This Blueberry Coffee Cake is layered with juicy berries on the bottom, a soft lemon-kissed cake in the middle, and a crunchy cinnamon streusel on top. It’s the perfect mix of bright, cozy, and comforting—just right for brunch or an afternoon treat!
What is a Blueberry Coffee Cake?
A blueberry coffee cake is a soft, tender cake made with juicy blueberries and is typically topped with a buttery streusel crumble. Despite the name, it doesn’t actually contain any coffee! The term “coffee cake” refers to the way it’s enjoyed—served alongside a cup of coffee or tea as a sweet snack or breakfast treat. It’s so good that it could even be served as a stand-alone dessert!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Moist & Tender – This cake has an incredibly soft and tender crumb thanks to a combination of butter, oil, and buttermilk. The balance of fats and acidity helps create a moist texture that stays delicious for days.
Beautifully Layered – While not your traditional coffee cake, this version is visually striking with a juicy blueberry layer on the bottom, a light lemon cake in the middle, and a golden cinnamon streusel on top. Each slice reveals a stunning trio of layers that’s as pretty as it is tasty.
Delicious Flavor Combination – The fresh, bright notes of blueberries and lemon bring a burst of fruity flavor to the cake, while the cinnamon streusel adds a warm, cozy touch. It’s the perfect balance of zesty and comforting in every bite.
Surprisingly Simple – Though it looks impressive, this cake is surprisingly easy to make. With straightforward steps and simple ingredients, it’s perfect for both beginners and experienced bakers alike.
For more simple cake recipes, check out my original coffee cake recipe, whole orange cake and chocolate sheet cake!
How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and grease an 8×8-inch square pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Cinnamon Streusel
In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar, all-purpose flour and cinnamon. Stir until well combined (and no large chunks remain).
Add in melted butter and mix until well combined. You should have a crumble like consistency. Place in the fridge while preparing the cake batter.
Cake Batter
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and set aside.
In a large bowl combine butter, oil, white sugar and lemon zest. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream for two minutes until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs one by one on a low speed, mixing well in between each addition.
Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and buttermilk, and mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled. Remove any batter from the attachments, as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
Add the presifted flour mixture from earlier and fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing—mix only until there are no more large lumps or visible streaks of flour.
Add in blueberries and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Once the batter is ready, remove the crumble topping from the fridge. It should have firmed up a bit by now. Break it into small pieces (I do this with my hands). It should resemble coarse sand—slightly chunkier than regular sand—with small lumps throughout.
To assemble the cake, pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top, making sure not to leave any gaps—you want the entire surface of the batter to be covered.
Gently tap the cake tin on the counter once to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. After that, flip it again onto your serving plate so the cake is upright (see video for demonstration). Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
How to Store Blueberry Coffee Cake
To store your blueberry coffee cake, allow it to cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. If you’d like to store it for longer, refrigerate it for up to a week (just let it come to room temperature before serving).
Moist Blueberry Coffee Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel
- ½ cup (100 g) soft light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsps ground cinnamon
- 4½ tbsps (63 g) melted unsalted butter
Cake Batter
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsps (45 g) cornstarch
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¼ cup (53 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 tsps lemon zest
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 tsps lemon juice
- 2 tsps vanilla extract/essence
- 1 cup (225 g) buttermilk - room temperature
- 1½ cups (240 g) fresh blueberries - frozen blueberries okay too, but do not thaw
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease an 8x8-inch square cake tin (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Cinnamon Streusel
- Combine light brown sugar, all-purpose flour and cinnamon. Mix until well combined (and no large chunks remain).
- Add in melted butter and mix until well combined. You should have a crumble like consistency. Place in the fridge while preparing the cake batter.
Cake Batter
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine butter, oil, white sugar and lemon zest. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream for two minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs one by one on a low speed, mixing well in between each addition.
- Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and buttermilk, and mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled. Remove any batter from the attachments, as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
- Add the presifted dry ingredients from earlier and fold them in with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing—mix only until there are no more large lumps or visible streaks of flour.
- Add in blueberries and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Once the batter is ready, remove the streusel from the fridge. It should have firmed up a bit by now. Break it into small pieces (I do this with my hands). It should resemble coarse sand—slightly chunkier than regular sand—with small lumps throughout.
- To assemble the cake, pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Scatter the streusel over the top, making sure not to leave any gaps—you want the entire surface of the batter to be covered.
- Gently tap the cake tin on the counter once to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. After that, flip it again onto your serving plate so the cake is upright (see video for demonstration). Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
8 Comments
AMAZING. I didn’t have any buttermilk handy so I used one cup room temperature honey Greek yogurt as a substitute, and oh my! This coffee cake came out so plush, so soft and moist. It’s going to be my go-to recipe for berry flavored coffee cakes. Thank you MK 😊
Aww you’re so welcome Vivian! So glad you loved the recipe and that the honey Greek yogurt worked great too 😀
I am trying this recipe for the first time. Will put photos 📸 when it’s finished.
Hope you loved it Naomi! 🙂
Hi MK, your receipes are absolutely the best. Thank you and much love.
Thanks so much Shireen! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Very good!
Thanks so much Kimberly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