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 in a Bundt pan and it was really good🤗
My family loved this recipe. Everyone agreed that it’s a keeper! I made it exactly as written and it was perfect.
This coffee cake is delicious!!! I put it in a 9in. round springform pan and it turned out beautiful.
So I’ve made this many times. It’s a family favourite. Because I’m making it again next weekend for a family get together I was wondering if it could be made just as well with cake pastry flour? I only ask because I bought this for another recipe and it’s supposed to be good for cakes and pastries. But I don’t want to mess with an already good recipe.
Glad you like it. For the best results, I’d stick with all-purpose flour here. Sorry!
Ok thanks for letting me know. Out of curiosity what can I use cake flour for? The only reason I bought it is I used it to make your scones. So it’s all your fault lol.
Lol – here are all the recipes I have that use cake flour. Hope you enjoy whatever you try!
Simple and easy to follow recipe.
Baked this today and was absolutely delicious !
This is the best blueberry coffee cake! Our family continues to enjoy the delicious taste of the lemon zest and blueberry combination. So satisfying with a cup of coffee.
Delicious! Followed the recipe with only change using frozen blueberries…tossed with a little sugar then added to the recipe. Turned out fantastic. Thanks Jenn for another great recipe, but then nearly all your recipes are great. Luv following your weekly posts!
I love this recipe and have made it numerous times. I add a splash of almond extract to the batter and a pinch of nutmeg to the topping. Jen, would it be advisable to double the recipe and bake in a 9” x 13” pan?
So glad you like it! Yes, you can double it and use a 9 x 13-inch pan. The bake time may be slightly different, so keep a close eye on it.
I want to make this with blueberries and raspberries, is this ok?
Sure, but I would keep the volume of berries the same. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Delish! My only ask is that you edit the post to organize the ingredients by topping and batter/cake. Anyone who is not an experienced cook will struggle with this recipe because you don’t know whether you need 1/2 tsp salt 4 tblsp of butter for the topping or cake. Please change – it takes nothing away from the retro element of this classic. My other wish is the topping did not melt as much as it did I would prefer a much thicker crumb layer. Anyway a huge hit with peak summer blueberries
Has anyone tried adding sour cream to this recipe? If yes was it a good addition and if no why not? Thanks
I added half ¾ sour cream and the rest milk. The batter was very thick but turned out well! I also had to use mostly frozen organic blueberries – dusted with sugar before folding in to batter. This was for our restaurant brunch and the customers loved it!
I waited about 30 mins after baking to sample because the fragrance had my belly rumbling. So delicious! The crumb so tender and the topping a little crusty. Really a wonderful treat. I did not have any lemons so I did use orange zest. Next time I will use lemon but no complaints. Thanks for sharing your great recipes and outstanding hints and directions.