Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
By Victor Lang
Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Total
70 min
Servings
9
Level
Easy
This coffee cake features blueberries in a sour cream batter and a cold-butter-and-cinnamon streusel topping. The baked blueberries stay moist and whole. The streusel topping does not attach completely to the coffee cake (I like the streusel on top that isn't attached).
I mix the crumb topping and refrigerate it while preparing other ingredients. Work the butter into the topping until it looks like crumbs. I don't work with the crumb topping until it's ready to be spooned onto the prepared baking dish. If the topping has melted butter, there will be no loose crumbs on top of the batter in the finished baked dish.
For the cake, I creamed together the butter, eggs, and sour cream at room temperature before mixing in dry ingredients. Try not to overmix the batter to avoid a dense cake; you want a thick batter that holds together when you fold the berries into it. The batter will be easy to mix once the cold ingredients come to room temperature.
Let the cake sit in its pan for at least 20 minutes before serving. The cake can be served warm for breakfast or brunch, but I like to serve it with country-style ribs. The topping will break into cinnamon bits when you plate the cake, but the cake will not be damaged.
Reasons to make this
- One and a half cups of blueberries will fill all nine muffin cups in a muffin tin, including the middle cups.
- The streusel topping is made with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cold butter is worked into coarse crumbs before they go on the batter.
- Sour cream provides a sour taste for the batter along with the sweet taste of berries and other toppings.
- Fresh and frozen berries are good choices. Frozen berries can be substituted for fresh berries in this recipe.
- The familiar ingredients are used in a pie with a thick topping and individual pieces containing berries.
- A pan nine inches square holds nine servings of breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients
- •2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the blueberries)
- •½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- •1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (1/4 cup for the streusel and 1 cup for the cake)
- •1 tsp ground cinnamon
- •1 cup unsalted butter (1/2 cup cold and cubed for the streusel, 1/2 cup softened to room temperature for the cake)
- •1 tsp baking powder
- •½ tsp baking soda
- •½ tsp salt
- •2 large eggs (room temperature)
- •1 tsp vanilla extract
- •1 cup sour cream (room temperature)
- •1 ½ cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel in a medium bowl.
- 2
Add the cold, cubed butter.
- 3
Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form.
- 4
Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the cake batter.
- 5
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 6
Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
- 7
Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- 8
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- 9
Stir in the vanilla extract.
- 10
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- 11
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- 12
Mix the batter until just combined.
- 13
Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl.
- 14
Fold the coated blueberries into the batter.
- 15
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- 16
Sprinkle the chilled streusel evenly over the batter.
- 17
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 18
Cool the cake in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
450
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