This Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe brings fresh blueberries into a flavorful, soft and moist butter and vanilla flavored cake. It is then topped with a brown sugar crumb topping that brings a nice dimension in texture and flavor.
This blueberry coffee cake recipe will be a breakfast or brunch hit! It is simple to make and always a crowd pleaser. Serve with a cup of coffee and get ready for raving reviews after raving reviews!
If you love the combination of flavors from blueberries and crumb, check out my Blueberry Crumb Bars recipe as well! Or if you are looking for more coffee cake recipes, check out my Cinnamon Bundt Cake recipe that kicked off my love for all things coffee cake!
Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake…or Blueberry Crumb Cake, or Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake…it goes by a lot of names, but the premise is the same. Moist buttery cake is loaded with juicy blueberries and topped with a buttery crumb topping.
My love for blueberries run deep. Whether it is Blueberry Biscuits, Blueberry Crumb Bars, Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancake…I love them all.
This blueberry coffee cake recipe has incredible texture. It is buttery and it is moist, and it just melts in your mouth. Thank you, butter and sour cream.
Sour cream may seem like an ought ingredient to add to blueberry coffee cake, but it is a must! Trust me. It provides moisture to the cake and creates a nice, soft texture.
Blueberry crumb cake is typically enjoyed during breakfast or brunch, with a cup of coffee (that’s why it’s called ‘coffee cake’!). The difference between it and a dessert cake is that it is less sweet.
For my fellow foodies with a sweet tooth, fear not, our blueberry sour cream coffee cake definitely still has sweetness to it and the idea is that the bitterness from the coffee balances it out – thus perfect for mornings.
It may not be officially a dessert cake but let’s be real…it never stops me from enjoying this for dessert. Just sayin’. I also love it as an afternoon snack with a cup of hot tea.
If you are looking for easy and delicious pastry to make for a get-together, this blueberry crumb cake is your friend. It feeds about 16 people, and takes under an hour total to prepare.
And if you happen to also love raspberries, this Raspberry Coffee Cake is basically the raspberry version of the blueberry coffee cake, but with an added flavor of almond flavor added to the cake and the streusel topping. Yum!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for blueberry coffee cake:
- Sour cream – makes the cake batter moist and soft! Trust us, you won’t actually taste the sour cream (you’ll taste blueberries instead!), it just add softness to the texture of the blueberry coffee cake. This ingredient is a must for me!
- Blueberries – fresh blueberries are recommended, but frozen blueberries can be used if needed.
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter – use only unsalted butter because salted butter will have extra salt in it.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Brown Sugar – using a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar provides the best flavor.
- Baking powder – this helps our blueberry coffee cake rise and get that fluffy texture.
- Baking soda – another rising agent for our coffee cake
- Salt – another ingredient you wouldn’t expect in a sweet recipe but a little bit of salt help bring out the flavor of the overall cake.
And now for the Brown Sugar Crumb Topping, because crumb topping is a must for any coffee cake!
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon – adds a nice, warm flavor to the crumble
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
- vanilla extract
Kitchen Equipment
To make blueberry coffee cake, you will need either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Either works great.
How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
This blueberry sour cream coffee cake recipe takes under 15 minutes to prepare, and then you will bring it to bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven: Start out by preheating oven to 350℉.
Crumb topping: The best part about a blueberry coffee cake! The cake is delicious on its own but we are taking it up a notch with that delicious crumb topping!
To make crumb topping, simply combine flour, lt brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter and mix until it’s crumbly.
Place crumb topping in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the components. This will give the crumb topping retain the crumbly texture when baking.
Coffee Cake batter: Start by using a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream together stick and a half of room temperature butter and sugar. Add eggs and the remainder of the ingredients (except the blueberries).
Once the cake batter is prepared, gently fold in blueberries.
Assembling: Pour cake mixture into a well-greased square baking dish.
Sprinkle crumb topping all round the top of the cake. Crumb topping should be crumbly and not compacted into a shape or ball.
Place a handful of extra blueberries on top of the crumble layer. Lightly press them in so they nestle into the crumble.
Bake: Bake blueberry sour cream coffee cake in the oven for 45 minutes at 350℉.
And there you go, a crumbly coffee cake complete with pockets of those beautiful juicy blueberries taking the flavors to a whole other level.
Let blueberry coffee cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then gently lift it and remove from pan. I like to let it cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Time to cozy up to a slice of blueberry sour cream coffee cake with a good cup of coffee. Or two slices…no judgements here. 🙂
Variations
There are a few different ways to change this blueberry crumb coffee cake recipe up:
- Fruit: You can use a different fruit instead of blueberries. Raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are all good options.
- Add nuts: Add some chopped nuts to the crumb topping for a little extra crunch.
- Glaze or powdered sugar: to fancy it up, feel free to drizzle a glaze or powdered sugar to the tops of the blueberry crumb cake.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Blueberry Coffee Cake can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
Reheating Instructions
If refrigerated or frozen, let blueberry coffee cake thaw to room temperature.
Blueberry coffee cake can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
If you want to heat it up warm (which is my favorite way to enjoy it!), sliced the cake in small smaller pieces and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Tips and Tricks
- Crumble Perfection: Chill the crumb topping in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes before sprinkling over the cake. This helps it retain a crumbly texture during baking. Make sure to break the crumbles into smaller pieces before adding to the tops of the coffee cake – it comes out hard and hard to bite into if it’s in large pieces.
- Berry Coating: Toss blueberries in a light dusting of flour before mixing into the batter. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom and absorbs any extra moisture.
- Temperature Trio: Make sure butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature to ensure a smooth, well-mixed batter.
- Gentle Folding: Fold blueberries gently into the batter to avoid breaking them and turning the batter purple.
- Pan Prep: Grease or line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the cake after baking.
- Moisture Check: To ensure a moist cake, avoid over-baking. Check for doneness using the toothpick test: it should come out clean or with a few crumbs, not wet.
- Baking Consistency: You can rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking and prevent uneven browning, especially if your oven has hotspots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, frozen blueberries can be used. No need to thaw them; just toss in flour before adding them to the batter.
Ensure accurate ingredient measurements and avoid over-mixing. The topping should be crumbly before adding it on top of the cake. Also, make sure to chill it in the fridge for a bit before adding to the top of the cake.
The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, not wet. The top of the cake should be slightly firm to the touch as well.
This might happen if the cake is not fully baked. Ensure your oven is preheated and bake until the toothpick test comes out clean.
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 5 tbsp butter melted
Batter
- 1.5 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus 1 tsp for tossing blueberries
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup blueberries plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease 8"x8" square pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the crumb topping: brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Mix well. Add vanilla and melted butter. Mix until butter is completely incorporated. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
- Mix the batter by placing softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (can also use a hand mixer). Using the paddle attachment, cream for 2 minutes. Scrape the side of the bowl.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream to the bowl. Mix well. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate medium size bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until flour is fully incorporated.
- Toss blueberries in 1 tsp on flour. Gently fold blueberries into cake batter.
- Pour batter into prepared square pan lined with parchment paper. Spread out batter evenly.
- Remove crumb topping mixture from the refrigerator. Break up large clumps. All of the crumb topping should be small.
- Evenly sprinkle crumb topping over cake batter. Top with a sprinkle of blueberries. Press blueberries into the crumb mixture so that they nestle in the crumbles.
- Bake at 350℉ for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the coffee cake.
- Let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then lift the cake out from the baking dish and let it cool on cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
