Blueberry Coffee Cake

A deliciously tender Blueberry Coffee Cake with hints of cinnamon, lemon and a crunchy oat crumble topping.

This delicious and moist blueberry coffee cake recipe balances healthfulness with indulgence. The irresistible taste lies in a combination of whole wheat pastry flour, sour cream, lemon zest, and an aromatic hint of cinnamon and cardamom. Succulent blueberries are speckled throughout the coffee cake. The streusel topping’s satisfying crunch, paired with the hint of spice and light sweetness, makes it difficult to stop at just one piece.

Ingredients

• Fresh blueberries: Blueberries are in season from April through October, making this a great time to bake this coffee cake! Choose organic if possible.
• Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour: Whole wheat pastry flour is lighter than regular whole wheat, giving the cake an earthy, nutty flavor with added nutrition. Feel free to sub AP white flour or half wheat and half white.
• Oats: Adds texture to the crunchy, crumbly streusel topping.
• Sugars: Brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar) for the topping and 1/2 – 3/4 cup regular sugar, depending on how sweet you wish the cake to be.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, and cardamom.
• Dairy: Unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes, milk (whole, low fat, or dairy free), and sour cream (or sub-Greek yogurt).
• Eggs: Buy local and organic if you can.
• Oil: We used avocado oil, but any neutral oil works to moisten the cake.
• Vanilla extract: Delicious flavor that also enhances the other flavors in the cake.
• Lemon: Zest of 1 lemon, plus lemon juice for a hint of zesty tartness.

How to Make Blueberry Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with oil (and place parchment on the bottom if desired).

Step 1: Mix the streusel topping. In a bowl, stir brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter in until a coarse crumble forms.

Step 2: Prepare cake batter. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the cold butter in, using a pastry cutter, forks, or fingers (make sure hands are not too warm). Combine until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Step 3: Whisk wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice.

Step 4: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold wet ingredients gently into the flour mixture. It will be thick.

Step 5: Add batter to pan. Spread 2/3 of the coffee cake batter into the prepared springform pan, sprinkling 1 cup of blueberries on top. Spread the remaining batter over the blueberry layer. Then top with the remaining blueberries.

Step 6: Add crumb topping. Pour streusel evenly over top.

Step 7: Bake. Bake 55-70 minutes, until set in the middle and baked to golden perfection. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.

Step 8: Cool. Cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Expert Tips

1. Use whole wheat pastry flour: Adds deliciously nutty flavor and increases the fiber content, giving this cake a healthy boost!
2. Don’t over-mix the batter: Be careful not to over-work the batter here or it will be too dense.
3. Be gentle with the blueberries: Rather than fold in we just layer the blueberries with the batter, avoiding blue streaks that can turn your batter grey and it keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.