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.
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❤️ 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.
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Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar 99 grams
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 35 grams
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Cake Batter
- 2 cups all purpose flour 284 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened, 1 stick
- 1 cup granulated sugar 198 grams
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk 4 ounces
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar 60 grams
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour.
- Prepare crumb topping by mixing the sugar, flour, and butter together in a small bowl well with a fork and set aside. The mixture should be sandy and then start to form small clumps.
- 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 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The center should be 210 degrees F. with an instant read thermometer.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a thin glaze.
- Cool the cake 10 minutes in the pan, 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.)
Rocky Mountain Woman
Oh my! That looks like my perfect coffee cake. Just so happens my son is coming up tonight. Maybe I’ll just have to make one for him…
Don’t you love having Trader Joe’s in town? I used to make a special trip there every time I went to the coast to stock up on my favorites, but now all I have to do is drive downtown!
Dede Lin
Barbara, this looks divine! Mine is in the oven at this very moment. I made it for my meeting tomorrow at work 🙂 I have made many, many of your recipes and you’ve never let me down.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Dede your comment really brightened my day. I’m sure your co- workers are going to love it.
Foodiewife
That photo of the drizzling glaze took this over the top. I think putting streusel on a coffee cake should be a law. It’s the best combination of texture: a moist cake and the crunch of streusel. Beautiful creation, Barbara.
Shannon @ Bake.Frost.Repeat.
I love lemon & blueberry together and this coffee cake looks wonderful! I think I’ll make it for my mom’s visit this weekend!
2 sisters recipes
OMG this is a piece of heaven! What’s not to love? Blueberries and lemon go well together, and its an easy recipe ( the kind I like). I will be making this, since I have company arriving tonight and I will link the credit back to you!! Thanks Barb!
Vickie S.
Barbara, this looks so wonderful! I’ve been on a coffee cake binge baking marathon for a year or so now, loving every minute of it. This one looks terrific and I can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much and happy baking!
Angie (@angiesrecipess)
Tender moist and loaded with berries! Your coffee cake looks utterly beautiful and delicious, Barbara.
Ala
Your son must have an amazing sense of smell–my mom totally does the same thing when I so much as *touch* a floret of broccoli or open a jar of instant coffee granules. That woman can smell my food ideas a mile away! Glad you could share this, it looks like the perfect treat for blueberry fans.
Melissa @ My Recent Favorite Books
I love cakes like this!! Perfect for Holidays or those special everyday celebrations!
Pinning!
My Inner Chick
—YUMmmm.
marvelously blueberry-ous! xx
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I can’t wait to try this. I LOVE blueberries in any way you could put them together but lemon and blueberry and cake – well, it just leaves me weak in the knees.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
I am in love with this!
Carol
Have you been peeking in my freezer, Barbara? I have some blueberries hiding in there that need a home-this cake would be perfect for them. I love lemon with blueberries. I wish I could snitch a piece of that cake right now!
Mmmmmm good.
Thank you!
Carol
Linda
Looks amazing and I can nearly smell it! Wish we had fresh blueberries at the moment but I will have to get some frozen ones at TJ’s before it is over. I don’t think I can wait for us to have the fresh ones looking at that photo. Thanks!!
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent
I have had lemons and blueberries on my mind lately. I think I’m hoping for warm summer days. This coffeecake looks absolutely delicious! Love how you used a springform pan.
Rosa
A wonderful teatime treat! This cake looks absolutely divine.
Cheers,
Rosa
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Beautiful coffee cake, Barbara! I love lemon blueberry combo and the crumb topping looks fabulous!!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay)
I want to eat the whole thing! Beautiful!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
This coffee cake makes me think of spring! Lemon & blueberry is always a great combo.
Amanda
I’m dying for that topping! 🙂 What a wonderful cake!