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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Coffee cake

    Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

    Published by Melissa on May 20, 2021 | Updated January 17, 2023 | 498 Comments

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    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.

    A Pinterest image collage of Easy Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping and Lemon Glaze

    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.

    Eating Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

    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. 
    a plated slice of lemon blueberry coffee cake
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    4.46 from 619 votes

    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.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Servings: 12 Servings
    Calories: 324kcal
    Author: Melissa Griffiths
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    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.)

    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
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    about us

    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Betsy

      July 07, 2021 at 7:47 am

      Can you make the batter ahead of time?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 07, 2021 at 8:16 am

        Hi Betsy – if you want to make it ahead of time, mix the dry ingredients together and make the crumb topping and the icing but add the wet ingredients just before baking.

        Reply
    2. Kellina

      June 30, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      This recipe is amazing and delicious! I have made it as the recipe shows and as muffins. The muffins are great for potlucks and travel well. Thank you for sharing

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 30, 2021 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks for the rave review Kellina!

        Reply
    3. Sarah

      June 27, 2021 at 9:09 am

      I only had 1 cup of blueberries, so I added some frozen peaches (defrosted, dried them off good, cut them up and dusted with flour) and it turned out amazing!  Will make again!!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 27, 2021 at 3:46 pm

        Peaches sound like an awesome addition. Thanks for sharing Sarah!

        Reply
    4. Ali

      June 27, 2021 at 5:59 am

      Can you put weight measures in the recipe please? Much more accurate than cups (American? Canadian? Metric?)

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 27, 2021 at 3:46 pm

        Hi Ali – I do like using weight measurements more and more when baking. Next time I make this cake, I’ll weigh the ingredients and update the recipe.

        Reply
    5. Marcela

      June 21, 2021 at 8:31 am

      Love your recipe!!! I had just 1 cup of blueberries and tasted amazing! I will try again with the 2 cups, anyway, my family love it!! I made it for Father’s Day and I think it will become a tradition ❤️ Thanks for sharing!! 

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 21, 2021 at 11:56 am

        I’m glad it was a big hit. Thanks Marcela!

        Reply
    6. Chris

      May 10, 2021 at 9:34 am

      Made this for mothers day. Turned out great. Delicious recipe.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        May 10, 2021 at 10:36 am

        That’s great to hear – thanks Chris!

        Reply
    7. JRM

      May 03, 2021 at 8:36 am

      Barbara, I am recovering from surgery and am restricted in what I can do for another week or so. I am able to bake however and made this cake, with lots of lemon juice and Valencia orange peel in the icing. It was tremendous, thanks. Pay no attention to the grumpy people in your comment section.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        May 03, 2021 at 11:42 am

        Thanks! Sounds like a great way to change it up. I hope you’re feeling better soon!

        Reply
    8. Carol

      April 21, 2021 at 4:33 pm

      Barbara, have you ever used this recipe to o make a loaf?  If yes wondering if you made adjustments. Let me know and Thank you

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        April 21, 2021 at 5:54 pm

        Hi Carol – I have made it in loaf pans without the drizzle. Here’s a link https://www.barbarabakes.com/lemon-blueberry-quick-bread/

        Reply
    9. Arthur PERRONE

      April 06, 2021 at 12:28 pm

      You are nuts. With all the advertisements and other BS all over your pages I had trouble finding your actual recipe.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        April 06, 2021 at 12:41 pm

        Hi Arthur – most blogs, including mine, have a jump to recipe button right at the top of the post that makes it easy to find the recipe. It’s a great recipe that you’re getting for free just by viewing the ads – certainly not any reason for you to be rude to me. Are you rude to people when they come to your house, or just rude to people online that you don’t know because you feel anonymous? My site is well done and loaded with lots of great information. I work hard on it and am proud of my little corner of the net.

        Reply
        • KAT

          September 11, 2021 at 1:57 am

          Good for you!! I’ll add that your ads are not in the middle of the page, like most, which shifts the recipes around while I’m reading. Thank you for the free recipe and all the work you put into your site. I’m talking this to an open house tomorrow, I’m sure they will be very happy.

          Reply
          • Barbara Schieving

            September 11, 2021 at 6:19 am

            Thanks Kat! Your support means a lot. I’m sure the cake will be a hit at the open house.

            Reply
      • Blu Campbell

        May 07, 2021 at 11:55 am

        Your really complaining about having to scroll to the bottom to get the information you obtained for free?
        Thank you Barbara for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. I also found a few other recipes (while scrolling to the bottom) that I also want to try. I can’t wait to share them with my family.

        Reply
        • Barbara Schieving

          May 07, 2021 at 11:58 am

          Thanks!

