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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Comments
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Hi Jenn – would I need to adjust the cook time if I made this in an 8 inch square glass pan?
Thank you! Love all your recipes 😊
Hi Mia, Glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I think the cook time will be about the same but definitely keep an eye on it.
I made this for my husband’s office meeting and everyone enjoyed. They especially liked the hint of lemon. It was my first time making this and didn’t get a chance to even taste it but based on those that did it was a sure winner. The pan came back without a speck of crumb.
The batter was so good –sweet with a hint of lemon–but because I was expecting the same exact flavor in the finished product I was disappointed. But my husband liked it (my 3 year old son was neutral). I might make it again with more lemon zest. Or maybe just eat the delectable batter.
Hi Jenn! Love your site and looking forward to the book. Can this be doubled? Would you use a 9×13″ if so? thanks!
Hi Janet, Yes and yes!
I made this for the second time. Once with fresh blueberries and once with frozen. Both were unbelievably good. I cut the second one in half and froze it – bringing it out to thaw for a delicious Sunday morning brunch treat! Just pre-ordered your book on amazon – all the recipes I have tried from your site have been easy to follow and turned out great.
So glad you enjoyed it, Candy. And thank you for your support with the cookbook!
Reminds me of the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin recipe. We LOVE those, but I find it messy to fill the cupcake liners since the batter is so think. I think I’m going to try your method and turn it into a coffeecake for Christmas morning. May add chopped pecans to the streusel topping.
It was absolutely delicious! I used Trader Joe’s frozen Wild Boreal blueberries and added a few chopped pecans to the streusel topping. Thanks for a keeper! So happy I discovered your blog!
love love LOVE this recipe (as does the rest of my family). question is: has anyone tried using a bundt pan instead of the 9 by 13?? i’m planning a christmas day brunch and my two 9 by 13 pans will already be in use.
THNX for always having THE MOST reliable recipes!!
Hi Pam, Glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan but I think it’d work – I’d probably increase the recipe by 1.5 though.
Could I make this the night before (in two parts) then bake it first thing in the morning? The streusel looks like it will be fine in the fridge but will the batter be ok?
Phoebe, the streusel will be fine in the fridge, but I would not make the batter in advance. You could combine the batter’s dry ingredients and the wet ingredients (and keep them separate overnight) to speed things up in the morning.
Delicious coffee cake! I made it several times as written with the blueberries. Then changed it up using 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the cake and for the topping added a little extra cinnamon and toasted walnuts. Fabulous both ways! It’s now a favorite in our home. Thank you!
Added additional 1/4 cup blue berries, squeeze of lemon juice and crushed up some walnuts to sprinkle on top. 37 minutes in my oven at 375 was perfect.
It is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, must try!! Excellent recipie, wife loves it.
Loved the recipe – added chopped pecans to the streusel – but I add chopped pecans to almost all of my baked breads (hubby loves them nuts).