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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Help! I have tried this recipe twice- using frozen huckleberries instead of blueberries….I keep checking and its FAR from baked. The top is over done and the toothpick/butterknife comes out covered in batter…….Help!
Hi Shelley, sorry that you’ve had a problem with this (twice)! I’ve never worked with huckleberries so I don’t know if they may have an impact. Is it baking on the center rack in your oven? Also, are you using a 9-inch square pan? And if you find that the top is baked and the inside needs more time, you can always loosely cover it with a piece of foil to let the center cook through. Please LMK if I can help in any other way.
I had this same thing happen when I tried baking it in a thin disposable aluminum pan (never had that problem before in glass or regular metal pan). Don’t know if this helps but wanted to mention it.
huckleberries have a strawberry like moisture, so batter may have been too wet. i think adding a bit more flour might have fixed the raw center , or cut back on the liquid. also make sure the cake was in center of oven will make a lot of difference, too low and cooks too fast , too high and it may not brown
TURNED THIS RECIPE INTO MUFFINS… YUM!!!
Doubled the recipe (except for the sugar and streusel topping), used whole grain spelt, added a cup of sour cream, and baked as muffins- 400-degrees F for 20 minutes (added a bit more flour for altitude and the whole grain). Made a generous 3 dozen (could be 3 dozen + 1). SOOOO good- moist, fluffy, wonderful crumb… still a bit on the sweet side but very delicious.
LOVED IT! I took this on a family trip, through 2 rides in a cooler and a couple days, and it was just as good the last day as the first. I’m going to make muffins from this recipe next time. Yummy!
So freaking yummy!! Even my hard to please hubby loves it! I made this the other night, used a 9×13 so I doubled the recipe and I used buttermilk instead of milk (so I only used 2TBS baking powder and added 1/2 tsp Baking soda) it is si delicious! I also made a Lemon drizzle (just powdered sugar, lemon juice and some zest) topped it off perfectly!
Moist, delicious, and perfect sweetness. I did not make any changes other than using an 8-inch square pan since I don’t have a 9-inch. The cake was a bit too tall, took a bit longer but still great. Definitely will make again.
I’ve made this twice now and it is perfect each time. Wonderful recipe! The first time I made it a few days ahead of a family brunch and froze it. I took it (still frozen) to the family event and thawed it out on the counter the night before we ate it. The second time we ate it within hours of it coming out of the oven. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
I’ve had good results with your other recipes but unfortunately this one was a flop for me. The cake was very bland and took close to an hour to bake. If I try this again, I would add 1/4 cup of maple syrup, use 3/4 cup of milk in addition to doubling streusel then using 1/2 between layers of batter, and add more lemon zest.
Absolutely delicious. This was a hit with my coworkers.
This recipe is perfect! I make it all summer long for company. Simply delicious!
Love this recipe! Can you double it and bake in a 9×13 pan?
Glad you like it! 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. 🙂
How much baking powder? One person wrote she put in 2 tablespoons? Plus 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Isn’t that a bit much?
Hi LuAnn, If doubling the recipe, I would use 4 teaspoons baking powder. There is no baking soda in the recipe.