A delicious breakfast recipe for your family. Full of sweet blueberries, this Brown Sugar Blueberry Coffee Cake will be just what is needed on a Monday morning. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Sounds like an any day breakfast for your family!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know. I mean if you saw this Brown Sugar Blueberry Coffee Cake, wouldn't you have to agree?
How could you say no to the sweet blueberries, brown sugar streusel topping and moist coffee cake?
You can't. Just admit it.
Ingredients
- sugar
- butter
- eggs
- milk
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- blueberries
- brown sugar (for topping)
- flour (for topping)
- softened butter (for topping)
- cinnamon (for topping)
There are a lot of ingredients to this brown sugar coffee cake but they come together easily. In fact, four of them are for the crumble topping.
Soften butter vs melting butter
You really want to be careful how the butter is softened. If you melt the butter, the texture for the topping will be different than what you want.
It is best to let the butter sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften it a bit before you add it together with the topping ingredients. If you MUST microwave it (we have all been there, right??), only put it into the microwave for about 10 seconds. You just want the butter to think about being soft, not in melting stage.
The process
To make this homemade blueberry coffee cake, it is really a mix and bake type of recipe. Simply cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs.
Then the dry ingredients will be mixed together in a separate bowl.
You don't want to add the milk and flour mixture to the egg mixture all at once or you may get lumps, clumps and unmixed ingredients.
No thanks.
It is better if you add a little milk. Stir.
Add a little flour. Stir.
So forth until you have fully incorporated all the ingredients together.
The blueberries
The blueberries need to be folded into the batter. You don't want to stir so you won't squish the blueberries.
If blueberry squishing takes place, not a big deal, but whole round blueberries looks better. It all tastes the same, though.
The bake
This breakfast recipe is cooked in a 9x13 greased pan at 375*. It does take a little time to bake, about 50 minutes to cook all the way through. Oven temperatures do vary so be sure to check after 40 minutes.
Gluten free option
If you have family members who are gluten free, the all purpose flour in this recipe can be exchanged for 1 for 1 flour such as the King Arthur Gluten Free Flour. I have done it and it turns out just as delicious as the regular flour.
You can use the gluten free flour for the base and topping.
FAQ
It can be made ahead of time, like the night before, and it tastes fine. I must admit, I like fresh out of the oven coffee cake. The blueberries are warm, the brown sugar topping is crunchy. Still good, day old, but just love the taste of fresh.
Yes! You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. Both work fine for this recipe, just make sure they are clean.
No, you certainly don't. However, it adds so much crunch and flavor.
No, it doesn't. The leftovers can be kept on the counter covered in an airtight container.
Like breakfast recipes? Try: Sausage Hashbrown Casserole, Easy Baked Chocolate Donuts and Bacon Spinach Quiche.
Pin for later!
📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups blueberries
For The Topping
- ⅔ cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup softened butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375°
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 cake pan
- Cream together the ½ cup butter and white sugar in a large bowl
- Mix in the eggs
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt
- Stir in the milk, a little at a time, alternating with flour mixture into the egg mixture. (A little milk, a little flour, etc...)
- Fold in the blueberries
- Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Set aside
For The Topping
- Mix together brown sugar, flour, Softened butter and cinnamon
- Sprinkle over top of the blueberry coffee cake and bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 375° for 50 minutes or until cake tests done with a toothpick. *Remember, ovens may vary slightly so always allow a few minutes of wiggle room when following a recipe.*
Arianne Knisley
This was very good and moist- only problem I ran into it needed an extra 10 minutes as the middle was not set. But very good- it made so much to share!
Kim
I'm so glad you like it! It is a favorite around here!
Jamie
Has this been tried a muffin? I’ve made this as a cake a couple of times now (ALWAYS a big hit), but I wanted to bring them to my dojo and a muffin would be much easier (and less messy with the guys).
Kim
I'm so glad you liked it! As far as the muffin goes... I wonder if it wouldn't hold together well. However, give it a try. It might do okay! :-)
Jamie
I tried it as giant muffins, still AMAZING! I've also done it in loaf pans (3 and 1/2cups of batter in each pan) and again still super good!
Kim
I will have to try it as muffins. Sounds so good!
Linda
Delicious. I will be making this again. I am a Georgia girl and added some pecans to the topping. Family loved it.
Alex
Can I use frozen blueberries instead if fresh?
Kim
Yes you can! In fact, I use frozen blueberries more than fresh most of the time for this recipe. No need to thaw either, just put them in.
Erica
I made this for my family this morning. it was a huge hit. I am vegan so I subbed a flaxseed egg and 1 mashed banana egg. I also used oat flour for the top because I just like oat cinnamon crumble and I used coconut milk instead of cow's milk. I also used about 1/2 the sugar, anyway it was a HUGE hit. my kids ate about 1/2 the pan and im sure it will be entirely gone by tomorrow.
Kim
I am so glad it worked for your family!
Jessica
Extremely dry. I knew there was something wrong when I couldn’t even spread it in the pan. And that’s using the 1 1/2 cup milk like corrected in the recipe. The topping was good??♀️
Kim
Well, thank you for your comment! I JUST made this recipe as I listed it and it turned out great. Kid approved and all. I am so sorry it didn't work for you. I think I will make it again and triple check again to make sure it is truly as it says.
Sara C
How do you store it? I made this for a party for tomorrow so just wondering how to store it. Thanks! It looks and smells delicious, can’t wait to taste it! ?
Kim
I would let it cool completely, then cover it tightly with foil and keep it on the counter. I hope you enjoy it!
Kelly
I was reading the comments about the cake needing more time to bake... I just wanted to throw this out there---
Use an Oven Thermometer.. And wait until the oven is properly heated to the correct temp before baking.
Kelly
I haven't made this recipe yet but it looks yummy!! Just one quetion, Should the brown sugar be "tightly packed"?
Kim
As it is the topping, it doesn't matter either way. We, at our home, do not mind a little extra topping, so I generally pack it. More sugar the better, right? ;-)
W. B.
I made this cake for my mother-in-law to take to a brunch she was attending. It definitely took quite a bit longer than 35 minutes to cook. It ended up dry. Wondering if 4 cups of flour with only one cup of milk was the right amounts. Could barely get it spread in pan as it was so thick.
Kim
I really, really appreciate it when people leave truthful comments on my recipes whether they are great reviews or not. It helps me as a blogger and baker! I have made this recipe many, many times at home so I do know it is a recipe that works well and tastes great. My family loves it.
So I looked over the ingredient list and sure enough, the milk should be listed as 1 1/2 cups. I will change it to reflect that. I am very sorry, I probably had a child needing something when I typed that. ;-)
I will also up the time needing to cook. I am pretty confident on the time, as I have said, I make this recipe often. However, I know ovens vary so I will add that to the instructions as a possibility. Thanks again!
Lisa maher
I love this recipe how much flour is set aside for topping? How much flour in crumbs. I'm trying to figure it out.
Kim
I clarified it in the recipe! I hope that helps! :-)
Leeann Link
Where is cinnamon added - to cake or topping? My cake is in oven and I just reread the recipe and saw cinnamon in ingredients! I did NOT add it.
Kim
Oh, sorry about that. I was at church pretty much all day, you guessed it, preparing food for a crowd. :-) The cinnamon is in the topping ingredients.
Diego Lopes
Coffee cake? You won me with that title. I can't wait to try this recipe myself!