 1 minute, until smooth with no dry flour streaks remaining. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds on low speed after each addition, until the batter is thick, smooth, and pale golden. Do not overmix the batter, as this will develop gluten and create a tough, dense cake crumb.
Gently fold the flour-coated blueberries into the cake batter using a silicone spatula, using only 3-4 light turns to distribute the berries evenly without crushing them and releasing excess juice. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into a flat, even layer, then sprinkle half of the chilled streusel topping over the batter surface. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel layer, spread gently to cover, then sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top of the cake.
Place the assembled pan on the middle rack of the preheated 375°F (190°C) oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown, the streusel is crisp, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached (no runny wet batter). If the top browns too quickly before the cake is fully set, loosely tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan after 25 minutes of baking to prevent burning. Once baked, transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving.
Tips
2.Use cold butter for streusel and keep it chilled until baking; warm butter melts too quickly in the oven, resulting in a greasy, soggy topping instead of crisp crumbs.
3.Do not overmix the cake batter once flour is incorporated; overmixing develops gluten and produces a tough, dense crumb instead of the signature tender, soft texture.
OMG this blueberry coffee cake is SO good! I made it for my kid’s soccer team potluck last weekend and every single parent asked for the recipe. The crumb topping is chef’s kiss, I didn’t even change a thing—so easy to throw together even on a busy Saturday morning. 10/10 will be making this monthly for brunch!
Super easy recipe, turned out great on my first try! I did add a little lemon zest to the batter because I love lemon and blueberry together, and it popped so hard. Total game changer for my weekday meal prep— I slice it up and grab a piece on my way out to work all week. Only note is my oven runs hot so I had to pull it out 3 minutes early, but that’s just my dumb apartment oven.
Took this to my office book club meetup yesterday and everyone raved! It’s moist, not too sweet, and the blueberry flavor comes through perfectly. I was worried it would be dry since a lot of coffee cake recipes are, but this was perfect even after sitting covered on my counter overnight. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish the crumb topping was a little thicker, but that’s just personal preference—next time I’ll double the streusel! Will absolutely be making this for my family’s Easter brunch next month.
Made this this morning before a day hike and it was the perfect trail snack! I used wild blueberries I picked last summer and froze, and they tasted so fresh baked in. Super simple to prep, even before coffee which is saying something. My partner ate two slices before we even left the house, ha.
I’ve been making coffee cake for 40 years and this recipe is easily one of the best I’ve tried! My grandkids went crazy for it when they visited last weekend, even the picky one who turns his nose up at anything with fruit. So straightforward, no fancy ingredients needed— I already had everything in my pantry and fridge. SO good, thank you for sharing!