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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These blueberry delights sure are “Boy Bait” Let me tell you. I made them early evening and by the time I woke up the next day, I really think a thief came into my home and for some reason ate all of the blueberry crumb cake that I made. Such a funny thing. I don’t know if I should report it or not. Daaaaaamn. These are more than delicious. I am making them again today. Thankyou so much for such an awesome recipe. And there are many. Yours is spot on the best.
LOL – I hope the thieves don’t come tonight! 🙂
I found this to be too dry for my liking. It needed sour cream I guess. Won’t make again
I just put this in the oven but the batter seemed super thick although I followed the recipe exactly. We shall see how it turns out! Hoping it’s as yummy as all of you say!
I need to cut down the sugar because of my husband’s diet. Any suggestions?
Hi Roxi, You could reduce it a bit. I’d recommend anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup. Please LMK how it turns out with less sugar. 🙂
Omg- this is the most amazing coffee cake recipe EVER. I made it yesterday and it’s gone! I think maybe those with timing issues might be baking it in an 8×8 pan, that’s all I had available and I did need to adjust up on the cooking time. But with a close watch, it came out beautifully. Thanks for all the great recipes, Jenn- this is another winner for the guys in my house😁.
I had some fresh blueberries and tried this recipe. Turned out so good! I will be making again! Thank you.
I bake a lot. Followed recipe exactly and did not add too much of anything. Had to bake for close to an hour because middle of glass pan was raw. I have a new convection oven and baked at 365. Watched very carefully as it baked. Cake is dry. Won’t make again. Disappointed. Coffee cake is supposed to be easy and moist.
I wonder if your new oven automatically decreases the temperature when using convection. Mine does. Might be worth checking your manual to see if this is the case. In my previous my oven, I had to set the oven 25 degrees lower when using convection. But, not so for the new one.
This is one of our go to recipes! I am wondering if we could swap orange zest for lemon and cranberries for blueberries for a more festive take – would any other adjustments be needed?
Hi Tracy, I do think that would work. I would use equal amounts, and slice the fresh cranberries in half before adding.
I just made this on a whim, half way through I realized I was out of milk.
I grabbed the buttermilk I had and substituted it for the milk adding just a touch more by sight.
It was the most moist and tender coffee cake I have eaten. My husband went nuts over it.
I bake ALL the time and from scratch. It is always a request that I be in charge of dessert for events. After working until 9 tonight, I want to love this since it is after midnight and I needed this for a Christmas breakfast potluck in seven hours. But it’s STILL in the oven. I followed everything to the letter. Even the size of the pan. It’s been in the oven over an hour now and the middle still isn’t done. I covered the edges when I checked it after 40 minutes of baking because the topping was going to burn if I didn’t. I covered it completely but loosely after another 15 minutes of baking when I checked again and the middle was still like batter. Last I checked, it’s still like batter and now the outside of the cake is dry, overcooked and brown. I’m going to remove it and let it cool so I can throw it away. So disappointed. I don’t have time to create anything else.
I made this and it was ok but not quite what I was looking for. I was hoping for a heavier more wet cake. Mine came out dry, well more like a cake. Not exactly dry. I am going to try again and sift my flour first to see if maybe that will fix it (cause it tasted like too much flour) and add a little more sugar. Also going to add more butter and less flour to the topping. My aunt brings my mom and I a bundt shape one for thanksgiving every year and I’m trying to figure out a recipe just like it. I probably should just ask her for hers lol. But it’s a great place to start and I will update if I get it right the next one.
Hi Betsy, If you felt like it was dry and tasted like it had too much flour, it may be that you’re using too much. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.