Easy Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel Topping

Learn how to make the BEST blueberry coffee cake recipe from scratch that's moist and delicious with tons of sweet berry flavor and a simple cinnamon streusel topping. Quick and easy, step by step coffee cake recipe that's perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert, and it can feed a crowd!

This is a great recipe for making ahead, and, just like my French toast casserole recipe, it's super easy to double, triple, quadruple, etc., to feed a crowd; it's great for large gatherings or other special occasions and events. Trust me when I say that it won't last long!

I've always been a sucker for good coffee cake, but this recipe may just be my new favorite. The blueberries– OH MY GOSH. This cake really takes it up a notch with its sweet blueberry flavor and the melt-in-your-mouth, buttery streusel crumb topping.

In a way, the flavor of this cake reminds me of my favorite vanilla cake mix recipe, but with blueberries. Blueberries are like the bacon of the baking world. They make just about any baked good taste way better, including pancakes, which I like to make from my DIY pancake mix.

And the best part is, this recipe can be made either gluten-free or dairy-free, or both, and I'll show you how. In fact, due to a gluten intolerance, that's about the only way I make most of my baked goods anymore, like these light and fluffy gluten-free blueberry muffins. The key is to use a good, time-tested gluten-free all-purpose flour, which I will explain further in the ingredients notes below.

Either way, I'm convinced that you'll love this delicious blueberry coffee cake recipe. It's unbelievably easy to make, and it uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. What's not to love?

What Makes Coffee Cake Different From Regular Cake?

The difference is in the topping. Instead of a frosting or icing, most coffee cake (this one included) has a crunchy streusel topping on top of the cake. Otherwise, the ingredients of both regular cake and coffee cake are actually pretty similar.

And, you guessed it– it's most commonly known as “coffee cake” because it pairs so well with coffee or tea! Coffee cake is a staple in coffee shops worldwide, and there are many different ways in which people make it.

That said, some people refer to coffee cake as “crumble cake,” because the streusel topping is basically just a crisp crumble topping. To each their own…

Why You're Going to Love This Coffee Cake Recipe

• It's quick and easy to make, even if it's your first time making coffee cake, and it uses simple, everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
• This recipe makes a moist and tender cake that's topped off with a scrumptious cinnamon streusel topping that practically melts in your mouth with rich, buttery flavor.
• On top of the crisp crumble topping, this coffee cake is bursting with sweet blueberry flavor. This is an addictive and delicious dessert that will have everybody coming back for more!
• Blueberry coffee cake is perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert. It makes the ultimate snack-dessert to serve to your guests with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea.
• This recipe is super easy to make ahead, and you can double or triple it to feed a crowd. You can even freeze it!
• Can't have gluten or dairy, or both? Don't worry, scroll down to the ingredients list below to learn how you can make this a gluten-free dairy-free blueberry coffee cake.

Ingredients & Substitutions Notes

This blueberry crumble cake uses pretty simple ingredients, so you probably already have everything you need…

Make the Cake

• Unsalted Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter for the cake, but if you have to use salted butter, just be sure to reduce the actual salt in the recipe by about 1/8 teaspoon. If you can't eat dairy, I recommend substituting 1:1 with these dairy free plant-based butter sticks. If you go this route, just be sure to swap out the milk that's listed below with a dairy-free substitute. You'll also need to swap out the butter in the streusel topping.
• Cane Sugar – While as I prefer to use organic cane sugar, you can also just use granulated sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – Although you can use imitation vanilla, I highly recommend using 100% real vanilla extract for its superior flavor.
• Lemon Juice – As always, fresh-squeezed lemon juice from fresh lemons is best, but good old bottled lemon juice will also work just fine! You don't need much, but a hint of lemon flavor goes a long way in making this my favorite coffee cake ever!
• Flour – A good all-purpose flour is best for this recipe. If you're gluten-free, you can substitute 1:1 with a cup for cup gluten-free all-purpose flour. In fact, I actually make this recipe gluten-free all the time! If you go this route, I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the flour before mixing everything together. As always, check all of the other ingredients to ensure that they are truly gluten-free. You'll also need to swap out gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour called for in the streusel topping below.
• Sea Salt – Of course you can use table salt, but I love the flavor of this “real” Redmond sea salt.
• Whole Milk – I prefer whole milk for this recipe for its richness, but you can also use 2% milk. If you're dairy free, try substituting with a dairy-free milk, such as almond milk, soy milk or rice milk. Here is a great guide on what you need to know about non-dairy milk alternatives.
• Fresh Blueberries – I prefer fresh blueberries, but you can also make blueberry coffee cake with frozen blueberries. Just be sure to rinse and dry the frozen berries before adding to the cake batter.

