Another family favorite!
Does your family have some recipes that they have just come to expect at family events? The dish that, when the person who usually makes it arrives at the gathering, you hug and say hello, but reeeeally you’re checking their hands to make sure they brought it? Share those dishes in the comments! It’s so fun to see friends’ family traditions.
This Blueberry Coffee Cake is one of those dishes in my family. Truth be told, I didn’t grow up liking blueberries (wasted time – wasted!), but as I have come to my senses, this recipe is settling in as a fan favorite. And it’s so easy. All ingredients you probably have on-hand, and no fancy techniques. Just delicious, fluffy coffee cake, studded with tart blueberries (you can use fresh or frozen), and covered in a sizable layer of cinnamon-sugar crumb topping.
When Ga handed over her recipe file to me, this was one that she highlighted as an obvious delight that I had to carry on. I took this task very seriously, as you can see!
You know how usually when you make a coffee cake, you have to double the streusel topping because there is never enough? Not so with this recipe. The quantity in the recipe is just right. And you’re talking to the girl who used to ONLY eat the crumb topping off of Entenmann’s Crumb Donuts (brought to our home, of course, by Ga).
Try serving this coffee cake with brunch. Mix the batter before you get everything else ready – like an easy but option-filled Baked Benedict Buffet with a fruit salad – and everything will be done at the same time. Just pop the eggs for the benedicts in when you lower the temp on this Blueberry Coffee Cake! Of course, you could always bake the cake during brunch, but as we all know, one of the specific, delineated purposes of brunch is to be able to eat dessert during a meal.
And of course, if you are like my family, you can store the leftovers in the 8″ x 8″ pan you baked it in, covered in foil, in the “snack corner” of the kitchen, with a knife in the pan for easy access. I promise it won’t be there for long.
The blueberries in this batch were HUGE, and left great crevasses when they baked down.
I love original hand-written recipes, and there are many in Ga’s recipe file. They sometimes take a minute to decipher, but you can’t beat a time-aged recipe with food stains, jotted down on my grandpa’s scratch paper (apparently provided by a drug company selling Pavabid – most office supplies in my grandpa’s home originated from drug companies). And in the upper left corner, we have Vi Schmidt to thank for the recipe. I don’t think I met Vi, but she contributed something to my family that brought smiles to faces for decades, and continues to do so.
- .5 stick unsalted butter, softened {You will see that this recipe calls for one stick of butter total - half in the cake and half in the topping. Hang on to the wrapper to grease the pan!}
- .75 c sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 c flour
- 2 t baking powder
- .25 t salt
- .5 c skim milk
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 pint (2 c) blueberries (fresh or frozen - fresh will taste a little better, but frozen is easier to keep on-hand)
- .5 stick unsalted butter, softened
- .5 c sugar
- ⅓ c flour
- .5 t (heaping) cinnamon
- Heat the oven to 375. (Note: You will lower the temp during baking)
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamed together.
- Add the egg, and mix again.
- Sift in half of the flour, adding the baking powder and salt to the sifter. Mix well.
- Add half the milk, and mix again.
- Sift in the remaining flour.
- Finish off the milk and add the vanilla, and - you know what to do - mix again.
- Stir in the blueberries. If any liquid has formed from frozen berries, drain and discard.
- This is the fun part! Grab a set of little hands if you have a kid available.
- Place the four ingredients in a medium bowl. Using your fingers, combine and smush them all together, pinching as you go. Make little pieces, and make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the butter.
- Prepare an 8" x 8" baking dish (tin, glass, or casserole) by greasing it with the butter left on the wrapper from the stick you just used in the recipe. Lightly dust the pan with flour (use the sifter if you want), and knock out the excess into the garbage.
- Pour in the batter, using a spatula or spoon to get it into the corners.
- Top with the topping! And don't be shy. And get it in the corners.
- Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
- The coffee cake will get a great rise, and the topping will very lightly brown.
And, falling into the category of #foodbloggerproblems, we have #instructionsformyfamily:
Upon completion of photography, all was devoured.
