Learn how to make the best old-fashioned blueberry crumb cake with this easy recipe. This moist blueberry cake is made from scratch with simple ingredients (you likely have everything you need to make it!) and topped with a delicious cinnamon crumb topping, like a coffee cake.
I love topping simple cakes made with fruit with crumb toppings because it creates a dessert or snack that combines fruity crumble and a cake in one!
This delicious apple crumble cake with a plain buttery crumble is a great example, as is this apple butter cake that has pecans in the topping.
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Ingredients
This moist blueberry cake is made from a simple list of ingredients. Here's what you need.
- butter—use unsalted butter or adjust the amount of salt added if you are using salted
- sugar—you will need a combination of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar for this recipe
- eggs—use large eggs or else the cake may be too dry or too crumbly
- vanilla—use pure vanilla extract in this cake, or half the amount if baking with artificial which tends to be more potent.
- flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour. You can get away with unbleached in this recipe.
- leavening—this cake is leavened with baking powder, not baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you don't know the difference.
- salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty.
- milk—use whole milk if possible with 3.25 % fat, though low fat will work too.
- cinnamon—use ground cinnamon. Note that it's only added to the topping to preserve the sweet vanilla flavour of the cake
- blueberries—you can use cultivated or wild blueberries for this cake, but wild blueberries are more flavourful and taste much better when in season so bake with them if you can! Frozen blueberries can work too but you will have to bake the cake a little longer. Do not defrost frozen blueberries before incorporating.
See the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
Since this is such a simple recipe, your substitutions and variations are limited:
- Berries - you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, preferably wild blueberries which have more flavour and a better taste. If baking with frozen, stir the frozen blueberries directly into the cake batter without defrosting.
- Sugar - you can make this cake with granulated sugar or brown sugar (light or dark). The colour of the cake and the taste will be different with brown sugar which contains molasses, especially if you use dark brown sugar with a higher molasses content.
- Salt - add half the amount of salt if you are using regular table salt in place of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Nuts - you can add nuts to the topping if you'd like. For example, chopped pecans would be really nice!
- Oats - you can incorporate oats in the streusel, replacing a portion of flour with oats in the topping
Instructions
You only need a small amount of cake batter to fill an 8-inch springform pan, so we are using an electric hand mixer to mix the ingredients.
Step 1—Start by making the streusel, combining the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and stirring them with a fork (image 1) before working in the cubed butter (image 2). The cinnamon streusel will resemble wet sand (image 3). Set aside for later in the fridge if your kitchen is hot.
Step 2—Combine the butter and sugars using an electric hand mixer in a large bowl (image 4). Mix the ingredients well before adding the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla (image 5). Beat the mixture until fluffy and light (image 6).
Step 3—In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add them one-third at a time (image 8), alternating with half the milk (image 9). Remember to begin and end with flour. The batter will be quite thick (image 10).
Step 4: Add the flour-coated blueberries to the bowl of vanilla cake batter (image 11) and fold them in gently with a spatula (image 12).
Step 5: Spread the blueberry cake batter in a buttered and floured 8-inch springform pan using a mini offset spatula (image 13), then top with streusel (image 14).
Step 6: Scatter a few extra blueberries over the top, nestling them between blogs of crumble topping (image 15). Bake until the edges are golden brown (image 16). A cake tester inserted into the middle will come out clean when it's baked through.
Hint: There are many ways to check if your cake is done baking. Use a couple of methods to be sure.
Cake Tip
Remember to let the cake cool slightly (10–20 minutes) before you unmould it. This will give time for the edges to set and the cake to firm up.
The beauty of baking in a springform pan is that you can unmould the cake without having to invert it, which is especially useful for old-fashioned coffee cakes topped with crumble or streusel.
Be sure to cool the cake on a wire rack completely before serving.
Storage
Simple cakes like this will stay fresh for up to 4 days wrapped tightly with plastic wrap stored in a cool, dry place. After that time it will either dry out or go bad.
Do not refrigerate the cake.
