Blueberries and lemon combine in a Blueberry Coffee Cake that is worthy of any occasion. I have a huge grin on my face today and I am positively giddy to tell you that this cake, this fantastically moist, perfectly sweet blueberry coffee cake with a hint of lemon, is the best blueberry coffee cake I have ever tasted.
I am so happy with this cake, I practically danced across the kitchen after I tasted it. I ate a slice of this cake right after I finished photographing it this afternoon and I ate another slice after dinner.
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Coffee cake, in my opinion, doesn’t get nearly the amount of hype it deserves. A good coffee cake has a tender moist interior with a crisp crumb topping. This one is also stuffed to the brim with fresh juicy blueberries.
I was surprised to learn recently that in some parts of the world a “coffee cake” is a cake with actual coffee in it. While I’ve been known to bake a cake with coffee in it from time to time, like this Chocolate Mocha Cake, a true coffee cake is one designed to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee.
This Blueberry Coffee Cake is ideal for sipping with a Spanish Cafe con Leche or for sharing with friends alongside a pot of coffee. The blueberries in it make me think of summer afternoons, gathered with friends for an afternoon chat on the porch.
Coffee cake is also the kind of cake you can happily eat for breakfast. It’s basically a muffin in cake form, right?
Do I even need to tell you what I’ll be eating for breakfast tomorrow? This is a dangerous kind of awesome, my friends.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake
Once I discovered how good this blueberry coffee cake recipe is, I decided to see if I could make it gluten free. As it turns out, substituting gluten free flour was super easy and resulted in a cake that we all liked just as much as the traditional version.
I’m always excited when I can share a new favorite recipe with my family members and friends who avoid gluten. Check out more of my Gluten Free Dessert Recipes too.
Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
I’m definitely a coffee cake enthusiast. I love Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Lemon Coffee Cakeand straight up Cinnamon Coffee Cake. The satisfaction of sticking your fork into the crisp crumb topping and tasting the moist, sweet interior is unbeatable.
Nothing disappoints me more than digging into a slice of coffee cake to find that the inside is dry and crumbly. Sometimes, the cake is moist when freshly baked but gets dry after a day or two.
Not so, with this cake. What’s the secret? Sour cream keeps this blueberry coffee cake moist, even a few days later.
If you love this blueberry coffee cake as much as I do, chances are you’ll hardly have any leftovers after a couple of days. But if you DO end up with a few extra slices, rest easy knowing that this cake will taste delicious each and every time you cut yourself a slice.
This makes it a great cake to enjoy for dessert and then again the next morning for breakfast.
Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe
Making blueberry coffee cake is as simple as mixing together batter, pouring it into a pan and adding a crumb topping. Fresh blueberries added to the batter add a sweet tart flavor and beautiful color to this coffee cake.
The crumb topping comes together with just a little flour, sugar and melted butter. I mix it up in the same bowl I used for the cake batter so that I’m only getting one bowl dirty. (I love baking and hate cleaning up! Can I get an amen?)
Another thing to love about this coffee cake is that there’s no icing required. It’s sweet and moist all on its own. While I love the taste of icing, I’m not the world’s best cake decorator so any easy cake recipe that lets me just bake and go is a winner.
This coffee cake smelled so good while it was baking that I could hardly wait for it to cool to grab myself a slice. I ate two slices right away and had to put the rest of the cake out of sight.
I cannot wait to enjoy this blueberry coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow with my cup of coffee.
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest or the zest of (1) large lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Coffee Cake Topping
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour**
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- ⅔ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca stach
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ½ teaspoon xantham gum
**Gluten-Free Topping Alternative
- ⅔ cup brown rice flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" square pan with butter. Beat the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Place the blueberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the dry ingredients, stir gently to coat the berries. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sour cream, mix again, and add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the flour and sugar for the topping in the same small bowl that was holding the berries and add the melted butter. Stir lightly with a fork to combine. Sprinkle the sugary crumbs over the batter in the pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
{recipe originally published 8/14/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/17/22}
Cake Recipes
If you like this coffee cake recipe, you should also give this Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze a try. Looking for a gluten free cake? The Best Gluten Free White Cake is my go-to cake recipe for birthday cakes, cupcakes and anytime I need a gluten free treat everyone enjoys.
I’ve also got my eye on these Sour Cream Coffee Cake muffins from A Family Feast.
Karen says
This is the VERY BEST COFFEE CAKE I’ve ever had! Moist, sweet, blueberries lemon, and the crumble….so yummy. Very easy, simple and absolutely delicious. I doubled it and baked in a cake pan, turned out great. So glad I did.
Mary Younkin says
That is awesome, Karen.
Mary Mackey says
Would Bob;s Red Mill 1-1 GF flour also work in this blueberry recipe? Leaving the other ingredients the same? Would like to make for Christmas.
Mary Younkin says
Yes, You can use a 1-1 flour Mary.
Anne says
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, you can use frozen, Anne.
Natalie Graham says
Can you put canned fruit filling in this recipe .
Mary Younkin says
I would not recommend it.