Let’s talk honestly about blueberry coffee cake. This is the cake I break out when my brain begs for comfort and my kitchen looks like a tornado lost a bet to a blueberry bush. I mean, real life here: sometimes you need cheering up, and this cake is cozier than your favorite oversized jumper. What really makes it shine? It’s easy. You could spill half the flour, have a helper who wants to eat all the blueberries, and it’ll still come out good—ask me how I know. Soft, buttery cake piled high with pockets of tangy berries, finished with a crunchy, cinnamon-spiced top that I wish someone would bottle as a candle. That’s what we’re talking about.
But this isn’t just about taste. It’s a “mess up proof” cake. One eye open, a toddler painting the dog with jam, coffee not kicked in yet—you can still pull this off. Whether you bake on weekends with a group or sneak it in between Zoom calls, this blueberry coffee cake does not judge. It just comes out fluffy and friendly every time. Baking it means your kitchen smells like blueberry pie and cinnamon toast made a baby. Your neighbours might show up, not kidding.
To make the Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 °F. Grease a 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
In a small bowl, add 6 tablespoons light brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix until well combined.
Rub 4 tablespoons cold butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it reaches a crumbly consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if using a hand mixer), beat ½ cup softened butter and ¾ cup granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition.
Add in 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until combined.
Alternating between the two, add the flour mixture and ½ cup milk to the butter-egg mixture in three stages, ending with the flour. Beat on low speed to combine.
Gently fold 2 cups blueberries into the batter until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
Remove the cinnamon streusel topping from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
Bake the cake until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and transfer to a cooling wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then serve it straight from the pan.
Enjoy!
You do not need anything fancy for this. Seriously. Grab a big mixing bowl for making the batter. If you’ve got a shiny stand mixer that cost as much as your couch, by all means use it—otherwise, a hand mixer is absolutely fine. You’ll need a smaller bowl to make that crumbly, cinnamon topping (the streusel, if you want to sound posh), plus a whisk to keep your dry bits light and fluffy. For the main event, go with a 9-inch baking pan that you’ve greased—either with a spray to stop things sticking or a swipe of butter. A rubber spatula or big wooden spoon is perfect for folding in blueberries (don’t let the kids eat them all first). And yes, pop your oven on to 375 °F as soon as you remember. Oh, and let your cake have a little nap on a rack after baking. That’s pretty much it.
Let’s get into the stuff you only learn the messy way. First: blueberries. Fresh or frozen, I use them both depending on what’s dying in the fridge. The trick? Toss them with a spoonful of flour before you stir them in. That keeps the berries from dropping straight to the bottom, trust me—I once made a cake with a “blueberry basement.”
Cinnamon topping is my favourite: keep that butter COLD. As in, fridge-cold. Otherwise you’ll just make paste. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mix looks like messy beach sand. I swipe my mom’s move here—she’d shove the whole bowl in the fridge while I licked the spoon (yes, hygiene). Worth it for the crunch later.
Lemon zest? Never optional in my world. It gives little zings that make the blueberries sing. I once forgot it and the cake was…just cake. Not the same, honestly. Also, when it’s time to add the berries, fold them gently. If you go wild, your cake will turn that weird greyish-purple. Fun for a toddler’s birthday, maybe, but not the look I love.
Toss in some chopped pecans or walnuts (your choice!) with your crumble topping and you’ll get a bit of crunchy goodness in every single bite. My husband claims it’s “grown up” flavour. I call it “sneaky snack insurance”—it means nobody can eat half the cake without noticing.
If you crave that lemony tang, add extra zest and squeeze in a splash of lemon juice to the mix. You’ll get a bright, spring-morning kind of taste. And if you’re feeling peppy, serve it with whipped cream and more lemon zest sprinkled on top. Extra points for using the fancy spoons.
I eat this cake warm, straight from the pan, “just testing if it’s done.” Pair it with coffee you reheated twice. Or tea, or that weird herbal stuff my cousin brings. For dessert, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a plop of cream on warm cake is unbeatable. My daughter likes hers with a shake of powdered sugar—half on the table. For brunch, serve next to a messy fruit salad or, honestly, anything in your fridge that looks cheerful. If you’re feeling wild, drizzle over some syrup and pretend you’re at a fancy café. It will be the first thing gone, guaranteed.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Don’t thaw them first, or you’ll end up with blue streaks everywhere. Toss frozen blueberries in a little flour and fold them through while they’re still cold, and it’ll look and taste like you planned it all along.
No panic! The zest brightens everything, but you won’t ruin your cake if you skip it. Sometimes I use orange zest instead, which gives a new twist—almost like a blueberry breakfast muffin from the bakery near my old flat.
The edges should be golden and a toothpick poked near the centre comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are fine, wet batter is not). If you don’t have a fancy tester, I’ve grabbed a dry spaghetti stick before—it works.
You can definitely make this cake ahead of time. I just cover it with foil or hide it in my slightly dented tin and keep it on the counter for a day or two. Longer than that? Pop it in the fridge. Warm up a slice in the oven for that just out of the oven magic. And if a crumb or two goes missing? I blame the dog.
There's something inherently satisfying about turning a simple pint of blueberries into a warm Blueberry Coffee Cake that fills the kitchen with inviting aromas. Whether you're experimenting with fresh berries from the farmer's market or reaching for those frozen treasures, this recipe is a perfect way to make the most of whatever you have on hand. As you prepare, it's hard not to sneak a few berries for a snack — they’re just too tempting to resist!
Great recipe, thanks! And I love to toss in some chopped pecans with my crumble topping.
