How to Make the Best Blueberry Coffee Cake

Creating this delicious blueberry coffee cake with crumb topping is a straightforward process. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a perfectly moist cake and a crunchy, flavorful streusel every time.

Step 1: Prep the Oven and Pan. Preheat your oven to a steady 350°F (175°C). This ensures the cake bakes evenly from the start. Take an 8×8 inch metal square pan, lightly grease it, and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. This makes it incredibly easy to lift the baked cake out of the pan later. Set this prepared pan aside.

Step 2: Make the Crumb Topping. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. These dry ingredients form the base of your aromatic streusel. Next, add the cold butter, cut into small cubes. Using your fingertips, a pastry blender, or a fork, work the butter into the dry mixture until large, distinct crumbs are formed. Avoid overworking it; you want varying sizes of crumbs for the best texture. Set this buttery, spiced topping aside.

Step 4: Mix the Dry Ingredients for the Cake. To the lemon-infused granulated sugar, add the remaining all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly until they are well combined. This ensures that the leavening agents are evenly distributed, promoting a uniform rise. Set this mixture aside for a moment.

Step 5: Reverse Creaming Method. Add the room-temperature butter (soft but not melted) directly into the bowl with your prepared dry ingredients. Using a whisk, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, work the butter into the dry mixture. Continue mixing until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture resembles moist, coarse sand. This “reverse creaming” technique helps to coat the flour in fat, creating a very tender cake crumb by minimizing gluten development.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Achieving a perfectly moist and fluffy blueberry coffee cake is easy with a few key techniques. Keep these tips in mind to ensure your cake turns out beautifully every time:

• Don’t Overwork the Batter. This is perhaps the most crucial tip for any cake, especially when using all-purpose flour. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to a tough, dense, and potentially sunken cake. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined and you no longer see any dry streaks of flour. A few small lumps are perfectly acceptable and often indicate a tender crumb to come.
• Coat the Blueberries in Flour. Blueberries are relatively heavy little fruits, and they have a tendency to sink to the bottom of cake batter during baking. A light dusting of flour acts as a protective barrier and creates friction, helping them to stay suspended throughout the cake, ensuring juicy berries in every slice.
• Layer the Blueberries, Don’t Mix Them into All the Batter. In addition to coating them with flour, a clever trick to prevent blueberries from sinking is to distribute them strategically. By folding them into only a portion of the batter and layering that on top, you give them a head start. Even if some berries naturally settle a bit, the majority will remain beautifully distributed near the top and middle of the cake.
• Use Room Temperature Ingredients. For the cake batter (especially butter, eggs, and sour cream), using ingredients that are at room temperature is vital. This allows them to emulsify better, creating a smoother, more uniform batter and contributing to the cake’s light and airy texture.
• Do Not Open the Oven Door Prematurely. Resist the temptation to peek at your cake during the first 40-45 minutes of baking. A sudden drop in temperature can cause the cake to collapse, resulting in a dense center.
• Cool Completely. Although it’s tempting to dive into a warm slice, allow your blueberry coffee cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. This allows the cake’s structure to set and the fruit juices to reabsorb, leading to a more stable, moist, and flavorful cake.

How to Store & Freeze Your Delicious Blueberry Coffee Cake

This moist blueberry coffee cake is so good, you might not have any leftovers! But if you do, here’s how to keep it fresh and delicious.

Storing: Due to the high moisture content from the juicy blueberries, it’s best to store any leftover cake squares in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep them fresh and moist for up to 4 days. Before serving, you can let them come to room temperature or warm them slightly in the microwave for a few seconds.

Freezing: This homemade coffee cake freezes beautifully! To freeze, wrap each individual cake square tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. This double layer protects against freezer burn. Place the wrapped squares in a freezer-safe bag or container and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a few hours. You can gently warm them in the microwave or a low oven for a fresh-baked taste.

Coffee cake is called such because it traditionally pairs wonderfully with coffee and is often served as a delicious accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea, especially during breakfast or brunch. The name refers to its purpose, not its ingredients.

Yes! If you’re looking for a classic cinnamon swirl, I have a fantastic gluten-free coffee cake recipe that can easily be made with all-purpose flour if you don’t require a gluten-free diet. It features a rich cinnamon streusel and a beautifully moist cake base.

Absolutely! While fresh blueberries are ideal for their vibrant burst, you can certainly use frozen blueberries in this blueberry coffee cake recipe. The key is to add them directly from the freezer without defrosting. Toss them in flour as instructed, and they’ll bake beautifully. You may need to add an extra 2-5 minutes to your baking time, so always check for doneness with a toothpick.

I’ve never personally tried using canned pie filling for this particular recipe, but I would advise against it. Canned pie filling is typically much too runny and liquidy to be incorporated directly into the cake batter without negatively affecting the cake’s texture and structure. It’s best to stick with fresh or frozen whole blueberries.

Yes, you can absolutely substitute buttermilk for whole milk in this recipe. Buttermilk will add an extra layer of tanginess and contribute to an even more tender and moist crumb, making for a delicious variation of this sour cream blueberry coffee cake.

No, you cannot directly substitute sour cream with milk. Sour cream is an acidic, high-fat ingredient that plays a crucial role in providing both moisture and the fluffy texture of this cake through its reaction with baking soda. Substituting it with milk would significantly alter the chemistry and result in a much different, likely less tender, cake. If you don’t want to use sour cream, plain full-fat Greek yogurt or even mayonnaise (for a dairy-free option) are suitable alternatives.

If you wish to make this blueberry coffee cake in a larger 9×13 inch pan, you will need to double the entire recipe to ensure you have enough batter and topping for the increased surface area. Additionally, the baking time will likely need to be adjusted. Start by baking for approximately 60 minutes, then begin testing for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it’s ready. If it’s still very wet, continue baking in 5-minute increments until done. Always trust the toothpick test!

Yes, you can easily adapt this recipe to be gluten-free! Simply swap out the all-purpose flour for a high-quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend, also known as 1-to-1 flour, that contains xanthan gum. My personal go-to is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour. You’ll need 197g of it for the cake batter and 99g for the streusel topping. For best results with gluten-free flour, allow your cake batter to rest for about 30 minutes before pouring it into the pan; this helps the flour absorb the liquids more thoroughly.

The eggs are crucial in this recipe, contributing significantly to the cake’s structure, richness, and moisture. I would not recommend swapping them out, as it would drastically change the outcome. If you’re looking for an egg-free blueberry dessert, you should definitely try my delicious no-bake blueberry cheesecake bites!