Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
Looking for a breakfast recipe everyone will love? Try this blueberry buckle. It’s a coffee cake with streusel topping that is perfectly moist and tender. The blueberries provide a burst of flavor while the sweet and crunchy crumble topping pairs well with a drizzle of vanilla icing before serving.
One of my favorite recipes to make when I have guests visiting is blueberry buckle. It’s an old-fashioned coffee cake that is comforting and delicious. The fresh blueberries add a pop of flavor while the crumble topping adds a sweet crunch. You may also like the cranberry coffee cake I make for Christmas!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy-to-find ingredients are combined to create impeccable flavor and texture. This popular breakfast dish is a fan favorite and perfect for serving when you have guests over. Everyone loves it! Try it for Mother’s Day brunch, summer vacations or holiday gatherings.
Ingredient notes
- Brown sugar: Streusel typically uses brown sugar to make a crunchy crumble. You can use light or dark brown.
- Butter: Use room temperature butter for the best texture in the streusel and cake.
- Sour cream: This ingredient is a must because it makes the cake extra moist! Use full-fat for best results. Yogurt is a good substitution.
- Blueberries: I prefer fresh Maine blueberries for baking. They are smaller with more flavor, but are seasonal. You can also use frozen blueberries, but frozen works here too. If using frozen, do not defrost them and toss the berries in flour before adding to the batter.
- Lemon: A little lemon zest is optional and adds a subtle citrus flavor.
Recipe variations
Different baking pans work too! You can use a 9-inch square pan or 10-cup bundt pan. Baking time will be slightly shorter (check around 45 minutes). If you want to use a 10-inch springform pan or a 9×13 pan, I suggest multiplying the ingredient measurements by 1.5.
Try making muffins instead! Fill each cup about 3/4 full and sprinkle with streusel. Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
Use different berries, such as raspberries, blackberries or cranberries. Chopped up apples would be a nice touch for fall! You can also swap out the berries for chocolate chips or nuts instead.
How to make blueberry buckle coffee cake
- Make the streusel: Whisk together flour, brown sugar and salt. Add butter and use a pastry cutter or your hands to combine until a sand-like mixture with clumps forms. Sprinkle streusel over batter in the pan.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla and lemon zest.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to the batter. Fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer batter to 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle streusel on top. Bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. As it cools, the center will fall or “buckle,” hence the name!
- Make the icing: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Drizzle over the blueberry buckle before serving.
Expert tips
Grease your pan well to prevent the cake from sticking. I use a butter wrapper to grease the pan. I also recommend you use a light-colored metal pan. Dark colored baking pans and glass pans retain heat causing the outside of the cake to brown and bake faster than the inside.
Weigh your ingredients for accurate measuring. If you don’t have a scale, be sure to spoon and level your flour into the measuring cup (don’t pack it down). Also, use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise specified. It’s easier to mix and results in a better textured cake.
Avoid over mixing when adding the flour mixture and blueberries. If the wet and dry ingredients are over mixed, then the buckle will be dense and not tender.
Let the buckle cool completely before serving. I know it’s tempting to cut into, but it needs time to set otherwise it will get crumbly and fall apart.
Make ahead and storage tips
Blueberry buckle should cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week.
The buckle can also be frozen. After it has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature. To reheat, cover in aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until warm.
You cannot make the batter ahead of time because the cake won’t rise properly. However, you can whisk together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls and store up to 24 hours. Keep wet ingredients in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before combining with the dry ingredients. Streusel can be kept cold and sprinkled over the batter right before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Keep the berries frozen until ready to use. Toss them in a tablespoon of flour before folding into the batter.
Either it hasn’t been mixed long enough or there is too much flour. Be sure to measure your ingredients accurately and keep mixing until it comes together (it takes some time).
Yes, buttermilk will work well in this recipe. You can also use plain full-fat yogurt instead of sour cream too.
The classic method is tossing them in a spoonful of flour. Another method is spreading 1/3 of the batter into the pan, then mixing the blueberries into the remaining batter and transferring to the pan.
A buckle is cake batter with fruit added and streusel sprinkled on top. Coffee cake is any cake that is served with coffee.
Related recipes
Here are some more breakfast recipes to try next!
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Get the Recipe: Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
Cake
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, (or frozen blueberries)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest, (from one lemon)
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup (60 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch springform baking pan with butter and set aside.
Streusel
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into the mixture using a pastry blender (or your hands) until the mixture forms coarse crumbs and resembles sand. It will seem dry at first, but keep working in the butter and it will come together. Place bowl in the refrigerator to keep cold while you prepare the batter.
Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon zest, then mix just until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.
Assembly
- Pour the batter into prepared pan. Use an off-set spatula or knife to spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake at 350° F for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then run a butterknife around the edge and release the sides of the pan. As the cake cools, the center will fall or "buckle," hence the name!
Vanilla Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over blueberry buckle. Cut and serve with coffee. Enjoy!
