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.)
JR
I made this last night. I was much heavier on the lemon juice for the glaze and it was terrific. Family tucked into it before it was even cool, and everyone gives it a thumbs up!
Jan Mullett
Can you use a regular pan. I do not have a springform pan.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Jan – you can use a regular cake pan – it’s just harder to serve. Just don’t fill it more than 2/3’s full.
natalie
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it tonight. I super appreciate that you are using a little less sugar than most other coffee cake recipes I am seeing. I am wondering if you think the recipe could tolerate using only a half cup of sugar in the cake itself since there is a sweet topping, or even honey/agave syrup as a sub for sugar in the cake. Sorry to be a pain! I love treats, just trying to be a little better about them so I can eat more! Regardless, I will make it tonight! Such glowing reviews! Thanks for the recipe. I just found your blog and am excited to read more. 🙂
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Natalie! It might work, but with cakes it’s harder to make changes and have it turn out well. The butter and sugar really contribute to the structure of the cake and when you change that, it changes the structure. But if you don’t mind experimenting, give it a try and let me know.
Debbie Alexander
I’ve made so many of your blueberry lemon coffee cakes, I can’t even tell you! They were my husband’s favorite! However, he’s now been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and can no longer have this yummy cake.
My question is, do you have any diabetic friendly recipes I can try? I really miss baking!
Thanks, Debbie Alexander.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Debbie – I’m so sorry I don’t have many baking recipes that are diabetic friendly. I haven’t had to deal with that issue, but I will pay more attention to any articles I come across for ways to incorporate more diabetic friendly recipes. Thanks for the suggestion. I would miss baking too.
Alena Bailey
I have made this recipe several times now and am actually about to make another one today to send to my Mother In Law. It comes out perfectly every time. I use fresh Lemons from our tree out back, and my husband devours the entire thing within a couple of days. I baked one for a neighbor and she couldn’t thank me enough, she said it was “Literally the best cake I’ve ever had.” Thanks so much for the recipe! We all give it five stars in my household 🙂
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Alena! So great to hear how much you and your friends and family are enjoying the recipe. How nice that you baked one for your neighbor 🙂
Juanita Harthun
Delicious. I made exactly as written, with exception of tossing the blueberries in a tablespoon of the flour mixture prior to mixing the blueberries into the batter. This just helps prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake. The cake is easy to pull together with basic ingredients. Go ahead and make this if you like lemon and blueberries. You’re gonna pat yourself on the back when it’s done.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks for sharing the tip Juanita. Glad you enjoyed the cake.
isabel
Hi! I’ve just baked this cake and it looks delicious! What’s the best way to store it?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Isabel – I store it covered on the counter. Enjoy!
Isabel
Thank you! The recipe is perfect! I’m definitively going to make it again!
Brianna Edwards
Hi! I just made this and I absolutely loved it. I left the cake in for a little bit more that 45 minutes and it came out moist, fluffy, and in general really great. My family loved it! When making the batter I didn’t include all of the flour and baking powder mixture in fear of the cake coming out too bread like. But overall the recipe was great!!! Thanks so much!!!!!
Janet
I have baked this a few times, its wonderful! Last time I baked two of them for a party and everyone went wild….I said I can’t take credit for the recipe, its Barbara’s! Thanks for sharing this!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Janet! So sweet of you to share my site.
Debbie Alexander
This lemon blueberry coffee cake is to die for! I’ve made it three times, and the last time I made it into muffins just to see how it would turn out. I got 12 muffins out of it with some batter left over, which I baked in a small loaf pan. Pretty close to the best thing I ever ate! Thank you!
Harriet
Had a large amount of fresh blueberries, so decided to give this recipe a try. I followed the instructions as directed, and it came out great! It didn’t take long for it to be out of the oven, glazed, sliced into and devoured by my hubby and myself. Yummy! Will definitely make this again and again. A bit skeptical about using frozen blueberries though. Would live to serve thus in Thanksgiving.
