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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Easy to make but too dry for our liking.
So simple but so delicious, an absolute favourite in my family w the fluffy cake and crispy topping, a keeper for sure!
We couldn’t wait for this to come out of the oven , it was super delicious. My husband said it was excellent !!!
Just made your recipe for blueberry coffee cake, so delicious! Thank you for all your
recipes. So exciting to know when I want something new to make I can always count
on your site for the best recipes from dinner to dessert. Your directions are great! Thanks so much!
I haven’t made it yet, but am wondering If this be doubled for a 9×13?
Sure, Karen, that will work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Don’t see a baking temp…. Not sure how anyone else was able to make this recipe successfully 🤷
Hi Ericka, the oven should be set to 375°F/190°C. (You can find the temp in the first sentence of the second paragraph.) Hope you enjoy if you make the cake!
If I wanted to bake one of these without blueberries would I adjust the vanilla and cinnamon?
Hi Layla, You’d have to adjust the recipe enough without the blueberries that I’d suggest looking for a plan crumb cake. I think you’ll be happier with the results. This one looks good and gets positive ratings. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself.)
Hi thanks for sharing, this looks to be a great recipe and would love to try. However we do not have a stand mixer or hand mixer for that matter. Can we mix/beat with hand? Will it cause any difference in the end product?
Unfortunately, this recipe really won’t work without a mixer — sorry!
HI there!
Can you suggest how to make this as a muffin? It would be easier for me to give as gifts as a muffin instead of a whole loaf. If you have suggestions for cooking time that would be great. Thanks so much!
Lynn
Hi Lynn, these would work as muffins. You don’t need to make any changes to the recipe, but I’d start checking them for doneness at about 30 minutes. Also, I have a recipe specifically for blueberry muffins if you’d prefer to go that route. Hope that helps!
I am obsessed with this coffeecake, it’s that good. This may be one of the best recipes I’ve ever gotten online. I didn’t need to change a thing, though I do add a 3rd lemon zest. I’ve made it several times now, for many people, and everyone raves about it!! I even keep all the ingredients on hand so I can make it any time.
Hi thanks for sharing, this looks to be a great recipe and would love to try. However we do not have a stand mixer or hand mixer for that matter. Can we mix/beat with hand? Will it cause any difference in the end product?
Hi Tina, Unfortunately, you really need a mixer for this one — sorry!
Love love love 😍 thank you for this recipe!!! I did have to make substitutions as I cannot have dairy so instead of butter I used vegan butter, instead of regular milk I used almond milk and instead of eggs I used coconut yogurt (same quantities as recipe states but for egg substitutes, I just put two heaping tablespoons of the yogurt) and it’s amazing!! Thank you again!! It’s hard to make vegan recipes but this one works so well and is super delish. I bet it’s out of this world with dairy!
If I make this the night before, could I cut it into pieces and place on a platter over night covered with foil or should I leave it in the pan covered with foil and cut in the morning before serving? Do you think it makes a difference in freshness? Thanks!
To keep it as fresh as possible, I’d slice it in the morning. Enjoy!
Can I put this together the night before (keeping the streusel topping aside until baking), refrigerate and bake the following morning?
Hi Emily, Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it. Hope that helps!
I wanted this to be a go-to recipe, but unfortunately, it’s not🙁 it was too doughy inside for me. I expected a traditional coffee cake texture. I did not have lemons so I used lemon juice I had on hand. I used swerve instead of granulated sugar. I used coconut brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar. Need to keep glycemic index low. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Jacque, I’m sorry this didn’t work out well for you. I don’t have any experience with sugar substitutes like swerve or coconut brown sugar so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect the use of those had an impact on the texture of the cake. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi! I was wondering if I can add walnuts or pecans to the streusal part of the cake?
Thank you!
Sure – hope you enjoy!