Best Coffee Cake Ever! It rose up high, it was full of flavor! Will definitely make this when I have family overnight or want to take it to my office. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is a KEEPER!!! I would rate this 10 stars!
I found this recipe a few years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. When I make it for company everyone loves it and sometimes I have to make two! My daughter’s friends have requested it when staying over and have even asked me to send their mom the recipe. I use buttermilk instead of skim otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing. The batter seems thick when spreading it into the pan so I added extra buttermilk once, but it is best the way it’s written. Thanks so much for sharing!!
I tried this recipe and it was amazing! My husband and I finished nearly half of the pan very quickly. I added some frosting drizzle made of powdered sugar and a hint of vanilla and it added just the perfect touch. Perfect with some coffee or milk. This recipe is going in my book. Thank you it truly is delicious.
I made this coffee/blueberry cake this a.m. I tweaked the a little by adding some greek yogurt in place of 1/4 c. milk. I have found this to be advantageous in these cakes, making them much more moist,light. I also make sure i keep 1/4 c. flour in reserve to toss blueberries so they don’t sink. Will see in a while what the outcome is. Thank you so much for sharing.
Great recipe! Printing off for my makeshift recipe book. I LOVE that you added the pictures of the original recipe. My mom and grandmother weren’t bakers so I have always hoped to find an old recipe box filled with handwritten recipes at a flea market, thrift store or garage sale.
I have been coming here for this recipe for a while now and finally decided to make a comment. This is the best blueberry coffee cake I’ve ever made and some how the easiest to make, too! My husband’s family that is not so big on sweets even loves it! I use regular milk instead of skim milk tho. The recipe is simple and classic and the ingredients are always on hand, besides having to get fresh blueberries, otherwise frozen are easy to keep. Even when I make it with the “help” of my 2 year old it always comes out perfect, I’m really surprised anyone has any issues with how it turns out. Thank you for sharing this because I have looked for a blueberry cake recipe like this for a long time and it’s now my go to coffee cake recipe.
it was amazing! perfect consistency + texture! Tasted divine😋 thank you for this recipe:)
I made this this morning for Father’s Day. I am a bit disappointed. The cake was dry and heavy. We liked the blueberries and the topping. Not sure I would make again.
I am disappointed for you! I have not had this cake turn out dry or heavy, and I have made it probably two dozen times. I am glad you liked the blueberries and topping!
Can you prepare this ahead, say, the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning?
Hi Heather!
Another commenter asked about this a while back but did not report back on how it went. I don’t see why you couldn’t prepare this the night before, but maybe prepare the topping before you bake, so it doesn’t sink in to the batter. If you make the topping ahead and refrigerate it, it will harden back up (like butter does in the fridge) and may not give the same effect or cover the whole surface.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
Becky
I did not think you could make cakes and such ahead of time when using leavening agents? Not that the cake wouldn’t rise at all, but the chemical reaction starts when the baking soda, powder, etc. gets wet. Unlike yeast, this reaction won’t slow down or stop in the fridge. But I have never made batter ahead to test this except when making yeast breads! I will however be making this blueberry coffee cake because it looks wonderful!! Thanks for the family recipe!
Hi Jamie!
I can’t quite explain the science, but I hope you enjoy! I am going to make a blueberry cake today too – I keep giving them as gifts and have been getting jealous!
Becky
The cake was too dry, even with the blueberries. I think I’ll try 3/4 cup of milk and/or cooking it at 350 for the entire length rather than starting at 375 and lowering the temperature to 350.
I am so sorry to hear that, I haven’t heard that before! I haven’t tried it with more milk, so I can’t speak to if that would make it moister, but cooking at 350 should be fine!
Loved it! Family has requested this to be made every Sunday.
Sounds like a fun tradition to me! Enjoy, Jennifer!
Did not work well for me. Too dense. Followed cooking instructions and center was still not fully cooked after 45 minutes. Would not try again
Hi Pam!