SHARON WILKIE
Great recipe! Added a bit more lemon extract and 1/2 the vanilla per our preference. Also needed only half the icing. Was delicious – and baked perfectly in a tube pan (so much prettier results than any Bundt pan).
Thank you!
Roberta V
I substituted almond flavouring for vanilla, added slivered almonds to the crumb topping and used half the glaze suggested. Even though I baked the cake an extra 15 minutes it should have baked longer as centre was definitely undercooked, even using fresh blueberries. On the other hand baking longer might have caused the outer part of the cake to get too dry. I’d be tempted to try a bundt pan instead of a springform pan if I bake this again.
Barbara Schieving
Every oven cooks a little bit differently, and the pan you use will make a different as well. I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan, but they make work better for you. I have made it in little loaves and that works out great https://www.barbarabakes.com/lemon-blueberry-quick-bread/ Let me know if you try a bundt. 🙂
Mark C
I made this cake today exactly as specified and it was awesome! The only thing different was that mine came out darker yellow in color. Not that its a problem it still tasted great. Maybe because I had to keep it in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. After the first 45 minutes there was still wet batter in the very center. This recipe is a keeper!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Mark – so glad you enjoyed the coffee cake. Sometimes the color of the yolks will make the cake darker, but it could also be the longer cook time.
Anthony S
Hi!
It is my mothers birthday soon, and i would like to make her a somewhat healthy breakfast type cake. I’m going to put candles and everything, haha! How do you think this would come out with buttermilk + sliced almonds (or walnuts?) she likes the nuts for protein!
Anthony S
Also, to add to that, what about substituting half of the white sugar for brown sugar?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Anthony – slice almonds would be a great addition to the crumb topping. Buttermilk is thicker and more acidic than whole milk, you may be fine to substitute it, but you may need more liquid and you may need to use some baking powder and some baking soda if you’re adding an acid to the ingredients.
Anthony S
I won’t risk it with the buttermilk then, i thought it’d make it moister. Ill keep you posted on how it turns out with almonds and some brown sugar!
Traci Grant
This is super delicious!
I made it today with gluten free flour. I always love to find recipes that are easily convertible to gluten free.
If anyone else is going to make this with gluten free flour, a couple of hints: Mine was a bit dry, but that is probably due to the flour blend that I use. Next time I make it, I’m going to cut back on the flour (use 1 3/4 cup instead of 2 cups). I also do not have a 9 in pan, just an 8 in pan, so I had to cook it longer than normal which also may have caused it to be dry. But hey! Extra glaze!
But heaven’s to betsy. So amazing!
I had about 1/4 of it for dinner. I mean, dessert. I mean … yeah, dinner. This was my dinner.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks for sharing Traci! It will be really helpful to others who may want to use gluten free flour. Sounds like a great dinner to me too 🙂
sharon root
I dont have aspring form pan whate pan will work?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Sharon – you can use a regular 9″ cake pan, it just won’t be as easy to serve. Enjoy!
Nancy
Help!! I have tried to make this twice – first with the 9″ spring-form pan & then a 10″. Both times, I followed the recipe to the tee & both times it was completely under cooked. What am I doing wrong? I want to make this for a brunch I’m having in a few days! P.S. – I have not had this issue with anything I bake so I don’t think it’s my oven.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Nancy – did you cook it for more time and did it turn out alright? Are you using frozen blueberries, sometime that will cause the cake to need more time to cook. Did you substitute any ingredients? Are you using whole milk? What altitude are you cooking at?
Nancy
Thank you Barbara! I do use whole milk but that is the only thing I do of those that you mentioned. So I will just try baking it longer – and I will make it the night before to make sure I have other options before I serve it to 10 people on Friday morning!
Lisa
Awesome new treat for Mother’s Day 2016
I’ll be back to the site for more delicious ideas!!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it. Happy Mother’s Day.
Bill
Made this for mothers day. Delicious!!! Barbara bakes good!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Bill! What a perfect Mother’s Day breakfast.