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Blueberry Coffee Cake (aka Boy Bait)

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By Jenn Segal
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Blueberry Coffee Cake

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This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.

blueberry coffee cake

This old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake comes with a darling name and story. In 1954, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (the precursor to today’s Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny took second place in the junior division for her recipe, cleverly named “Boy Bait” for its habit-forming effect on young men.

Tender, easy to make, and jam-packed with berries, boy bait has been popular ever since. My version is updated with lemon zest to complement the flavor of the blueberries and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. You certainly don’t need to be a teenage boy to enjoy it, but I can attest that this 14-year-old loves it — so maybe Renny was onto something ?.Boy holding a piece of blueberry coffee cake that is missing a bite.

What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Coffee Cake

Cake ingredients including lemon, vanilla, and flour.

Fresh blueberries are ideal for this coffee cake, but frozen will work, too. If you’re using frozen berries, stir them into the batter without thawing, otherwise they’ll turn the batter purple. If you have extra blueberries on hand, or find them on sale at the market, you might also enjoy my blueberry pancakes, blueberry cobbler, or lemon blueberry pound cake – all family favorites!

How To Make Blueberry Coffee Cake

To begin, make the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.

Bowl of unmixed dry ingredients.

Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain, then add the cold butter.

Pieces of butter in a bowl of dry ingredients.

Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bowl of crumbly butter mixture.

Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Beaten butter and sugar in a bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.

Egg in a bowl with a butter and sugar mixture.

Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Vanilla extract and lemon zest in a bowl with an egg mixture.

Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine.

Milk, dry ingredients, and an egg mixture in a bowl.

The batter will be quite thick.

Coffee cake batter in a bowl.

Add the berries to the batter.

Blueberries in a bowl with coffee cake batter.

Fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.

Bowl of blueberry coffee cake batter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Knife spreading coffee cake batter into a baking pan.

Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.

Coffee cake batter topped with streusel topping.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean.

Blueberry coffee cake in a baking pan.

Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan. Enjoy!

Pieces of blueberry coffee cake on a plate.

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Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Blueberry Boy Bait)

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal

This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.

Servings: 12 to 16
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Streusel Topping

  • 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch chunks

For the Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used but do not defrost)

Instructions

  1. Make the streusel topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine. Add the berries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.
  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan.
  7. This cake is best served on the day it is made. Leftovers will keep well for a few days wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature.
  8. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (16 servings)
  • Serving size: 1 piece
  • Calories: 223
  • Fat: 10 g
  • Saturated fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 31 g
  • Sugar: 15 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Sodium: 169 mg
  • Cholesterol: 47 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

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  • This is a very dangerous recipe ….. too good for its own good. Puffs up high and doesn’t fall, moist, tender ….. Jenn, your recipes are so dependable.

  • Hi Jenn, Can I freeze your awesome blueberry (boy bait) cake and thaw later at room temperature? Only need it for a party in several days from now. Love it so much!! Thanks for all your great recipes.

    • Glad you like this, Fran! Yes, this freezes nicely After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw the cake 12 – 24 hours before you plan to serve it.

  • The best blueberry cake EVER!! A hit with everyone. Thanks Jenn.

  • My daughter enjoyed this cake, she said this recipe is a keeper!

  • Hi Jenn,

    Could this recipe be made with raspberries instead? Would the amount of sugar need to be increased?

    Thanks

    • Sure, Joanne, this should work nicely with raspberries. Depending on how tart the raspberries are, you may want to add just a little more sugar. I’d love to hear how it turns out!

      • Hi Jenn,
        I just made this with fresh raspberries and it is amazing.
        I increased the sugar slightly but it still has a bit of tartness to it which pairs nicely with the lemon. This recipe is a definite make again!!
        Joanne

        • So glad it turned out well, Joanne. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂

  • Can this be made in a glass pan?

  • Another one of Jennifer’s recipes my husband said don’t lose.

    Joni, Houston

  • Hello,
    Can I make this fabulous coffee cake in a 9 by 13 pan using 1 recipe, or do I need 2 recipes?

    • Hi Enoelia, You’d need to double it to bake it in a 9 x 13 dish. Hope you enjoy!

      • Thanks Jenna for replying!! Forgot to ask how long should I bake the 9 by 13 ? Thanks again

        • Baking time should be about the same, but keep an eye on it!

  • Oh wow does this bring back memories. Blueberry Boy Bait, a 1950’s Pillsbury bake off recipe by a young teen. Was wonderful way back then as it still is now.
    Original a wee bit different than yours but no matter which way BBB might be made, it’s bound to please!

  • Made this at Christmas time since was having a houseful of guests. Big hit! Everyone loved it!!

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