You're going to love this Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake because it has everything going for it. It is super easy, beautiful to look at and better to eat. One of the things I most love about this coffee cake is that it is not overwhelmingly sweet.
One mixture makes the crumbs and forms the basis for the batter. This crumb cake can be mixed and in the oven in 20 minutes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's super simple to make this blueberry coffee cake. Mix up the crumbs, reserve some for the topping and add the remaining ingredients to rest of the crumbs. Pan it and bake. That's it!
- With the exception of the blueberries, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand.
- The recipe uses frozen blueberries for the best looking result, so keep a bag in the freezer and this can be made anytime without much effort.
Recipe Ingredients
Coffee cake
CLOCKWISE: Buttermilk, all-purpose flour, blueberries, flour, baking soda, egg, unsalted butter, sugar in center.
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Lemon Glaze
LEFT TO RIGHT: Powdered sugar, lemon juice
Variations
- Wild blueberries are the best but extremely hard to find. So regular blueberries can be used.
- Blackberries or red raspberries can be substituted for the blueberries.
- 2 or 3 thinly sliced, peeled, and cored apples can replace the blueberries.
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon can be added to the crumbs if desired.
- If you don't want to use the lemon glaze, simply dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the list of ingredients and instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Crumbs
Step 1. Place 2 cups of flour, butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer.
Step 2. Beat the flour, butter, and sugar to form crumbs in the mixing bowl. They will be very fine.
Step 3. The crumbs are very fine and that is how they should be.
Step 4. Reserve ⅓ of the crumbs for the topping.
Step 5. Add the remaining ¼ cup flour, baking powder, egg and buttermilk to the crumbs in the mixing bowl.
Step 6. Beat on low to moisten and then raise to medium and beat until combined and smooth.
Step 7. Fold half of the blueberries into the batter.
Step 8. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 9. Place the remaining blueberries on top of the batter.
Step 10. Cover the blueberries with the reserved crumbs.
Lemon Glaze
Step 1. Release the coffee cake after it has cooled and place itl on a rack.
Step 2. Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze.
Step 3. Place the rack over waxed paper or parchment and using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Step 4. Drizzle in various directions until all of it is used.
Recipe FAQ's
While we don't know for certain, but it is assumed that they originated in Germany. We do know they are European with names like gugelhupf which is German or kaffekuchen from Austria. However, the Danish came up with the earliest version of eating a type of sweet bread while drinking coffee, so coffee cakes really evolved from many different cultural traditions.
Fresh berries break down faster when stirred into the batter and then baked making the batter an off color of gray which isn't very appetizing. Frozen berries stay in tact and don't discolor the dough so much.
Because originally it was made to accompany drinking coffee.
Expert Tips
- It is important that the butter be refrigerated cold when mixing with the flour. Otherwise, it could form a paste instead of crumbs.
- It's important to use frozen berries even if they were bought fresh for the reasons stated above.
- This can be made ahead. Freeze it unwrapped. As soon as it is frozen, wrap it well and keep frozen up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped. To refresh, warm in a 350°oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then glaze it.
Here are some other easy, delicious coffee cakes.
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Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 9 in cheesecake or springform pan
Ingredients
Blueberry Crumb Coffeecake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, divided (315 grams or 11 ounces)
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams or 7 onces)
- ¾ cup butter , cold (170 grams, 6 ounces or 1 ½ sticks)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 9 oz frozen blueberries (255 grams)
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (130 grams or 4 ½ ounces)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (plus more if needed)
Instructions
Blueberry Crumb Coffeecake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" cheesecake pan or springform pan and set aside. Combine 2 cups of the flour and sugar in the bowl of a mixer.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Mix on low at first until most of the butter has been cut in. Raise the mixer and continue mixing until crumbs form. They will be fine and not large crumbs.
- Remove ⅓ of the crumbs (210 grams or about 7 ounces) and set them aside. Add the remaining ¼ cup flour, baking soda, egg and buttermilk to the remainder of the crumbs in the bowl. Beat on low to bring it together, then on medium to smooth it out.
- Stir half of the blueberries into the batter. Spread it evenly in the pan.
- Place the remainder of the blueberries over the top of the batter. Top with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until a tester comes out clean. The crumbs will be light in color.
- Let cool before removing from the pan. Release it after it has cooled.
Lemon Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and stir until smooth and of a consistency to be drizzled. If it is too thick, add a bit of lemon juice, if it is to thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Place the cake on a rack over waxed or parchment paper for easy clean up. Drizzle one way, turn the cake and drizzle in the opposite direction. Continue turning the cake and drizzling until all of the glaze is used. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
Notes
- The cake may be frozen without the glaze. Wrap well after freezing. Thaw and then glaze.
- Fresh or frozen berries can be used. Do not thaw the frozen berries. Use from the frozen state.
- Any berry or a combination of berries can be substituted for the blueberries.
- For maximumly even distribution of the blueberries, stir half into the batter and the layer the remaining half on top of the batter in the pan.
Nutrition
Catherine says
Absolutely heavenly!
