This Blueberry Coffee Cake is my go-to for brunch, breakfast, or dessert—super tender, soft, and moist, with juicy blueberries and a bright pop of lemon in every bite. The buttery streusel crumble topping and lemon cream cheese glaze make it a total crowd-pleaser. I love that this lemon blueberry coffee cake with sour cream can be made ahead and is just as perfect for weekend brunch as it is for summer parties. Bonus: the springform pan gives it those bakery-style, tall slices that everyone loves.
Take one of your oven racks and place it in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350º degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray on both the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure that it is fully covered and set it aside.
Streusel Crumble Topping:
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. When everything is combined, drizzle in the 9 tablespoons of melted butter and use a fork to mix everything together. The mixture should be crumbly with a pebble like texture. When the mixture has come together properly set the bowl aside.
Make the Coffee Cake:
In a medium sized bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk the ingredients together until combined.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, add your softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars together, on a medium to high speed, for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is light and has a fluffy texture.
Turn the mixer down to medium to low speed and add in the eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated. Next you will add in the vanilla bean paste, sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Continue to mix until everything is combined. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture and slowly combining until there are no more white streaks of flour. Be sure not to over mix.
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour.
Add 1 ½ cups blueberries to the mixing bowl with the cake batter and use a spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick.
Pour the batter with the blueberries into the prepared springform pan and spread it out evenly. Next, top the batter with the remaining cup of blueberries making sure they are spread out evenly.
Add the streusel crumble topping on top of the blueberries, and be sure to cover the entire top of the batter.
Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet prior to placing it in the oven. This will help protect from any leaking that may occur during baking.
Bake the Cake:
Bake the coffee cake for 75-95 minutes. Oven times will vary, and times will be longer if you use frozen blueberries. Be sure to check your cake after 60 minutes to make sure it is not browning too fast. In the event that it is browning, cover it loosely with a foil tent and continue to bake. Test your cake for doneness with knife or wooden skewer. When inserted into the middle of the cake, it should come out clean.
Cool the Cake:
After baking, allow the cake to cool in the springform pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes prior to removing the outer ring.
Allow the cake to completely come to room temperature prior to adding the cream cheese glaze. If possible, wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and icing the next day will be best. This will allow the cake to seal in the moisture and to cool completely.
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter for approximately 2-3 minutes until it is smooth in texture and light in color.
Add in the vanilla bean paste and salt and mix for another minute.
With your mixer on low, slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar and continue to mix until combined.
Add the teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Next, slowly stream in the whole milk by the spoonful. Continue to beat the glaze at low to medium speed until the it is smooth and creamy. Add more milk as needed, so that the glaze consistency can be drizzled on top of the cake. If the glaze gets too thin, you can add more powdered sugar to firm it back up.
Drizzle the glaze over your cooled cake.
Notes
Vanilla: You can substitute vanilla extract for vanilla bean paste if you would like.
Oven Temperature Accuracy: Be sure to remember that all oven times will vary due to ovens heating differently. For the most accurate read on your oven temperature, I recommend that you use a thermometer to make sure that you are baking at the correct temperature.
Glazing the Cake: When adding the cream cheese glaze to the cake, you can drizzle it on with a spoon or add it to a piping bag and pipe it on that way. For this recipe, I added it to a piping bag and snipped a tiny bit off the end before drizzling the icing.
The cream cheese glaze is optional: The cake is delicious on its own with or without the glaze added.
Storage, Reheating, Freezing, and Make-Ahead
Refrigerating: I always store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the fridge. It stays moist for up to 5 days!
Reheating: For best results, pop a slice in the microwave for about 15 seconds. That brings back all the buttery moisture.
Freezing: This cake freezes beautifully (with or without the glaze). Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temp.
Make-Ahead: I love making this the night before. Bake, cool, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Glaze just before serving for maximum freshness.