          Reply
    10. Alise

      February 05, 2021 at 2:20 pm

      Hi made this coffee cake, it is really a great little cake! I made it in springform, after cooling for a while I loosened the spring inverted a plate on top, however I wanted the drizzle on the crumb topping, so inverted another plated on top of cake flipped and all was perfect! My family loved it!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        February 06, 2021 at 2:20 pm

        Thanks Alise! Glad it was perfect for you too 🙂

        Reply
    11. Angel

      January 07, 2021 at 4:23 pm

      This was so so soo so sooo good. I’m not much of a baker or, a review leaver for that matter, but I just had to say thank you for this recipe. I didn’t change a thing and it turned out perfectly. Thanks again!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        January 07, 2021 at 6:11 pm

        Thanks for the rave review Angel!

        Reply
    12. Kathy Evol

      December 23, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      I am making this for Christmas breakfast.  Sadly, I won’t have the time to make it that morning.  How far in advance can I make it, and does it need to be refrigerated?  I plan to do the icing drizzle after I warm it up that morning.  

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 23, 2020 at 5:43 pm

        Hi Kathy – you can make it a day or two ahead of time and it does not need to be refrigerated. Enjoy!

        Reply
    13. Karen Albro

      December 19, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      Just made with a Meyer lemon from backyard and is still hot and is excellent! Must have another piece once cooled for comparison! 😂

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 19, 2020 at 3:16 pm

        That’s so fun to have a Meyer lemon tree in your yard Karen! Glad it was a hit – thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    14. Carol Roeder

      December 19, 2020 at 1:27 pm

      Delicious! Wondering if this can be made as a bundt cake as well?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 19, 2020 at 3:20 pm

        Hi Carol – it should work well as a bundt except you’d have to cool it and serve it upside down so the topping didn’t get soggy. The cook time would probably be shorter 35 – 45 minutes.

        Reply
    15. Kate Welch

      September 20, 2020 at 5:03 am

      I just made this and I was surprised that it was way too sweet.  The cake part was great. But everyone left the outer layer uneaten.   The crumble or the glaze would have been plenty.  But not both.  

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        September 20, 2020 at 6:21 am

        Hi Kate – the crumble on top is my favorite part – I try to get a little bit in every bite. Do you perhaps live outside of the US where they prefer cakes less sweet?

        Reply
    16. Jess Kramer

      August 08, 2020 at 8:50 am

      I made this on a whim for my coworkers, Its was phenomenal! Ill keep this recipe for ever! Made with fresh berries and I made the recipe to a T, Amazing! Thank you but how do I do a star rating?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        August 08, 2020 at 9:00 am

        Now that’s a rave review – thanks Jess! In the recipe card right under print, just click the stars 🙂

        Reply
    17. Diane

      July 28, 2020 at 8:32 am

      Can Greek yogurt or plant milk be used instead of whole milk? I don’t have milk on hand.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 28, 2020 at 10:38 am

        Hi Diane – Greek yogurt is probably too thick but plant milks should work fine.

        Reply
        • Krystal

          July 28, 2020 at 2:29 pm

          I have made it with Greek yogurt and it turned out great. Going to try it today with sour cream and raspberries instead of blueberries. This recipe is amazing I have served it to company and everyone asks for seconds. 

          Reply
          • Barbara Schieving

            July 28, 2020 at 2:52 pm

            Thanks for sharing Krystal! Let me know how the raspberry version turns out.

            Reply
            • Annette M Tholberg

              March 25, 2021 at 2:23 pm

              Can you make this with dehydrated blueberries?

            • Barbara Schieving

              March 25, 2021 at 2:27 pm

              Hi Annette – I haven’t tried it with dehydrated blueberries, but I often use Craisins in coffee cake recipes and it works well. I would soak the dried blueberries in hot water for 5-10 minutes and then drain thoroughly before adding to the recipe. Let me know how it goes if you try it.

    18. Lucille B.

      July 27, 2020 at 9:49 am

      I made this yesterday with fresh blueberries picked from my son’s yard. Not only does this cake look amazing, it is flavorful and moist. My family loved it and I will be making it again and again.
      Only change I made was to use lemon extract instead of lemon juice in the glaze which gave it a stronger lemon flavor. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 27, 2020 at 9:57 am

        Thanks Lucille! How fun to make it with blueberries you picked in your son’s yard. Glad it was a hit!

        Reply
    19. Susan

      July 18, 2020 at 10:03 am

      I made this coffee cake this morning. I love the look of it baked in a springform pan and drizzled with the lemon glaze. My husband had to take a slice of it to make sure it was good enough to share with others. I did have to bake it about 10 minutes more than the recipe directed but I know all ovens run a little differently.  It’s a great way to use those fresh blueberries this time of year.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 19, 2020 at 12:51 pm

        Thanks Susan! Glad you enjoyed it. Definitely a great way to use fresh blueberries.

        Reply
    20. Kathy

      July 17, 2020 at 12:18 pm

      I made this recipe yesterday and it was fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing it…my whole family loved it!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        July 19, 2020 at 12:50 pm

        That’s great to hear – thanks Kathy!

        Reply
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