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.)
Emily
If I doubled the recipe could I bake in 9×13? Feeding a crowd…
Melissa Griffiths
That should work fine but you’ll need to adjust the baking time.
Shelley
I used this recipe when it was only Barbara’s and it made a 9×13 pan, and I don’t think it had the streusel either. Would you use same amount of ingredients for 9×13? And did it have just a powdered sugar icing to drizzle? Thanks!
Melissa Griffiths
I haven’t changed anything about this recipe since I took over the site, so it should be just what it was last time you made it. I’m not changing old recipes, just adding new ones!
RG
It looks so nice and smells great, but the sides of my cake are brown after cooking it for 50 minutes 🙁 so sad. Any thoughts on why? Maybe I should have taken it out at 45 minutes instead
Melissa Griffiths
It might have something to do with the type of pan you are using too, I think it’s better for it to be done in the middle through and have brown sides than to still be gooey in the middle.
MA
Can I use a loaf pan??
Melissa Griffiths
You might need to use two, it probably won’t fit in one
Debbie Marsh
Blueberry Lemon coffee cake was delicious. Everyone who has tried it just loved it.
Stefanie Conway
This is THE BEST!!! I have made this several times for events at my church. It’s always the first to disappear! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Stefanie Conway
I’ve made this several times for activities at church. it always disappears! I love it!
Spike
Perfection. Even with a substitute of 1/2 blueberries 1/2 cranberries. realized I only had a 1 cup of blueberries, and really wanted to make this on a Sunday morning.
Sharry
This has become my absolute favorite coffeecake! I’ve brought it to work and a coworker said it’s so perfect it appears store bought….she meant that as a compliment. Thanks for the great recipe!
Debbie
Everyone went crazy over this! Is there any reason I couldn’t make this with blackberries?
Melissa Griffiths
Blackberries should work great!
Candace
Delicious and easy to make. After I sprayed the pan, I powdered with sugar and baked in a Bundt pan. I also substituted brown sugar in the crumb topping. Really good stuff!
Cat V
Made this tonight with some leftover blueberries and lemons I had from grocery shopping last week. I didn’t use a springform pan because I didn’t have one. I used a 9″ square pan well greased and it turned out fine. I had to adjust the baking time to 60 mins, at which point it was done.
Very nice looking cake. The kids were ready to devour it right after dinner, which I wasn’t ready yet– but ate it anyways haha. I was surprised with how decent the calories were (I track my Macros)… I did go over on my daily fats/carbs, but still under my 1580/per day calories. It was worth it though!
Linda
This was easy and delicious. will definitely make this again. It’s a very pretty slice of cake.
Miss Nelly
I’ve been using this recipe for over 5 years and it is amazing. There is nothing I would change whatsoever. It’s always gone the first day.
Alex
Hi! This recipe looks amazing 🙂 I only have a 10inch springform pan. Would it still be ok to use? Would you recommend I change anything? Thanks
Melissa Griffiths
It might need to bake a little less as it won’t be as thick, keep an eye on the baking time.
Sandy in California
This cake came out wonderful looking and amazing in taste! Guests all loved it and requested the recipe! Thanks for posting.
Jeannie
I would like to make this into muffins. Is that possible and how long would I bake them? I’ve made the coffee cake many times and it’s wonderful!
Laurie
I made this tonight. It looked so beautiful and tasted absolutely wonderful. I definitely will be making it again!
Melissa Griffiths
So glad you liked it Laurie! Enjoy!
Julie Korban
Can you use a Bundt pan?
Melissa Griffiths
Yep should work great!
Kathy
If using a bundt pan do I need to double the recipe? Doesn’t seem like it would be enough batter to full a 10inch bundt pan.
Melissa Griffiths
No a bundt pan will work great!
Stewart
Great recipe and I’ve used many different types of berries. Would be nice to be able to print it but your website is so full of ads it makes it difficult to follow the recipe even online
Mary Grabowskiki
great recipe, I’ve made it many times !!
Lauri
This coffee cake is so delicious! I make it for breakfast when we have company in town and everyone loves it!
Joseph
non stick cooking spray leaves a film not noticeable to the naked eye , it builds up over time and reduces not stick pans ability , make your own in a glass pump bottle just add whatever oil you use or just use a paper towel oil it rub on surface of cooking pan !!