Blueberry Coffee Cake

This Blueberry Coffee Cake trumps a regular coffee cake (and frankly many other cakes), and is an absolute must try especially when blueberries are in season. It is truly heavenly, with an extra buttery crunchy crumble, soft and moist cake, and fresh juicy blueberries that burst in your mouth.

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

WHAT IS BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

As the name suggests, a blueberry coffee cake is a coffee cake with blueberries in it. So let's discuss what a coffee cake is. A coffee cake is a popular American cake served with coffee, and does not actually have any coffee in it (if you want a version with coffee in it, check out my coffee coffee cake recipe!). While there are many variations of it, the most common defining characteristics are that the cake is baked and served as one layer (aka no hassle) and has a layer of crumble on top. The crumble is made with butter, flour and sugar, and adds a crunchy sweet texture. Coffee cake also usually has cinnamon in it.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THIS RECIPE

I believe this is the BEST blueberry coffee cake I've ever had, and I like it much more than any other blueberry dessert. Here's why you should try this recipe:

• It is very easy. Yes there are 2 components, but each is quite easy to make, and you can serve the cake as it is without any frosting or assembly
• It has the most beautiful flavor. The sweetness of the cake and the buttery flavor of the crumble are perfectly balanced by the slightly tart flavor of the blueberries. The resulting flavor is a very well balanced cake that does not feel boring or monotonous (and who can say no to blueberries!?)
• The texture is divine. Imagine this: every bite has a crunchy buttery crumble, followed by a soft and moist cake, with a juicy pop as a blueberry bursts open in your mouth!
• It's a crowd pleaser. This is a great dessert to serve at a gathering, especially with coffee (or tea). It is universally enjoyed, regardless of age or other flavor preferences
• It is a versatile recipe. You can adjust the ratio of crumble, cake and blueberries to your liking!

VIDEO TUTORIAL

Here is a short video tutorial of this recipe:

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PROCESS WITH PHOTOS

The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the end of this post, but let's go over the steps along with photos which will help you visualize everything.

For the crumble, mix together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon:

Next, pour in melted butter, and gently mix with a spoon until just combined:

For the cake batter, start by whisking the butter, sugar and oil until creamy:

Add vanilla, and whisk in the eggs one at a time:

Whisk in the sour cream:

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then gently fold until combined:

Separately, toss the blueberries in 1 tablespoon flour and lemon zest:

Then fold the blueberries into 1the cake batter:

Pour into a lined cake pan. Top off with the crumble:

Bake and enjoy!

HOW TO PREVENT BLUEBERRIES FROM SINKING TO THE BOTTOM

Any time you add blueberries (or any fruit) to a cake batter, they have a tendency to sink to the bottom as the cake bakes due to the difference in densities. Now, I personally don't mind this, but I know some people want the blueberries to be evenly dispersed. Here are 2 tips to prevent them from sinking:

1. Toss them in flour, as guided in this recipe. Make sure you get all the blueberries well coated in the flour before folding them into the cake batter
2. Divide the cake batter into 2 halves. Add one half to the cake pan as it is, without any blueberries, and spread it out. Fold the blueberries in the other half of the batter, and spread that in the pan on top of the first half. This way, the bottom half of the cake pan does not have any blueberries in it. Even as they sink during baking, they should not all be at the bottom by the end!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE RECIPE

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Zoha
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
• Yield: 12 servings

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Description

An extra buttery crunchy crumble, soft and moist cake, and fresh juicy blueberries that burst in your mouth. 

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Ingredients

Crumble:

• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (227g) 
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (200g)
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup butter, melted (170g) - use high quality butter like KerryGold for best results 

Cake batter:

• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 4 tbsp butter, room temperature (56g)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature (180g)
• 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour  (173g)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 2 cups blueberries tossed in zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour* (see note)

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Instructions

Crumble:

• Preheat oven to 350F (conventional / no fan) and prepare a 9x9" square baking pan with parchment paper
• Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to a bowl, and whisk until combined and no lumps remain
• Pour in the melted butter. Use a spoon or your hands to mix the butter into the dry ingredients gently. It will become crumbly as you do this; do not overmix, only mix until no dry streaks of flour remain
• Place in the fridge 

Cake batter:

• Make sure the butter, eggs and sour cream are at room temperature
• Add the sugar, butter and oil to a bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy
• Add the vanilla and one egg, and whisk for 20-30 seconds. Add the second egg and whisk again until combined
• Add the sour cream and whisk until it is combined. Scrape your bowl, if needed
• Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk on the lowest speed setting until just combined; do not overmix
• Separately, toss the blueberries in lemon zest and flour. Make sure the blueberries are well coated in the flour
• Add the blueberries to the cake batter and gently fold until combined (if you want to be extra careful about preventing the blueberries from sinking to the bottom, see my tips in the blog post above!)
• Add the batter to the prepared pan and spread it out
• Bring the crumble out of the fridge and use your hands to spread it on top. It should be in chunks, and doesn’t have to be perfect!
• Bake at 350F for ~45-50 minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted in the middle at the 45 minute mark; it should have light crumbs but no wet batter. If the crumble is becoming too dark, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil as the cake continues to bake
• Let the cake rest in the pan for 30 minutes. Then carefully take it out, slice and serve!

Video Tutorial:

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Notes

• This cake has a generous amount of blueberries in it. If you want, you can reduce the quantity to as low as 1 cup!

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American