Blueberry Coffee Cake
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
This follows the classic soured cream coffee cake method, with blueberries and lemon zest folded through the batter instead of the cinnamon ripple, and about 10 minutes longer in the oven to bake off the extra moisture.
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Method
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Equipment
- 20 cm square metal baking tin (not glass), lined with a baking-paper sling
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- 2 bowls
- fork
- skewer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 381 kcal |
| Protein | 4.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.3 g |
| of which sugars | 27.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 24.8 g |
| Fat | 17.9 g |
| of which saturates | 10.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 0.62 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 12 servings
Cake
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened (about 18°C)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 250 g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 240 g soured cream, at room temperature
Crumb topping
- 100 g plain flour
- 100 g light brown soft sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 75 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Cake
- 225 g blueberries (fresh, or frozen and not thawed)
- 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan) for at least 20 minutes before baking, with a shelf in the middle, so the crumb topping gets a quick blast of heat and sets rather than melting into the batter.
- 2
Make the crumb topping. For the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, then stir in the melted butter with a fork and press the mixture into pea- to hazelnut-sized clumps. Chill the crumbs while you make the batter, so the cold butter holds its shape in the oven.
- 3
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter, sugar and salt together for about 3 minutes until pale and light, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and lemon zest. The zest's oils spread through the fat at this stage, giving a bright lemon flavour right through the cake.
- 4
Build the batter. On low speed, fold in half the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, followed by the soured cream, then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing only until smooth — expect a notably thick batter. This alternating method keeps the batter from splitting and gives it the moisture and tang soured cream is known for.
- 5
Layer in the blueberries. Spread two-thirds of the batter in the tin and scatter two-thirds of the blueberries over it, then dollop the rest of the batter on top, spread gently, and scatter the remaining berries over the surface. Splitting the fruit between two layers stops the berries sinking straight to the bottom as the cake bakes, so every slice gets pockets of fruit through the middle.
- 6
Top with crumbs and bake. Scatter the crumb topping over the surface, then bake for 55-65 minutes — about 10 minutes longer than a plain version, since the juicy berries add extra moisture that needs time to bake off — until the crumbs are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, checking a berry-free spot since fruit will always look wet.
- 7
Cool before cutting. Leave the cake in the tin for at least 30 minutes before lifting it out by the paper sling and cutting into squares, giving the juicy crumb time to firm up enough to hold a clean cut.
Storage
Because of the fruit, keep in the fridge for up to 4 days rather than at room temperature. It also freezes well, wrapped tightly, for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
