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.*
Duncan
Tasted great but I found that the base/sponge turned brown rather than staying white like in the picture. It’s like the strusel has leached into cake. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? It tried baking the batter for 15 mins before adding the streusel but made no difference.
Deb
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing! A new favourite!
Amy Harting
I made this today to take camping.
Kim
I hope you enjoy it! It is favorite around here! Have fun camping.
Donna
Has anyone halved this and made it in an 8 x 8 pan? It's just me and my husband and we don't need that much.
Maggie
I've made this recipe as is and it's just delicious! And I just made it yesterday with the following modifications: I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour, 1 to 1 and only 1 cup of white sugar. I also took someone else's suggestion to use oat flour in the topping instead of flour. I ground up one cup of oats to make 2/3 cup of oat flour. It was just as good as the original! 50 minutes was the perfect time to bake. Love this recipe and will be making it in the future as we go blueberry picking every summer.
Kim
We love to get fresh blueberries every year. We get 40 pounds! I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe and was able to adapt it to your family's needs.
Dee
I just made this cake and I have to say it is great . I can’t wait for everyone to come home today and try it . I’m very pleased.
Kim
I am so glad! I just made it again the other day and the family gobbled it up! I hope yours enjoy it as well.
Ann
Can iI use buttermilk?
Kim
Honestly, I wouldn't unless. You would need to adjust other ingredients to make up for the buttermilk.
Katie
Bummed about this recipe! Looks so good in the picture - but it definitely needed more time to bake. Because of the extra time (10-15 more minutes), the topping was burnt and did not look appetizing. Not sure how to fix this, as I used a 9x13 pan as recommended.
Kim
Well, I am so sorry it didn't work for you! I literally just made this recipe yesterday and it was gobbled up by this morning. I have never had the topping burn before so I am not sure how to help you there. Oven do vary so much so if you try it again, maybe cover the pan up with foil while you bake. Then when there is 20 minutes left, take the foil off and finish baking. Perhaps try that?
Debra Mart
Can I make ahead and freeze to bake later on vacation?
Kim
I have been thinking on this... I am not sure how unbaked dough would work if you freeze it. You could make it ahead of time, bake it, freeze it and take it with you.
Trina
Is the flour all purpose or self rising.
Kim
The flour is all purpose! :-)