Blueberry Coffee Cake (aka Boy Bait)
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This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.
This old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake comes with a darling name and story. In 1954, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (the precursor to today’s Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny took second place in the junior division for her recipe, cleverly named “Boy Bait” for its habit-forming effect on young men.
Tender, easy to make, and jam-packed with berries, boy bait has been popular ever since. My version is updated with lemon zest to complement the flavor of the blueberries and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. You certainly don’t need to be a teenage boy to enjoy it, but I can attest that this 14-year-old loves it — so maybe Renny was onto something ?.
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
Fresh blueberries are ideal for this coffee cake, but frozen will work, too. If you’re using frozen berries, stir them into the batter without thawing, otherwise they’ll turn the batter purple. If you have extra blueberries on hand, or find them on sale at the market, you might also enjoy my blueberry pancakes, blueberry cobbler, or lemon blueberry pound cake – all family favorites!
How To Make Blueberry Coffee Cake
To begin, make the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain, then add the cold butter.
Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine.
The batter will be quite thick.
Add the berries to the batter.
Fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan. Enjoy!
You May Also Like
- Best Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Crumb Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Blueberry Boy Bait)
This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping
- 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch chunks
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used but do not defrost)
Instructions
- Make the streusel topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine. Add the berries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan.
- This cake is best served on the day it is made. Leftovers will keep well for a few days wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 piece
- Calories: 223
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 169 mg
- Cholesterol: 47 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is a lovely cake. I make it often for family brunches or to gift someone.
Love this cake! Though it’s perfect for smaller gatherings we often attend family gatherings and would love to be able to adjust the recipe to a 9×11 with baking time increase! Some websites offer adjustable quantities scales, just a suggestion! Thanks for the great recipe!
Yum Yuy perfect huge hit! 8500 feet baked for 60 minutes 375° and I tented after 20 with a hole cut out for the center to bake it was perfect thank you so much for taking the time to share this amazing recipe with the rest of us so we can enjoy it
This is my favorite recipe! I make it in a Bundt pan and I have made it at least 100 times, it’s never enough! Simply love this coffee cake!!
Do you double it for a bundt pan?
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly but used a food processor for the crumb topping, less than 5 seconds – so easy! Lastly I topped each slice with homemade lemon curd (compliments the blueberries well and there’s already lemon zest in the batter). Friends and family can’t get enough!
Loveee the recipe! The cake came out moist.. Pair it with some vanilla ice cream – HEAVEN. But still so perfect on its own. Will definitely make it again..
Made this in a bundt cake pan. Delicious coffee cake. Will make again!
Did you make the bundt cake without the streusel topping or did you put it in before you filled the bundt pan with the batter. If you didn’t put the streusel did it still taste sweet enough.
Can you use a 8×8 pan or 9×13. What would the changes be to bake time?
Thanks!!
Hi Marta, I do think you could make this in an 8-inch square pan or it can be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. The baking time may be a bit different with either of these, so keep a close eye on it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Very cleverly named, my 15 year old son loves it!
Followed the recipe as written, super tasty!!
I would like to make this in a 9 x 11″ pan. Would I do 1 1/2 times the recipe?
Hi Patricia, I think doubling the recipe would give you too much batter. You could try making 1-1/4 times the recipe or keep the recipe the same; you’ll just get a thinner cake and it will bake more quickly (so keep a close eye on it). Hope that helps!
Very good coffee cake. I didn’t have any lemons, so no lemon zest and it was still excellent. But next time I will make sure to put in the zest. It came out moist and not too sweet. Definitely a keeper.
Just made this “Boy Bait” Blueberry Coffee Cake. It is so moist and delicious. I used Land O Lakes margarine instead of butter. A big hit with my family. Thanks for the recipe
Really delicious! The cake is light, flavorful and tender.
I made this and shared it with my daughter and son-in-law. He texted me saying “The blueberry coffee cake was out of this world”
It was and I’ll definitely be making it again.
I made these as muffins and they are absolutely incredible!
Will regular butter work with this recipe or is unsalted required?
Sure, while it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Hi Jenn…do you think this recipe will work with GF flour?!
Hi Helen, I haven’t made a gluten-free version of this, but a few readers have commented that they have successfully. Hope that helps! 🙂
If using frozen blueberries. Would i coat them lightly in flour to prevent sinking? Also would i use the same amount of frozen blueberries just like fresh blueberries? Thanks
Hi Lu, it’s not necessary to coat the blueberries in flour, and yes, you would use the same amount of frozen berries. Just make sure not to thaw them first or they will turn your batter purple. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Can I make this cake with oranges instead of lemons? Also, can I use gluten-free flour, as I am celiac, instead of wheat flour?
