Blueberry Crumb Cake

Blueberry Crumb Cake is one of my favorite afternoon treats. Rich and buttery with a thick crumb topping, this coffee cake is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea. Quick and easy, this blueberry crumb cake recipe is great for every level of baker, even beginners.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Last week, I was flipping through an old book and 2 things fell out onto my lap: this recipe and an old black & white photo from my 5th birthday party.

That’s the story of my life. I’m usually a fairly organized person, but little scraps of paper plague my existence. I find them everywhere. I mean, literally everywhere. I scribble down notes or ideas and shove them into a bag or toss them onto the dining room table or kitchen counter. I’m staring at a handful of them as I type this.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I’ve given this recipe a permanent home now, which makes me quite pleased because this cake happens to be one of my very favorite things in all the world. In my humble opinion, coffee cakes or crumb cakes are absolutely one of the recipes that should be in everyone’s back pocket. A good crumb cake is a crowd pleaser. Have you ever met someone that didn’t like crumb cake? Neither have I.

This cake has a Very Generous crumb topping, which is mandatory in my book. The cake itself is surprisingly light, but sturdy enough to support a hefty amount of fresh blueberries. Get them while they are in season, because those plump little blueberries are best in the summer months!

Are crumb cake and coffee cake the same thing?

Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake</center

This is the question, isn’t it? We could just call it coffee crumb cake to solve the issue. I think this is rather like frosting vs icing. For me, a crumb cake has a thick layer of buttery crumb topping, while a coffee cake may or may not have a crumb topping.

To make matters more confusing, I’ve seen some bundt cakes called coffee cakes. I guess it’s all personal preference or where you live. 

How to make crumb cake:

blueberry crumb cake

New york crumb cake is covered in rich, buttery crumb topping. The base of the cake is filled with blueberries, making it extra tasty. To make this cake, it is just a matter of creaming butter and sugar together, then alternating between adding buttermilk and dry ingredients.

The cake is then baked in a glass baking dish that has been buttered and floured. Crumb cake is a very easy cake to make and is a perfect recipe for beginner bakers who want to start baking from scratch.

Used to make this cake:

Pin it to your coffee and crumb cake board!

Crumb Cake recipe:

This coffee cake or crumb cake is a delicious treat to take when visiting friends or family, or when having guests over. It is the perfect afternoon snack cake to have with a cup of coffee or tea. Quick and easy, blueberry crumb cake can be ready in just over an hour.

Yield: 12

Blueberry Crumb Cake

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A blueberry crumb cake with a thick layer of buttery crumb topping

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, all purpose
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla, preferably vanilla bean paste
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 cups blueberries

For the Crumb Topping

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

Make the Crumb Topping

1. In a medium bowl- mix flour, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the mixture until you have large crumbs. Do not make them too small!
2. Otherwise, the topping will melt into the cake.
3. Chill until you are ready to sprinkle on the cake.

Make the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour a 8x8 baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, then vanilla, and beat until combined.
5. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat until just combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, beat until combined. Repeat once more, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture.
6. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
7. Batter is thick, so being gentle is important! Spoon batter into the baking dish and use an offset spatula if necessary to level the top.
8. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the entire cake and bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
9. Cool completely before slicing!

Notes

This is a versatile cake, the blueberries can be swapped out for other berries (like blackberries!) or even stone fruits like cherries or peaches.
It also freezes beautifully for those days when you need just a little something.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 299Saturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 361mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

A weekend brunch menu:

• Restaurant Style Bloody Mary
• Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole
• Heirloom Tomato tart
• Sour Cream Cherry Scones
• Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits – from Cravings of a Lunatic