Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

4.75 from 4 ratings

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

This blueberry buttermilk coffee cake bakes up with a tender, plush crumb and is absolutely bursting with blueberries. The buttery streusel on top gives each bite a perfect bit of crunch, and it is an absolute crowd favorite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Equipment

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour 125g
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 100g
1/3 cup granulated sugar 66g
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled for about 10 minutes 85g

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups all purpose flour 260g
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 50g
2 tsp baking powder 8g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 113g
1/2 cup buttermilk 120g
2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil 30g
1 tsp vanilla extract 5g
2 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1 small lemon)
2 1/2 cups (1 1/4 pints) blueberries - fresh or frozen (if you use frozen, DO NOT defrost) 375g

Instructions

Streusel Topping

Whisk together 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp fine salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Add 6 Tbsp or 3/4 of a stick of unsalted butter that's been melted and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes into the mixture. Use a fork to kind of fold the mixture together. I sweep around the sides of the bowl and then along the bottom of the bowl. The goal is to gently incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients while leaving some big chunks intact. Be careful not to overmix! Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture until you're ready to use it.

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. You can also use a 9-inch pan, just shorten the bake time by 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp fine salt.
This recipe uses the reverse crumb method to give it a really tender crumb, so we mix the butter right into the dry ingredients. Add 1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter into the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fully combined. The mixture should look like moist sand.
Then add 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1 of a small lemon) into the mixture.
Mix on a medium speed until the ingredients are fully combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is properly combined. The batter should be pretty thick.
Fold 2 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen (but not defrosted) berries into the batter until they're evenly distributed. If you use frozen berries, stir as little as possible to prevent coloring the coffee cake batter blue-ish gray.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Remove the streusel from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 50-60 minutes (add 5-10 minutes if you use frozen blueberries), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes, then slice and serve straight from the pan.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes an 8x8-inch coffee cake, which I like to cut into 16 squares.

Making This Coffee Cake in Advance

I always say fresh is best! This coffee cake tastes best the day it's made. However, leftovers keep well and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days.

The streusel can be made up to three days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Tips for Making the Best Blueberry Coffee Cake

Line the pan with parchment paper so that you can easily remove the coffee cake once it's baked without messing up the streusel topping.
Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time (unless otherwise specified).

Nutrition