Blueberry Coffee Cake
Moist, fluffy, and bursting with blueberries in every bite, this blueberry coffee cake is the perfect addition to your weekend brunch menu!
Is there anything better than eating cake for breakfast? No? That’s what I thought!
My classic coffee cake recipe is my go-to throughout the year, but when the weather warms up I just can’t say no to a slice of blueberry streusel coffee cake. The sweet, juicy berries paired with the slightly crisp streusel topping is an irresistible combo.
This easy coffee cake recipe uses ingredients you likely have in your pantry already and is made in a 9×13-inch dish. It comes together quickly and with minimal effort, which is perfect for enjoying during the week or for a weekend brunch.
Ingredients in This Recipe
This blueberry coffee cake recipe has two components: the streusel topping and the blueberry cake itself. Let’s quickly go over the ingredients list so you know what to buy:
- Sugar: I used a mixture of granulated and brown sugar in this recipe to add both sweetness and flavor. You may use either light or dark brown sugar, both work well here.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it to avoid scooping out too much by mistake.
- Cinnamon & salt: Add flavor to the cake without overpowering the blueberries.
- Butter: Your butter should be softened to room temperature before making this recipe.
- Baking powder: Helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Eggs: Also need to be room temperature. If you forgot to set them out ahead of time, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sour cream: I made this as a blueberry sour cream coffee cake, but you may substitute an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt if desired.
- Vanilla extract: I prefer baking with pure vanilla extract.
- Blueberries: You may use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them and make sure to gently fold them into the batter.
How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
You’ll begin by making the streusel topping. In a large bowl, whisk together some flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add a few cubes of butter to the bowl and cut them into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse sand.
To cut the butter into the flour, you can use the back of a fork or a pastry cutter. You’ll need to use a little elbow grease, but it shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
Cover the streusel with plastic wrap and set in the fridge before making the cake batter.
To make the blueberry coffee cake batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.
Don’t rush the creaming process, it will take about three to four minutes. You’re looking for the butter and sugar to fully combine and become light and fluffy. Add the eggs in next, one at a time. Scrape the bowl between each egg to make sure everything comes together fully.
Mix in the sour cream and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick, that’s okay! Fold in the blueberries last and be very gentle so you don’t smash any.
Turn the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan, then sprinkle with the streusel topping.
The cake will need to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, you will know it’s done once the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I suggest letting the cake cool for about one hour, so it’s not too hot and still a little warm when you serve it.
Can I Halve This Recipe?
I’ve only made this blueberry streusel coffee cake recipe as written (in a 9×13-inch pan), but I imagine you can halve it. You’d need to bake the cake in an 8-inch square pan instead.
Can I Prepare This Recipe Ahead of Time?
Yes! Coffee cake is a great make-ahead breakfast or brunch item. If stored in an airtight container, it will last up to three days at room temperature.
Baking Tips
- Before beginning this recipe, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature (eggs, sour cream, butter, etc.).
- If you don’t have any sour cream on hand, you can use an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt in its place. I recommend using full-fat Greek yogurt for the most moisture and flavor.
- I recommend preparing the streusel topping in advance and placing it in the fridge while you make the cake batter.
More Blueberry Breakfast Recipes to Make!
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Classic Blueberry Muffins
- Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts
- Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup (100 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
Blueberry Cake
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup (240 grams) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (room temperature)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and ¼ cups (200 grams) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- To make the topping: Add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture starts to come together and is crumbly. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator while you prepare the cake.
- To make the blueberry cake: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, then mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, the batter will be very thick. Gently fold in the blueberries until fully incorporated.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Remove the topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle it on top of the cake.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack in the pan for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, then slice and enjoy!
hi danielle, can the blueberry coffee cake be made taller, if so, what size pan could recommend. Thank you for your recipes, just wonderful.
Absolutely! Either an 11×7 or 9×9 pan would work well. You could probably use an 8-inch square pan too, but the cake layers will be really tall.
Perfect coffee cake!! I split the batter into a 6 inch round pan and an 8 inch round pan and adjusted the baking time. I gave away the bigger cake to family. Next time I may keep the larger cake for us. 🙂 I will surely make it again – another excellent recipe!!
Huge hit. Made GF with Bob’s Red Mill GF AP flour and no other changes.
I loved it. I have been searching for blueberry coffee for so long and I haven’t found the one that I keep in my recipe box. Thankfully I found the one. The cake is so moist and not overly sweet. Thank you for sharing the recipe my family loves it.
Fabulous coffee cake recipe. Pretty straightforward and simple recipe to make. It was so moist and light and airy in texture. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not overly sweet either…..perfect amount of sweetness. I think this recipe could work with just about any type of fruit, so I am going to explore some other flavors, as I think the base recipe is spot on. Thanks for a delicious “keeper” recipe.
So glad you loved the recipe, Vicki! You can definitely substitute another fruit in this cake too, strawberries or blackberries would be good options.
HI, how can I make your recipes more low cal. Can I eliminate the white sugar and increase the brown.
can I halve the sugar? Thank you.
You can probably reduce the sugar in most of my recipes by about 25% without noticing too much of a difference. I wouldn’t suggest more than that, otherwise it will change the taste and texture of the baked good.