Helen S Fletcher says
Ahh, you made one of my favs. This is one of those recipes that goes back to earlier days but it is a staple in my repertoire. So glad you made it.
Kimberly says
Hi Helen, When you mad this did you use fresh frozen blueberries or packaged blueberries? When I stirred in the blueberries my batter became blue!
hfletcher says
Hello Kimberly - In the header of the article, I mention using frozen strawberries and keeping them frozen until using them...."To keep the discoloration to a minimum, use frozen blueberries and keep them frozen until you need to add them. That way they don’t juice out in the batter causing the discolortion." Hope this helps. I used packaged blueberries that were frozen. But it wouldn't make any difference if you froze fresh blueberries - it's the same thing.
Kimberly says
Might have been the brand I used, happy to say it came out wonderful not as blue as I thought it was going to be after baking. fantastic recipe, thank-you!
Sapna says
Hi Helen,
I tried to bake it in home but i failed while dividing the flour and adding ingredients.
hfletcher says
Not sure why. You put half the crumb mixture in a bowl and left the other half in them mixing bowl? Then you add the baking soda, egg, buttermilk and 1/4 cup flour to the mixing bowl. After mixing half the blueberries are added, then this mixture is spread into the prepared pan. The other half of the blueberries go on top of the batter in the pan, then the reserved crumbs in the bowl go on top of the blueberries.
We made this over and over at the bakery. Hope this helps.
Mary E Coyle says
Thanks for the correction, Helen - we were all confused, but it's clear now.
hfletcher says
You're welcome. Sometimes I'm too close to the subject to see something I missed even though I read and re-read several times. When so many people had a problem, I knew there was something I missed. Happy to have cleared it up.
Mary E Coyle says
Hi Helen - I see what's confusing people. It's because the flour (by itself) is not divided, although it would appear so in the ingredients listing. Only after the sugar is added to (all) the flour, and the butter is cut in and mixed to form a crumb is there a division when 1/3 of the resulting crumb is set aside.
The blueberries are divided. One half the blueberries go into the batter, and 1/2 for later combination with the set-aside crumb to form the topping.
Judy says
As to the divided flour. I'm thinking 1/4 cut of the flour would get mixed with the frozen blueberries before adding to the batter.
hfletcher says
Hi Judy - Boy this recipe has confused a lot of people. Not sure why. No flour is added to the blueberries. Half are added directly to the mixed batter. The second half are put directly on top of the batter with the blueberries in it. The crumbs that were set aside in the bowl are added directly on the top layer of the blueberries.
hfletcher says
Hi Judy - no flour is mixed with the blueberries. The recipe tells you to add half the blueberries directly to the mixed batter, spread it into the prepared pan and top with the remaining half of the blueberries. Then you sprinkle the set aside crumb mixture over the blueberries and bake.
Denise O Conklin says
why is the flour divided? I assume the larger amount is base but I do not see when the smaller (2nd bowl) amount of flour is added. Could you please explain. Also what other fruits would be good to use in this cake?
hfletcher says
Hi Denise - The second part of the crumbs are the ones you sprinkle over the top layer of blueberries. I have add additional words to make the more clear. Sorry for any confusion.
hfletcher says
Hi Denise - The smaller amount in the bowl is sprinkled over the top layer of blueberries to make the crumb topping. I imagine any frozen fruit can be added - I have only used blueberries.
manisha sharma says
Helen is the flour to be divided into two equal parts? This step is not very clear. Also i assume that flour will be added along with baking soda and buttermilk. please clarify.
hfletcher says
Hi Manisha - I think you missed this step just above the bowl of crumbs: "Remove 1/3 of the crumbs (210 grams or about 7 ounces) and set them aside." The recipe then tells you to add the rest of the ingredients to the crumbs in the bowl. Hope this helps.
manisha sharma says
Although there was some confusion the cake turned out fab!!! It is not a very sweet cake which is what I loved about it as it goes so well with my tea.
I flavored the batter with lemon zest and did not use the glaze at all. it was beautiful and nice just like that.
Thank you, Helen, for clarifying the proportion of the flour to be added in the recipe. As I was not sure of the proportion and had already started work on it so I added 50% in two additions. Must say, it is quite a forgiving batter!
Thanx for deep butter cake clarification too. Will retry it and share my update.
hfletcher says
HI Manisha - Love lemon and blueberries. I left the drizzle as an option - either way works for me. Thanks for letting me know how it came out.
manisha sharma says
Helen this looks amazing! Making the cake today will share the result.
I have a query on Deep Butter cake. sorry to post it here but the comment section of this cake is closed. I tried it and got soggy parts throughout the cake and the crumb didn't have crunchy layer/crust. In fact, it was not distinguishable. I followed the recipe to the T. what could have gone wrong?
hfletcher says
Hi Manisha - the Deep Butter cake does not have crunchy top. The crumbs are meant to be absorbed into the cake. As to the soggy parts, I don't know. The original recipe definitely had sodden parts but once I added the baking powder they went away.