Blueberry Coffee Cake (aka Boy Bait)
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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.
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 ?.
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
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.
Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain, then add the cold butter.
Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine.
The batter will be quite thick.
Add the berries to the batter.
Fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.
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. Enjoy!
You May Also Like
- Best Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Crumb Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Blueberry Boy Bait)
This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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
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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Could I use Almond Flour for the struesel or cake batter? I don’t need gluten free. I just have the almond flour and want to use it.
Hi Beth, I think it will work nicely for the streusel – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Awesome recipe! I made this minus the lemon zest since I was out but I wish I had. It was AMAZING regardless. I should’ve let it bake for about 5 mins longer as it was the very tiniest bit under baked right in the center but my apartment oven no doubt is to blame. Will make this again and considering using other fruits like blackberries or maybe peaches?
Excellent blueberry coffee cake.
I have done quite a few of your recipes and have not been disappointed. Now, I actually look for your recipes as I know they will be very tasty.
Did not change anything, followed your instructions.
Hello! Can we substitute the butter in the cake batter with oil? Thanx
I don’t recommend it, Dana – sorry!
My husband requested a blueberry cake made in a bundt pan for father’s day, will this recipe work?
Hi Meagan, I haven’t tried this cake a bundt pan but I think it’d work – I’d probably increase the recipe by 1.5 though. Hope your husband enjoys! 🙂
I made this recipe as-is in a bundt pan and just kept watching time. I think it came out slightly early. It worked well. Though because the surface area was smaller, I’d recommend splitting the streusel (1/2 in between batter and half on top, or using only 2/3 of the streusel on top). The streusel got really thick and wasn’t as enjoyable. Cake was super moist.
Hi Jen
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes, you make me appear to be a better cook than I really am!
Can I double this and bake in a 9×13 inch pan?
Love your cookbook!
Jan
Glad you like the recipes, Jan! Yes, you could double this and use a 9 x 13. Baking time may be slightly different so just keep a close eye on it. 🙂
Would I be able to sub buttermilk for the milk in this recipe?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Shelby — sorry!
This was so delicious! Moist yet dense.
I made a double batch of “boy bait” and gave a pan to my parents. Mom phoned me back later, raving about it. My husband and I are foodies – it really is a delicious recipe. After you bite through the crumbly streusel, the rest is jam-packed with juicy, moist, not-too-sweet blueberry cake. Heavenly!
If you’re not sure about a blueberry cake recipe, try this one – you will not be disappointed!
Made this last Sunday for a quick dessert. Cake was a nice texture and moist but I felt that it was not sweet enough and my blueberries sank to the bottom. Maybe try tossing them in a few spoonfuls of the flour before mixing all the ingredients together. Most of your recipes are spot on but this one was lacking in flavor.
Coffee cake is not a dessert, and shouldn’t be too sweet. It’s intended for breakfast.
This is a delicious addition to any summer luncheon or just a great way to start your day! It is moist and flavorful with a tender crumb and a crunchy cinnamon topping.
I made this for family and friends. We all absolutely loved it. One of my friends even said, “I want this for my birthday bake next year.” (I usually bake for my friends instead of buying a gift, and they love it.) I followed the recipe exactly and would not recommend any changes. Instead of using a square pan I used 4 mini loaf pans in order to share.