The instructions state to bake for up to 55 minutes (35 min at 375 and then 15-20 more at 350). My guess is you just needed 5-10 minutes more. You can place a piece of foil over the top (just lay it on) if the top is getting too brown.
It’s worth it!
Becky
Yum! A lovely texture and not too sweet. I had a fridge full of blueberries and tossed in an extra cup for a blueberry Nirvana.
I’ve made this six or seven times over the past year. It is outstanding. (And if you are wary of using frozen berries, as I was, fear not! It is excellent either way.)
Thanks for the note, Timothy, and the encouragement for frozen berries!
DELICIOUS!! I added another tsp of vanilla and used whole milk. Thank you for sharing!! We loved it!
Hi Becky! Thanks for sharing your family recipe. I would like to add this to our Christmas brunch I host. Can it be prepared the night before, and baked the next day?
Hi! You’re welcome! I have never tried that, but I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t. Give it a try! Maybe put the topping in a separate bowl in the fridge overnight and sprinkle in the morning so it doesn’t sink in. Let me know how it goes – Merry Christmas!
My favorite breakfast recipe so far. I have just recently gotten in to baking and this will remain on the top of my list.
Ps my phone wouldn’t input on the five stars for some reason. It is definitely five star worthy.
Thank you so much, Randy! I’m glad you love it and am excited for your baking beginnings! Have you thought about trying these Butterscotch Granola Blondies next? http://www.myutensilcrock.com/2013/11/08/butterscotch-granola-blondies/ Highly recommended.
I will throw in a 5-Star for you, I am sorry about the technical glitch!
Could I substitute skim milk with whole milk? Thanks!
I haven’t tried, but I’m sure you can! Let me know how it goes!
I tried it this morning and it went totally fine!
Going to try this recipe this weekend! I was wondering for the topping if you always use sugar or if you ever sub out brown sugar. Most recipes I’ve found call for brown sugar so I just wanted to check!
Hi Lauren!
That’s funny, someone else asked me this question recently. I never really had thought about it, but no, I have never tried brown sugar. If you do, let me know how it goes! You know what, let me know how it goes either way. 🙂
Becky
I made this recipe but haven’t tasted it yet- on my way to church with it now. It looks beautiful. My only concern is the batter was extremely thick !! Is that how it is supposed to be ? I think I followed the directions exactly. It looks perfect anyway
I hadn’t thought about it, but yes the batter is a bit thick. Let me know how it turned out! I’m glad it looks *perfect* and *beautiful*!
Do you think this could be easily doubled? Looks delish, but I was hoping to make it for a bigger crowd.
Hi Lauren!
I have never tried to double it, but I bet it would work out fine. If possible, I would use fresh blueberries, because 4 cups of frozen blueberries might produce a lot of liquid. Just a thought! Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Sometimes when I am nervous to double a recipe, I just make the smaller batch twice. This is such a quick mix that it wouldn’t be a hassle. You could make the double crumble all at once, too, reducing prep time.
I hope you love it as much as my family and I (and now my co-workers) do!
Becky
Eden,
I read your comment to my family during Thanksgiving dinner tonight and it completely warmed our hearts. We were missing my grandma, while enjoying a few of her standards (stuffing and meringue cookies). Your comment was just what we needed.
They were also very interested in your “Thanksgiving Breakfast.” Not a tradition in our family but a very welcome potential for the future 😉
Thank you for the sweet comment. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Becky
Aw, I’m so glad.
We did have a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. Thank you.
Thanksgiving breakfast is definitely a tradition you should try. One of my favorite memories as a child is waking up on Thanksgiving & Christmas to the smell of homemade blueberry muffins & my Grandma’s homemade hot chocolate. It was something we only had during special occasions, so it was really special. 🙂
My daughter requests coffee cake, rather than muffins, so I made this for her. But we all loved it.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!
I made this for Thanksgiving breakfast today. It was a huge hit! Thank you for the delicious recipe. 😀
Also, I love my Grandma’s handwritten recipes also. There’s something enchanting & magical about reading through them. <3