Blueberries and lemon come together perfectly in a Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake that is truly 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.
Sour Cream 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, crumbly 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.
Blueberry Coffee Cake with Sour Cream
This blueberry coffee cake with sour cream 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.
Easy Blueberry Coffee Cake
Another thing to love about this easy blueberry 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. After realizing how good it was, I 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 first cup of coffee.
Gluten Free Blueberry 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 flours and starches 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.
Moist Blueberry Coffee Cake
Nothing disappoints me more than digging into a slice of coffee cake to find that the inside is dry and crumbly. That is not a problem with this wonderfully moist blueberry coffee 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. It doesn’t last long when it’s great for dessert and then again the next morning for breakfast.
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 come back for more. And if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, this pan with a lid is fantastic for both baking and storing cake.
Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
Cake Ingredients
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- lemon juice and zest
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking powder
- sour cream
- blueberries
Coffee Cake Topping
- flour
- brown sugar
- butter
Recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8″ baking pan with butter. You’ll want a big mixing bowl for the batter. Start by beating the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Then, stir in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix in the eggs one at a time, just until combined. Combine the flour and baking powder in another bowl and lightly coat your blueberries with the dry ingredients.
Then mix the dry ingredients into your batter, one half at a time. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour it all into your greased pan.
For the topping, mix the flour and sugar together before adding the melted butter. Stir it together lightly with a fork, then sprinkle the sugary crumbs on top of the batter in the pan.
Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe
Making this blueberry coffee cake recipe is as simple as mixing together the batter, pouring it into a pan, and adding a crumb topping. Fresh blueberries in 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, but hate cleaning up! Can I get an amen?
Easy Coffee Cake Recipes
I’m definitely a coffee cake enthusiast, and this one has already been added to my list of favorite easy coffee cake recipes. I love Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Lemon Coffee Cake, and straight-up Cinnamon Coffee Cake. The satisfaction of sticking your fork into the crisp crumb topping and tasting the moist, sweet interior is unbeatable.
If you like this coffee cake recipe, you should also give this Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze a try. I’ve also got my eye on these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins.
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
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- ⅔ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ½ teaspoon xantham gum
Coffee Cake Topping
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour**
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
**Gluten-Free Topping Alternative
- ⅔ cup brown rice flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and the sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, lemon zest, and 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 and mix again. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and mix just until combined.
- Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the batter into a greased 8" square 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.
Nutrition
{recipe originally published 8/14/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/25/23}
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.
virginia wallace says
Try mixing the topping first thing and place in your frigerator while you mix the cake part. The butter
will make it harden some and then you can crumble it better over the cake. I did this with some blueberry cupcakes for the crumb topping and it works great.
Priscilla says
Too lemony for me.
Sharon D Reams says
It did not bake thoroughly. Is 1 cup of flour enough?
Josephine Sane says
This did not work for me either. I did exactly as the recipe said. I read it over more than once to see why there was no baking soda??? I used an 8×8 pan, baked it for 45 min and ended up with it being unbaked in the centre and kind of doughy all over??
Mary Younkin says
This coffee cake is slightly denser but should not be doughy. There is baking powder for leavening.
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!
Kathy B says
This sounds awesome- will try the gluten free version and cut down on the lemon. Just curious- do you think this would work in a bundt pan?
Mary Younkin says
Hi Kathy, I do not think this will work nicely in a bundt pan. You’ll lose that crispy topping too.
Paige West says
By far one of the best coffee cakes ever! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you love it, Paige.