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 {traditional and gluten free recipes}
Ingredients
- 1/2 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 see note below for gluten-free alternative
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries or about 1 cup's worth
- Topping Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour or 2/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 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!
Notes
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.
Jean Spencer says
nwould like the Christmas cake with fresh cranberries and orange.I
AnnMarie says
I wish there was a picture of the crumb topping before the cake was baked. I didn’t have crumbs
The warm melted butter mixed with sugar And flour made a goopy texture on the cake.
Priscilla says
Too lemony for me.
Sharon D Reams says
It did not bake thoroughly. Is 1 cup of flour enough?
Alicia says
Worked beautifully, but I altered the recipe to be healthier. I used honey and agave in place of sugar and brown rice/arrowroot/oat flour as the GF blend. Used Maple sugar/brown rice flour/butter for the top crumble. Completely delicious and a recipe I’ll be returning to!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Alicia!
Alicia Morin says
Am I able to substitute a bob red mill gluten free flour for the flour outlined in the recipe? Same amount? Or do I have to use the combination listed in the alternative at the bottom?
Mary Younkin says
I’ve only tested this recipe with the combination of ingredients listed here. That said, if you’ve had good luck with a specific flour blend, it’s worth a try.
Janet Ryan says
Ian delighted to try some of your gluten
Free recipes thank you
Mary Younkin says
Happy baking, Janet!
Donnis says
This turned out fabulously! LOOOOOVE it! I made it gluten free by just using Pamela’s All Purpose gluten free flour in place of regular flour. The flavor of the creamy coffee cake and the brightness of the lemon is just terrific! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the cake, Donnis!
Cheryl Traver says
Can you substitute a 1/2 cup of margarine in place of the butter?
Mary Younkin says
That would probably work, Cheryl. I haven’t tried baking this with margarine myself, but if you typically have success with margarine, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Susie Coe says
Can I use a gluten free yellow cake mix & make enough for a 9×13 pan ? Thank you, Susie
Mary Younkin says
I’m never tried adapting this recipe for a cake mix, Susie. I have no idea how this might work.
Betty says
Picked blueberries yesterday and made the GF version today. It is spectacular! Thank you for this recipe. 😊
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you love it, Betty!
Cheryl says
Used fresh wild blueberries and King Arthurs Measure for Measure gluten free came out awesome!!
THANK YOU!
Mary Younkin says
You are welcome, Cheryl. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Michelle says
Omg so delicious and fluffy! I can’t seem to find many gluten free desserts that are this light. And it’s not too sweet but just sweet enough. Thank you!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you love the cake, Michelle!
Tricia L. says
Thank you. I baked this with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour and just a tad more blueberries. It’s delicious and will try again using regular apf.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, Tricia.
Cheryl says
HI Mary… was wondering since one of my friends has to eat gluten free, do I have to go thru all the expenses to get rice flour & all the other gluten free alternatives? Can’t i just use a plain old gluten free flour instead?
Mary Younkin says
It’s worth a try, Cheryl, but I haven’t tried it myself. The results won’t be the same as with the recommended flours, but I’m guessing it will work.
Abby Johnson says
This is my now new favorite recipe! It’s moist and delicious. I swapped out all purpose flour in exchange for all purpose gluten free flour(Great Value brand at Wal-Mart) and it worked perfectly!
Mary Younkin says
I am thrilled that you like it so much, Abby.
Hannah Ng says
Hi Mary, I’m so keen to try this recipe but sadly, the whole batch of fresh blueberries (4×125g boxes!) I bought from the supermarket were all sour! I am wondering if you can recommend any way to salvage or tweak so I can still bake a nice coffee cake? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Mary Younkin says
I’m guessing that the sugar in the cake will balance the tartness of the berries, Hannah. I make this with cranberries as well and they are super tart!
Hannah Ng says
Thanks Mary! Last time I made banana bread with sour blueberries too and because the blueberries remained pretty much intact their sourness could be tasted and it spoilt the overall palate of the otherwise sweet and nice banana bread. I’m really hoping this batch won’t spoil the really yummy coffee cake you share here!
Mary Younkin says
Oh, that’s a bummer, Hannah. I’ve never had blueberries that were that sour. Hopefully, it will work for you!
Tiffany Flores says
I made mine gluten free. By far the best recipe yet. I will be making another cake very soon!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you liked the cake, Tiffany!