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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I made this last summer for my man and he loved it! I gotta get some BB and make him another one. It’s such an easy recipe too.
I grew up in Nova Scotia and we picked wild blueberries (cheap kid labour) and I remember my favourite treat was the blueberry cinnamon cake my mom made. She passed away young so I never got the recipe. This recipe was about my fifth time trying to find that taste. Well, the memories came flooding back!
Its perfect and so tasty, thank you.
Gah! My first review was supposed to give five stars, not four!
This was absolutely delicious!!i honestly don’t know why it took me so long to make it. It was the hit of the brunch I made it for, and everyone was asking for the recipe. It was easy to put together but it makes a big impression. Another winner!
This is the very first recipe I tried from your website. Delicious, friends loved this as much as I did. Since making this I’ve tried several recipes, all were/are outstanding. Thank you!
You were totally not kidding with the subtitle. After I made this for my husband, he requests it constantly! Another great recipe. Thank you.
Agreed. Made it for work and the guys said it was their favorite. Another 5-star recipe! Delicious.
This was good. I did forget to add the lemon zest. I think next time, I will cut down on the amount of cinnamon. I only have an 8×8 dish so I used it. I lined it with parchment paper. I did have to bake a little longer than the time given. My only complaint is that there were too many dishes to wash afterwards. Also, I mixed all by hand. I did not feel like bringing out the mixer. Thank you for the recipe.
I have made this recipe several times and absolutely love it!! Everywhere I bring this coffee cake, it gets rave reviews and requests for the recipe.
I always make two pans of it. I first made it in an 8×8” pan but 9×9” is a must!! It makes it cook evenly and perfect.
I found the streusel topping is time consuming but worth it. I make this the day before and refrigerate it. I cut the butter into the flour mixture then use a spoon to smush the butter into the dry ingredients until I can’t see any butter spots.
I can always count on Jenn for amazing, praise worth recipes!! I recommend Once Upon A Chef to everyone who loves wonderful food! Thank you Jenn!!
I love this cake! I’ve had to write it out though with the measurements in different format. For example the butter needs to be cool and cut into chunks but we are given measurements in tablespoons! Also I would really appreciate it if, like other recipe sites, you provided measurements in grams as well as cups.
Glad you like it, Lucy! And the great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
I love once upon a chef recipes!
I made this and it was fantastic. Didn’t change a thing and my wife and I loved it. Jenn, you are right; it is best right out of the oven. Keep the recipes coming!
I don’t have a lemon. Can I use lemon juice?
Unfortunately that won’t work here. Sorry!
This will be yummy but not the exact recipe submitted by Renny Powel. I have the Pillsbury Bake Off book with her pictures and recipe. Hers will be lighter since she uses granulated sugar not brown. She does not call for cinnamon. Yes it’s boy bait! I had half a pan in my car once when I ran into a friend on his Harley. I said “too bad you can’t take this boy bait”(he’d had at my house before). “What do you mean? Yes I can!”
Needless to say it went home with him in his s ‘side pocket’.
This was just ok. It was quick and simple to make, just not one I will make again. If looking for breakfast/dessert something with blueberries, Jenn’s lemon blueberry pound cake is out of this world amazing!