Yes and yes. 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Best cake ever! Absolutely delicious!
Great recipe! Super moist and delicious. I don’t have an electric blender so I had to use my hands/spoon and it still came out delicious 🙂
Could I make this in a Bundt pan just layering the blueberries like you layer your sour cream coffee cake? Would I need to double the recipe?
Hi Alexandra, I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan but I think it’d work – I’d probably increase the recipe by 1.5 though. Please LMK how it turns out!
This blueberry coffee cake recipe was outstanding! 10 stars. I’ll be adding this to my collection of recipes to make again and again. I added a little more salt to the struesel when I baked it the second time. Easy recipe and delicious!!!!! 🙂
I made the cake today. I changed 1/2 cup of milk for 1/4 lemon juice and 1/4 milk. Cake is delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Giving 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hi. Looking to make this- can I substitute almond milk or half and half for the milk? Thanks.
Sure, Sara, almond milk will work here. Hope you enjoy!
I used half and half and it turned out yummy! I switched out lemon zest for clementine zest since I had lots of clementines. I also don’t have a 9×9 but luckily it was fine in an 8×8.
Can I use strawberries instead of blueberries?
Hi Kelley, I haven’t tried this with strawberries, but a number of readers have commented that they have successfully. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
This is a delicious, classic coffee cake. I love the combo of the bright blueberry with the cinnamon topping!
I made this this morning for a friend who is going in for surgery next week. I baked it in an 8×8 disposable pan and found, like other bakers, that it took forever to cook in the thin aluminum pan (even though I set the aluminum pan inside a normal 8×8 baking dish.. wishful thinking!). Because I was using a smaller pan, I also used some of the batter in a small glass baking dish. The bake on to two was very different, the glass dish coffee cake rose a lot more and, obviously, cooked a lot faster. I ended up using an instant read thermometer on the 8×8 because I was having a lot of trouble telling when it was done. The streusel was ALMOST over-done, I probably should have covered it earlier in the baking time. In any case, I think my troubles were entirely related to my pan choice, not the recipe.
I will absolutely make this again… and again. Next time I give this away, I’ll bake it in a normal pan and either give it to someone I trust to return the dish or cut and plate it before gifting.
Hi! I love this cake, I’ve made it before to wonderful reviews. I want to give it to someone who is grieving, I don’t want her to worry about returning the pan. Question : can I line the pan with parchment paper, if so, would that allow me to remove it from the pan, whole, and ready for gifting? Thanks for your thoughts on this! -Susan
I do think that would work well, Susan.
Excellent! I did double the amount of milk because it seemed too thick. Beautiful and delicious cake. Thank you for the story and the recipe.
Hi there – I want to bake this for my kids’ first day of in-person learning – could I mix all ingredients the night before and leave it in the refrigerator to bake in the morning?
Hi S, Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it. Hope the kids enjoy!
Made coffee cake this morning. Did not have lemon zest, was wonderful even without the lemon zest. YUMMY!!
Could I use almond flour for a gluten free option? If so, how much would you recommend using? Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Hi Megan, I wouldn’t recommend almond flour here as I think it will significantly impact the texture of the cake. If you need a gluten-free alternative, I’d recommend an all-purpose gluten-free flour like this one. Hope that helps!
Hello, excited to try this recipe. But I have a few questions. First of all. I only have 8 inch square pans and 2nd. Can this recipe be doubled for a 13x 9 baking pan? Thanks in advance.
Hi LuAnn, I do think you could make this in an 8-inch square pan or it can be doubled and baked in a 13 x 9“ baking dish. The baking time may be a bit different with either of these, so keep a close eye on it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Amazing!
Small tip I learned from Smitten Kitchen: rub the lemon zest with the sugar in the recipe, smells amazing plus releases the flavor/oils of the lemon.
Amazing recipe! just made for breakfast this morning. I will give it 10 stars if there was an option. Thank you for another great recipe.
Made this today and brought a warm piece up to my husband’s office (working from home since March) and it was just what we both needed on a cold snowy afternoon! I did add 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the streusel just because we love nuts! Really delicious!
Help! I have tried this recipe twice- using frozen huckleberries instead of blueberries….I keep checking and its FAR from baked. The top is over done and the toothpick/butterknife comes out covered in batter…….Help!
Hi Shelley, sorry that you’ve had a problem with this (twice)! I’ve never worked with huckleberries so I don’t know if they may have an impact. Is it baking on the center rack in your oven? Also, are you using a 9-inch square pan? And if you find that the top is baked and the inside needs more time, you can always loosely cover it with a piece of foil to let the center cook through. Please LMK if I can help in any other way.
