A moist, buttery cake bursting with fresh blueberries and topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel. Pair it with a cup of coffee, or serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — this blueberry coffee cake blurs the lines between breakfast and dessert.
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This is my third crumble-adjacent recipe since starting this blog, which probably tells you everything you need to know about my feelings on buttery toppings. Crumbles, crisps, streusels…I love them all. And with blueberry season in full swing here in Australia, it would be rude not to make a blueberry coffee cake 🤷♀️
Where’s the Coffee?
Don’t be fooled by the name! Coffee cake doesn’t actually contain coffee, rather it’s meant to be eaten with coffee. Yep, it’s one of those weird Americanisms.
Coffee cake is essentially a single-layer butter cake that’s topped with a layer of streusel, and sometimes the streusel is swirled through the cake as well. Some coffee cakes contain fruit and many are drizzled with a sugary glaze, though personally, I don’t think that’s necessary.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
My husband, and primary taste-tester, gave this blueberry coffee cake a 12/10. I’m not sure he understands how star ratings work, but it’s flattering nonetheless. Here’s what I believe makes it so good:
Ingredient Notes
- Plain flour: measure your flour carefully to avoid a dry or dense cake. If measuring with cups, use the spoon-and-level method so you don’t pack in too much flour.
- Baking powder: gives the cake a nice, reliable rise, so it bakes nice and tall and holds up under the weight of the streusel topping. Always make sure your baking powder is fresh and in date.
- Baking soda: gives a little extra lift when combined with acidic ingredients (brown sugar and greek yogurt, in this case).
- Salt: leave out if using salted butter.
- Cinnamon: adds a lovely flavour to the streusel topping! You can adjust this to taste and even add a pinch of nutmeg if you’d like.
- Butter: use unsalted butter if possible so you can control the salt levels. The butter should be soft enough that pressing it with your finger leaves a slight indent.
- Brown sugar + granulated sugar: using both gives the cake and streusel the best texture and flavour. Brown sugar adds caramel notes and moisture, while granulated sugar helps the batter rise (when creamed with the butter) and also gives the streusel a nice crunch.
- Eggs: use two large eggs and bring them to room temperature first.
- Vanilla extract: adds a warm, sweet flavour that works so well with blueberries and cinnamon. Use a good quality, pure vanilla extract (not the imitation stuff).
- Plain Greek yogurt: gives the cake moisture and richness without making the batter too thin. You can substitute this with sour cream if you like — either way, make sure you use full fat and bring it to room temperature first. If you forget to take it out beforehand, you can give it a quick 10-15 seconds in the microwave, just enough to take the chill off.
- Milk: use room temperature milk (same deal as above). I use full cream milk, but any kind should work.
- Blueberries: fresh blueberries are ideal for this cake. I like to give them a rinse and pat them dry with paper towel, then set them aside while I prepare the streusel and cake batter. Frozen will work too, but don’t wash or thaw them! Take them straight from the freezer, toss with flour as directed, and fold into the batter.
How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
Prepare the streusel topping
1. Stir together – In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, both sugars, and cinnamon. Stir well to combine, making sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar as you go.
2. Work in the butter – Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms clumps. Place the streusel in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the blueberry coffee cake
1. Prep – Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F). Lightly grease a 23 cm (9-inch) round cake tin and line the base with parchment paper. I highly recommend using a springform tin for easy removal.
2. Combine the dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar – In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add remaining wet ingredients – Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then add the greek yogurt and beat until just combined. The batter may look a little curdled at this point — this is completely normal.
5. Add dry ingredients and milk – Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until just combined, then add half of the milk. Repeat until all of the flour and milk has been incorporated and the batter is smooth and lump-free. If it feels too thick, add extra milk 1 tsp at a time until it reaches a pourable consistency. Be careful not to over-mix.
6. Fold in the blueberries – Coat the blueberries lightly in flour, then gently fold about 2/3 of the berries into the cake batter until evenly distributed.
7. Fill tin – Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Scatter the remaining 1/3 of the blueberries over the surface, gently pressing them in with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chilled streusel evenly on top, keeping the clumps intact.
8. Bake – Bake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs (blueberry juice is fine, but you don’t want wet batter).
9. Cool – Rest the cake in the tin for 20–30 minutes — moving or slicing it too soon will make it fall apart. Run a knife around the edges, then release from the tin and transfer to a wire rack.
10. Serve– Enjoy at room temperature with a cup of tea or coffee or serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
FAQ
Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
* Please note: all cup measurements are approximate and based on Australian standard cups (250ml). For best results, weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale.
Equipment
- 23 cm (9-inch) round cake tin, springform highly recommended
- hand mixer, or stand mixer with the whisk attachment
Ingredients
For the cinnamon streusel topping
- 130 g (1 cup) plain flour, spooned and levelled if using cups
- ¼ tsp salt, omit if using salted butter
- 55 g (¼ cup, packed) brown sugar
- 55 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) butter, softened
For the cake batter
- 215 g (about 1 ⅔ cups) plain flour, plus extra for coating the berries, spooned and levelled if using cups
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt, omit if using salted butter
- 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) butter, softened
- 90 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp, packed) brown sugar
- 55 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g (¾ cup) plain greek yogurt, or sour cream, room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) milk, room temperature
- 250 g (1 ½ cups) fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry, see notes for frozen berries
Instructions
Prepare the streusel topping
- Combine the flour, salt, both sugars, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
- Add the softened butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until coarse, crumbly clumps form. Place in the fridge while you prepare the cake batter.
Make the blueberry coffee cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined, then beat in the greek yogurt until smooth.
- Still using the mixer, alternate adding half the dry ingredients with half the milk, mixing after each addition until just combined. The batter should be thick but still pourable. If it seems too thick, add more milk 1 tsp at a time.
- Toss the blueberries with a little flour (this prevents them from sinking). Gently fold 2/3 of the blueberries into the cake batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin, then spread it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining 1/3 of the blueberries, and use the back of a spoon to press them into the surface of the batter. Remove the streusel from the fridge and sprinkle on top.
- Place on the middle rack and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer the cake tin to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool for 20-30 minutes before releasing from the tin.
- Serve at room temperature or warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
