Blueberry Coffee Cake

This blueberry coffee cake is soft and tender, packed with sweet blueberries, and crowned with a buttery, crunchy cinnamon streusel. It bakes in one pan, it uses everyday pantry staples, and it is the cake I reach for the moment fresh blueberries show up at the market. Serve it warm from the pan or at room temperature alongside coffee.

Easy Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe

I keep one classic coffee cake recipe in rotation through most of the year. It is the same base I use again and again, and it simply changes with the seasons. In the fall I swap in pumpkin for a pumpkin coffee cake with streusel. When blueberry season finally arrives, that same batter becomes this blueberry coffee cake.

That is the part I love most about this recipe. You are not learning something brand new every time the calendar turns. You are making small, easy changes to a cake you already trust.

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If you go overboard at the u pick farm like I do, extra blueberries have plenty of places to go.

A blueberry buttermilk cake is a lovely next step, and a lemon blueberry cake is a bright, summery option when you want something with a little citrus lift.

Ingredient Notes

The full printable recipe with exact measurements sits further down the page, but a quick walk through the ingredients helps you understand why this cake turns out so soft.

• Milk and vegetable oil. Both add moisture, and moisture is what gives the cake its soft, tender crumb. The oil traps air while the milk brings protein and flavor. If you want an even softer texture, buttermilk or sour cream works beautifully in place of the milk.
• Granulated sugar. It provides the sweetness in a moderate amount, because coffee cake is not meant to be an indulgent dessert. It is meant to be a cake you can enjoy with your morning coffee.
• Egg. The egg binds everything together so the slices hold their shape.
• Vanilla extract. A quiet background note that makes the blueberries taste more like themselves.
• All purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. The usual baking staples. Baking powder gives the lift and salt balances the sweetness.
• Blueberries. Fresh berries are ideal, but frozen blueberries work too. Keep reading for my one important note about frozen berries.
• Melted butter. It adds buttery flavor and keeps the crumb soft.
• Crumble topping. Flour, cinnamon sugar, and butter at room temperature come together into those irresistible clumps.

How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake

Here is the whole process in a nutshell. The detailed, printable version is further down the page.

1. Heat the oven and prep the pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. A 7×9 inch dish works too. Just make sure it is at least 2 inches deep so the cake stays contained as it rises. I line mine with parchment paper when I want to lift the whole cake out for clean squares.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the melted butter or oil, milk, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients and the berries. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix with a wooden spoon. Then gently fold in the blueberries until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish and spread it evenly.
4. Make the crumble. Cut the flour, cinnamon, sugar, and butter together with a fork or your fingers until clumps form. Crumble it evenly over the batter.
5. Bake. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the topping is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool and slice. Let the cake rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into 9 squares.

Tips for the Best Blueberry Coffee Cake

A few small habits make a big difference here.

• Do not thaw frozen blueberries. Toss them into the batter still frozen. Once thawed, they release too much liquid, turn mushy, and color the whole batter purple.
• Want a lemon twist? Add lemon juice and lemon zest to the batter for a lemon blueberry coffee cake. It brightens the flavor and pairs beautifully with the cinnamon streusel.
• Try a cinnamon streusel filling. Pour half the batter into the dish, sprinkle on some streusel, drizzle melted butter over it, add the rest of the batter, and finish with the crumb topping. Bake for 45 minutes total.
• Add a glaze. A simple powdered sugar glaze or a cream cheese glaze drizzled over the cooled cake makes it feel like a bakery treat.
• Feeding a crowd? Double the recipe, use a 9×13 inch baking dish, and add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
• Other fruity cakes I love. Raspberry bundt cake, strawberry shortcake trifle, and peach dump cake all scratch the same itch when you want something sweet and fruity.

Frozen blueberries go in frozen. Thawed berries turn watery, mushy, and purple, and no amount of baking can undo that.

Ingredients

This recipe makes one 8×8 inch cake, which slices into 9 servings.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 inch or 7×9 inch baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep with nonstick spray, and line it with parchment paper if you like.
2. Make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup melted butter or vegetable oil, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh preferred, until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
4. Make the topping. In a small bowl, cut 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 3 Tablespoons salted butter at room temperature with a fork or your fingers until clumps form. Crumble the topping evenly over the batter.
5. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice into 9 squares and serve.

Notes

For a cinnamon filling variation, mix 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Spread half the batter in the baking dish, sprinkle the sugar mixture over it, and drizzle 1 Tablespoon melted butter on top. Pour the remaining batter over the filling and bake 5 minutes longer.

Leftovers keep well. Store the cake in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Recipe details

This coffee cake takes 10 minutes to prep, 40 minutes to cook, and 15 minutes to cool, for a total time of 1 hour 5 minutes. One pan yields 9 servings.

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

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Blueberry Coffee Cake This blueberry coffee cake is soft and tender, packed with sweet blueberries, and crowned with a buttery, crunchy cinnamon streusel. It bakes in one pan, it uses everyday pantry staples, and it is the cake I reach for the moment fresh blueberries show up at the market.

• Total Time: 65 min
• Yield: 9 1x

Ingredients

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Cake Batter
1/2 cup melted butter or vegetable oil, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh preferred

Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, room temperature

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Instructions

1-Preheat the oven to 350°F: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch (or 7×9-inch) baking dish (at least 2 inches deep) with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, if desired.
2-In a large bowl, whisk together the: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup melted butter or oil, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
3-Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons: Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups blueberries until just combined. Spoon the batter into the baking dish.
4-In a small bowl, cut 1/4 cup: In a small bowl, cut 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3 Tablespoons butter with a fork or your fingers until it forms clumps. Crumble evenly over the batter.
5-Cover dish loosely with foil and bake: Cover dish loosely with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 to 10 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6-Remove from the oven and let cool: Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes. Slice into 9 squares and serve.

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 411kcal
• Sugar: 23g
• Sodium: 185mg
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Carbohydrates: 57g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 35mg