I had this same thing happen when I tried baking it in a thin disposable aluminum pan (never had that problem before in glass or regular metal pan). Don’t know if this helps but wanted to mention it.
huckleberries have a strawberry like moisture, so batter may have been too wet. i think adding a bit more flour might have fixed the raw center , or cut back on the liquid. also make sure the cake was in center of oven will make a lot of difference, too low and cooks too fast , too high and it may not brown
TURNED THIS RECIPE INTO MUFFINS… YUM!!!
Doubled the recipe (except for the sugar and streusel topping), used whole grain spelt, added a cup of sour cream, and baked as muffins- 400-degrees F for 20 minutes (added a bit more flour for altitude and the whole grain). Made a generous 3 dozen (could be 3 dozen + 1). SOOOO good- moist, fluffy, wonderful crumb… still a bit on the sweet side but very delicious.
LOVED IT! I took this on a family trip, through 2 rides in a cooler and a couple days, and it was just as good the last day as the first. I’m going to make muffins from this recipe next time. Yummy!
So freaking yummy!! Even my hard to please hubby loves it! I made this the other night, used a 9×13 so I doubled the recipe and I used buttermilk instead of milk (so I only used 2TBS baking powder and added 1/2 tsp Baking soda) it is si delicious! I also made a Lemon drizzle (just powdered sugar, lemon juice and some zest) topped it off perfectly!
Moist, delicious, and perfect sweetness. I did not make any changes other than using an 8-inch square pan since I don’t have a 9-inch. The cake was a bit too tall, took a bit longer but still great. Definitely will make again.
I’ve made this twice now and it is perfect each time. Wonderful recipe! The first time I made it a few days ahead of a family brunch and froze it. I took it (still frozen) to the family event and thawed it out on the counter the night before we ate it. The second time we ate it within hours of it coming out of the oven. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
I’ve had good results with your other recipes but unfortunately this one was a flop for me. The cake was very bland and took close to an hour to bake. If I try this again, I would add 1/4 cup of maple syrup, use 3/4 cup of milk in addition to doubling streusel then using 1/2 between layers of batter, and add more lemon zest.
Absolutely delicious. This was a hit with my coworkers.
This recipe is perfect! I make it all summer long for company. Simply delicious!
Love this recipe! Can you double it and bake in a 9×13 pan?
Glad you like it! Yes, you could double this and use a 9 x 13. Baking time may be slightly different so just keep a close eye on it. 🙂
How much baking powder? One person wrote she put in 2 tablespoons? Plus 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Isn’t that a bit much?
Hi LuAnn, If doubling the recipe, I would use 4 teaspoons baking powder. There is no baking soda in the recipe.
Absolutely the best! You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
This is the first recipe I tried off this site and one of my favorites. The texture of the topping is perfect and the lemon zest perfectly complements the blueberries.
Went through a coffee cake making phase and this blueberry one was exactly what I was looking for. It was so good and moist, and I loved the topping. Have made multiple times and it gets eaten up so fast.
This is possibly the best morning treat on earth. I brought it in to my office, where everyone said things like, “oh, I’ll just try a small piece,” and in a matter of a morning, the cake was reduced to only a few crumbs. Safe to say that it hit the spot. Coffee, tea, milk… be sure you have whatever is your favorite close at hand because you’ll find yourself in a happy trance of yumminess at the first bite.
Absolutely the best! You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
i made this last weekend and it was as delicious as i had hoped it would be! i didn’t have a 9×9 pan so i used an 8×8 pan. it required about 15 minutes more cook time and it made the cake really tall so i had to eat it with a fork instead of my hands. next time i will probably use a 9″ round.
the lemon zest in here really helped the cake sing. i used a bit more than the recipe called for and really liked it.
will definitely make this again!
I made this for a potluck last week and it’s amazing! So moist and LOTS of blueberry flavor. (I used frozen wild blueberries.) Thank you for your generosity and your published recipes. I make them as directed and we haven’t been disappointed.
I have made this 3 times now and it was delicious every time. It does take a little longer in my oven, more like 55 minutes before a tester has a dry crumb. Thanks for the great recipe.
I craved this cake for MONTHS before I finally tried it. When I did, I made personal-sized cakes for my parents and in-laws and they couldn’t stop raving. I’m afraid I didn’t quite leave enough for my husband, though. #toogood
I made this for my family this week and everyone agrees it’s 100% amazing! Perfect amount of blueberries! I had to use frozen blueberries, but they worked just fine.
I made it last week for my book club discussion, it was easy to make, delicious not very sweet, and the combination of blueberry and cinnamon is marriage made in heaven, I’ll make it again and again