This tender blueberry crumb cake recipe is bursting with fresh blueberries and topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel! The variation of textures and flavors in this cake are what sets it apart from the rest!
What makes this blueberry crumb cake recipe so great?
This crumb cake is one of my favorite things to serve for breakfast or brunch when I want to feed a crowd and impress all at the same time! After all, who doesn’t want cake for breakfast?! If you’re a fan of blueberry muffins like I am, you’ll love this recipe too!
This cake is incredibly easy to throw together and super adaptable too! With a few staple baking ingredients and a little time, you’ll be enjoying a delicious crumb cake before you know it!
Ingredients you’ll need for easy blueberry crumb cake:
For the cake:
- Softened butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Blueberries
For the streusel:
- Cold butter
- Brown sugar
- Flour
- Ground cinnamon
Some variations/add in’s:
- Use 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup blueberries for a red, white and blue crumb cake!
- Try add ½ cup of chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans to the streusel topping mixture for a little extra crunch!
How to make delicious blueberry crumb cake:
- Mix: Make the batter by combining the wet ingredients, then adding the dry ingredients and folding in blueberries at the end. Transfer the batter to your baking pan!
- Add the streusel topping: Once the streusel topping is mixed, sprinkle it all over the cake batter in an even layer.
- Bake: Bake for about 35 minutes. You’ll want the cake to look rounded and puffed in the center and the streusel topping to be golden brown.
Tips for baking this blueberry crumb cake recipe:
- Lightly coat the blueberries in flour before adding them to the batter. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes.
- Don’t freak out over the consistency of the batter! This crumb cake batter is VERY thick. You’ll want to be sure to spread it out in the pan evenly before baking.
- Use cold butter for the streusel topping! If you use softened or melted butter, your streusel won’t be as crisp on top.
- Baking times may very. Every oven is different, and your cake may take a little longer to bake than mine did. No one likes an under-baked crumb cake so be sure a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean before removing the cake from the oven.
I love serving this delicious blueberry crumb cake with coffee, tea or even ice cream depending on the time of day!
FAQ:
Yes! Just be sure you add them to the batter completely frozen rather than thawed. Thawed blueberries are very soft and it would be hard to mix into the cake batter without squishing them al!
Definitely! Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries will all do the trick!
Yes! Both will add moisture and result in a very soft, tender cake.
Sure! Just double the amounts for all the ingredients and bake the crumb cake in a 9×13 baking dish. It’ll also have a longer baking time of about 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees F.
You can store the leftovers by either wrapping in plastic wrap and leaving at room temperature for us to 3 days, or store in the fridge for up to 4 days!
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 microplane (for lemon zest)
- (1) 9×9 or 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 tbsp for the blueberries
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups blueberries
For the streusel topping:
- 1/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 or 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest and milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Sprinkle in the flour and baking powder. Fold everything together until no visible flour is remaining and the batter is very thick.
- Next, toss the blueberries in 2 tbsp flour, then fold them into the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Set aside.
- For the crumb topping, cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to a medium mixing bowl along with brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
- Using the tips of your fingers, mash and flatten the butter into the other ingredients, breaking it down into pea sized pieces to form a very crumbly mixture.
- Sprinkle this topping all over the cake, then bake for 35 minutes. Test the center for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick before removing from the oven and enjoying.
Leave a Reply