Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
Tender, moist lemon coffee cake loaded with blueberries crowned with a crunchy, sweet crumb topping and drizzled with a tart lemon glaze. A fun way to change up blueberry muffins. It makes a family-favorite breakfast or brunch recipe.
❤️ Why You’ll Love this Recipe: This simple but impressive coffee cake has the perfect balance of moist, cakey texture and sweet crumb topping. It’s a great make-ahead treat for brunch, breakfast, or an afternoon pick-me-up.
Update: This is one of the most popular recipes on the blog! So I’ve updated the post with new tips and a video to make it even easier for you to enjoy this lemon blueberry coffee cake ASAP.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
I first made this recipe as an alternative to my streusel blueberry muffins which everyone loves. It’s a fun twist that’s easy to transport if you’re bringing a baked treat for a crowd. To boost the flavor of this coffee cake, I added lemon zest to my traditional blueberry muffin recipe.
And since coffee cake is always better with a crumb topping, I had to add streusel. For the cherry on top, a sweet-tart lemon glaze. The glaze sits on top and drips down the sides for a beautiful presentation
Lemon Glaze for Coffee Cake
Make a quick and easy lemon glaze with just two ingredients: powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until you have a smooth, pourable texture. When the cake is cooled, you can drizzle the glaze on with a spoon if you like. However, I prefer to use a quart-sized Ziploc bag.
Put the bag in a tall drinking glass or mug and fold the edges over the top of the mug to make a wide opening. Then fill the bag with your glaze. Seal up the bag and snip off a bit of one corner with scissors. Then simply drizzle the glaze over the top of the coffee cake.
If you want to get drips down the side of the cake, put a little puddle of glaze along the edge of the loaf. It will make a pretty little drip down the sides. If your glaze doesn’t drip nicely, you may need to thin it out a bit more.
Storage
You can store leftover coffee cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to four days. For longer storage, keep the wrapped cake in the freezer for up to three months. You can defrost the cake overnight at room temperature to serve.
If your family loves blueberry muffins as much as my family does, they’ll love this coffee cake too. It takes blueberries to a whole new level.
More Breakfast Baking Recipes
If you love this lemon blueberry coffee cake, try these other tasty breakfast and brunch recipes next:
- Cinnamon Creme Coffee Cake is my riff on the beloved cake from Corner Bakery.
- Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake is a beautiful coiled cake with cinnamon spice and classic glaze.
- Pumpkin Sour Cream Coffee Cake has a sweet glaze and a dense, pumpkin flavor.
- Banana Bread Coffee Cake, Crazy for Crust
- Banana Streusel Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze, Shugary Sweets
- Marionberry Cherry Crumb Cake, filled with tart marionberries and dried cherries crowned with a sweet, crumbly topping and glaze.
Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (284 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) whole milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Icing
- 1 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour.
- Prepare crumb topping and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix in lemon zest. Add flour mixture and mix just until combine. Stir in blueberries.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
- Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. About 210 degrees with an instant read thermometer.
- Cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and remove ring. Drizzle icing on cake. Cool completely before serving. (Unless you're like us and would rather eat it hot even though the cake doesn't cut as well.)
Crumb Topping
In a small bowl, with a fork mix together sugar and flour. Add butter and mix until mixture is sandy and clumps together.*
Icing
Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a thin glaze.
Notes
*If your crumb topping is not crumbly after adding the butter, add a little additional sugar and flour until you get a crumbly mixture.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I make this recipe all the time now. I never have lemon zest so I sub half of the vanilla extract with lemon extract and it comes out perfect…
I just received some amazing bakeware for Christmas and I want to make this recipe into muffins… do I need to change anything??
Thanks Tye! How fun to have new bakeware. This recipe is similar https://www.barbarabakes.com/best-blueberry-streusel-muffins/ just a different topping and without the glaze or lemon.
Can I double the recipe and use a 9×11 pan ?
Hi Carol – others have made the recipe successfully as written in a 9×13 pan. It would be too much batter if you double it and cooked it in a 9×11 pan. Enjoy!
I first made this lemon blueberry coffee cake for my women’s club. It all got eaten. Now if I ever have to serve a crowd, it’s my go to cake! It is now on my Christmas menu, making a loaf size for breakfast and 2 small loafs as Christmas gifts! Great recipe. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Vicki! Sounds like a perfect start to the day. Merry Christmas!
I made this recipe years ago and it is a favorite. I can’t tell you how delicious and moist this is. I make every year during holidays and its now a tradition. Thank you for such an awesome recipe.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you love the recipe Nelly. Sounds like an awesome tradition. Happy holidays!
Hi Barbara – I wanted to make this for day after Thanksgiving. Any tips / advice on how to prepare in advance so it is not a lot of work the morning of?
Thank you!
Leann
Hi Leann – This coffee cake freezes and thaws very well. I would make it this weekend and freeze it on a cookie sheet, once frozen wrap it well with plastic wrap, and return it to the freezer. Thanksgiving night remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter overnight. It freezes well with the icing but if you’d like the icing to be fresh, ice it the morning you’re serving it.
So helpful Barbara! Thank you for the prompt response – I’ll let you know how it goes! Though, you have not had a recipe that has disappointed yet!
That’s great to hear – thanks!