Top tips
- Always run a spatula around the sides of your mixer bowl between steps to ensure all the ingredients are properly mixed.
- Ripe berries are very delicate and will break down easily. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to fold the berries into the cake batter gently. Do not use a mixer for this step.
- Toss blueberries in a small amount of flour (1 teaspoon) to coat them in flour, removing the excess. The flour will help anchor the berries in the cake batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Remember to butter and flour your springform. You can also line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper to ensure it's easy to unmould.
Blueberry Cake FAQs
Coat fresh blueberries in a little flour before folding them into the cake batter to anchor them. Use a minimal amount of flour (1–2 teaspoons) and remove the excess before incorporating the berries. You can do this with a sifter or strainer.
Use a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake to check if the middle is baked. Try not to poke through a berry though. If you do, remove the tester and insert it at a different spot. It can take a few jabs to find the right spot.
Alternatively, you can use an instant-read thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the baked cake: it should reach between 205 and 210 °F when baked through.
More One Layer Cake Recipes
I love the simplicity and elegance of one-layer cakes, sometimes referred to as snacking cakes. Here are a few others to try:
Serving Suggestions
Serve this blueberry cake for dessert with a scoop of ice cream. This cardamom ice cream or this lemon custard ice cream will pair especially well with this old-fashioned blueberry cake.
Alternatively, you can serve it with homemade whipped cream.
If you tried this recipe for blueberry crumb cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Easy Blueberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon crumble topping
- 65 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 70 grams light brown sugar
- 2.5 mL ground cinnamon more or less depending on how cinnamony you want the topping to be
- 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 58 grams unsalted butter softened slightly
Blueberry cake
- 188 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 7.5 mL baking powder
- 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 80 grams unsalted butter very soft
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams light brown sugar sugar
- 10 mL pure vanilla extract
- 2 large egg(s)
- 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
- 290 grams fresh blueberries divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C). Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan, lining the bottom with a circle of parchment. Set aside. Attach the beater attachments to the Braun MultiMix Hand Mixer to get it ready to use.
Cinnamon crumb topping
- Use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Pour the melted butter over top and stir it until evenly mix. It will form a crumbly, sandy mixture. Set aside.
Blueberry cake
- In a bowl, with the hand mixer, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until it is well mixed, light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, and then the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to move the mixer around the edges of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir just to combine on a lower speed.
- Toss three-quarters of the blueberries with 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of flour to coat them then gently fold into the vanilla cake batter by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and smooth it out.
- Sprinkle the topping over the batter, scattering and tucking a few extra blueberries in places to decorate it.
- Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. This takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the springform ring. The cake should unmold quite cleanly. You may need to release the sides with the help of a thin knife.
Notes
- Subsitutions and variations:
- Berries - you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, preferably wild blueberries which have more flavour and a better taste. If baking with frozen, stir the frozen blueberries directly into the cake batter without defrosting.
- Sugar - you can make this cake with granulated sugar or brown sugar (light or dark). The colour of the cake and the taste will be different with brown sugar which contains molasses, especially if you use dark brown sugar with a higher molasses content.
- Salt - add half the amount of salt if you are using regular table salt in place of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Nuts - you can add nuts to the topping if you'd like. For example, chopped pecans would be really nice!
- Oats - you can incorporate oats in the streusel, replacing a portion of flour with oats in the topping
- Always run a spatula around the sides of your mixer bowl between steps to ensure all the ingredients are properly mixed.
- Ripe berries are very delicate and will break down easily. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to fold the berries into the cake batter gently. Do not use a mixer for this step.
- Toss blueberries in a small amount of flour (1 teaspoon) to coat them in flour, removing the excess. The flour will help anchor the berries in the cake batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Remember to butter and flour your springform pan. You can also line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper to ensure it's easy to unmould.
- Serve this blueberry cake for dessert with a scoop of ice cream. This cardamom ice cream or this lemon custard ice cream will pair especially well with this old-fashioned blueberry cake.
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