Make the Crumble Topping

• Salted Butter – I prefer to use cold salted butter for the crumble topping, but if all you have is unsalted butter, that'll work too. When using unsalted butter, just be sure to increase the actual salt in the recipe by about 1/8 teaspoon to make up for the lack of salt in the butter. And again, you can easily make this recipe dairy-free by substituting 1:1 with these dairy free plant-based butter sticks. Just be sure to swap out any other dairy-containing ingredients in the recipe for dairy-free!
• Light Brown Sugar – It's important that you use light brown sugar and NOT dark brown sugar for this recipe.
• Flour – As with the cake, all-purpose flour is best. If you can't have gluten, just substitute 1:1 with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like the one listed above. As always, be sure to check all of your ingredients over to ensure that they are truly gluten-free, especially when it comes to your flour mixture!
• Cinnamon – We just use ground cinnamon in our coffee cake. If you're looking for some extra spice, drop in a pinch of ground nutmeg with the cinnamon.

How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake From Scratch

Before getting started, pre-heat your oven to 375ºF, and grease an 8×8″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then move on to the steps below…

How to Mix Up the Cake

1. “Cream,” or mix, the butter and sugar in a large bowl. I really love my electric stand mixer for this step.
2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate large mixing bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with milk and mixing 'til smooth.
5. Next, gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula, taking care not to “smoosh” them up; this can cause the batter and subsequently the finished cake to turn completely blue.
6. Once everything is mixed together well, spread the coffee cake batter into the 8×8″ baking pan that you greased up in the first step. Then we'll move on to the streusel topping…

Now Mix Up the Streusel Topping

1. To make the streusel topping, start by combining the cold butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl with a pastry cutter. Don't over-mix the topping; you want this mixture to be crumbly with a few large chunks of butter here and there. If you over-mix the topping, it'll become thick and paste-like.
2. Once it's all mixed together, crumble your streusel topping over the top of the batter. Now it's ready to bake!

How to Bake Blueberry Coffee Cake

Bake your cake at 375ºF for 35-45 minutes, or 'til a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. You can serve it warm, or you can wait until it's cooled; it's up to you.

Serve blueberry coffee cake for breakfast, brunch or dessert. It goes great with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea, and you can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd at a large gathering or other special occasion. It won't last long!

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's

Recipe Variations

Looking to change things up? Here a few ways you can add an extra “oomph” to blueberry coffee cake…

• This recipe already uses lemon juice, but you can also add lemon zest to make this a lemon blueberry coffee cake recipe. In case you don't know how, here's a great tutorial on how to zest a lemon.
• For added moistness and richness, try substituting about half of the milk with a full-fat sour cream to make this a sour cream coffee cake. This is also a great substitute if just so happen to be short on milk. Something tells me that Greek yogurt might be worth a try as well…
• Try swapping out all of the milk for buttermilk. Buttermilk is acidic, which reacts with the gluten in the cake batter in a way that tenderizes and softens the entire cake. TIP: Don't have any buttermilk on hand? Make your own by whisking 1 tablespoon of vinegar into every 1 cup of milk. Let it set for a few minutes while it curdles, and you've got homemade buttermilk!
• For a decorative touch, you can also make this cake in a bundt pan. Just make sure to grease the pan well beforehand.
• I really think that this yummy cream cheese glaze drizzled onto the streusel topping would add a great finishing touch to this recipe. The key is to catch it hot out of the oven; you'll want to poke a few holes into the top with a fork, and then spread the glaze. Yum!
• Keep in mind that you can swap out the blueberries for any other berry. Blackberries, raspberries and maybe strawberries come to mind. Mix them all together to make a mixed berry coffee cake!

More Blueberry Recipes

• This blueberry cream pie is sort of like a blueberry cobbler, but with a sweet and creamy cream cheese filling. This recipe is a summertime staple in my family.
• Make this dreamy no bake blueberry delight with only 7 simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time. Creamy Dream Whip filling, cream cheese, blueberry pie filling, and a quick & easy pecan nut crust– What's not to love?
• Looking for more cake recipes? Check out this lemon blueberry cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. This is a simple and easy layer cake from scratch that makes the ultimate dessert for any time of the year!
• If you like blueberries as much as I do, then you probably agree that they're the BOMB when it comes to pancakes, like my favorite blueberry buttermilk pancakes recipe. Blueberry pancakes are a Sunday staple in our house.
• Last but not least, this blueberry French Toast casserole with a scrumptious cinnamon streusel topping is one the easiest breakfast recipes I know! HINT: Mix it up ahead of time, and let it set in the refrigerator overnight before baking– It's amazing!

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