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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These blueberry delights sure are “Boy Bait” Let me tell you. I made them early evening and by the time I woke up the next day, I really think a thief came into my home and for some reason ate all of the blueberry crumb cake that I made. Such a funny thing. I don’t know if I should report it or not. Daaaaaamn. These are more than delicious. I am making them again today. Thankyou so much for such an awesome recipe. And there are many. Yours is spot on the best.
LOL – I hope the thieves don’t come tonight! 🙂
I found this to be too dry for my liking. It needed sour cream I guess. Won’t make again
I just put this in the oven but the batter seemed super thick although I followed the recipe exactly. We shall see how it turns out! Hoping it’s as yummy as all of you say!
I need to cut down the sugar because of my husband’s diet. Any suggestions?
Hi Roxi, You could reduce it a bit. I’d recommend anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup. Please LMK how it turns out with less sugar. 🙂
Omg- this is the most amazing coffee cake recipe EVER. I made it yesterday and it’s gone! I think maybe those with timing issues might be baking it in an 8×8 pan, that’s all I had available and I did need to adjust up on the cooking time. But with a close watch, it came out beautifully. Thanks for all the great recipes, Jenn- this is another winner for the guys in my house😁.
I had some fresh blueberries and tried this recipe. Turned out so good! I will be making again! Thank you.
I bake a lot. Followed recipe exactly and did not add too much of anything. Had to bake for close to an hour because middle of glass pan was raw. I have a new convection oven and baked at 365. Watched very carefully as it baked. Cake is dry. Won’t make again. Disappointed. Coffee cake is supposed to be easy and moist.
I wonder if your new oven automatically decreases the temperature when using convection. Mine does. Might be worth checking your manual to see if this is the case. In my previous my oven, I had to set the oven 25 degrees lower when using convection. But, not so for the new one.
This is one of our go to recipes! I am wondering if we could swap orange zest for lemon and cranberries for blueberries for a more festive take – would any other adjustments be needed?
Hi Tracy, I do think that would work. I would use equal amounts, and slice the fresh cranberries in half before adding.
I just made this on a whim, half way through I realized I was out of milk.
I grabbed the buttermilk I had and substituted it for the milk adding just a touch more by sight.
It was the most moist and tender coffee cake I have eaten. My husband went nuts over it.
I bake ALL the time and from scratch. It is always a request that I be in charge of dessert for events. After working until 9 tonight, I want to love this since it is after midnight and I needed this for a Christmas breakfast potluck in seven hours. But it’s STILL in the oven. I followed everything to the letter. Even the size of the pan. It’s been in the oven over an hour now and the middle still isn’t done. I covered the edges when I checked it after 40 minutes of baking because the topping was going to burn if I didn’t. I covered it completely but loosely after another 15 minutes of baking when I checked again and the middle was still like batter. Last I checked, it’s still like batter and now the outside of the cake is dry, overcooked and brown. I’m going to remove it and let it cool so I can throw it away. So disappointed. I don’t have time to create anything else.
I made this and it was ok but not quite what I was looking for. I was hoping for a heavier more wet cake. Mine came out dry, well more like a cake. Not exactly dry. I am going to try again and sift my flour first to see if maybe that will fix it (cause it tasted like too much flour) and add a little more sugar. Also going to add more butter and less flour to the topping. My aunt brings my mom and I a bundt shape one for thanksgiving every year and I’m trying to figure out a recipe just like it. I probably should just ask her for hers lol. But it’s a great place to start and I will update if I get it right the next one.
Hi Betsy, If you felt like it was dry and tasted like it had too much flour, it may be that you’re using too much. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.
perfect. amazing delicate texture and perfect sweetness. I bake in an iron skillet. It never sticks and comes out perfect. thank you.
If I used different sweeteners other than sugar you think it would still turn out good? What would you recommend? Thanks!!
Hi Jourdan, I wish I could help but I’ve never worked with sugar substitutes so I can’t say how it would impact this. (If it helps at all, I have read plenty of comments from readers who’ve said they’ve replaced some or all of the sugar in a recipe with a substitute like Stevia and have had good results.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I used xylitol in replacement of the granulated sugar and Swerve brown for the brown sugar on topping. Came out beautifully. Thank you for this recipe, Jenn! (Patiently awaiting the bf to try.)
So glad it came out well (and I hope your bf enjoys it too)!!
This coffee cake is SCRUMPTIOUS. I’ve been making it for friends and family again & again. 😍 I added more lemon zest (cuz I always do that!) and tried 1.5 times the crumble (again cuz “”). It’s a little tricky but we liked putting half the crumble in the middle and the rest on top. It looks pretty too. Love your recipe, it makes me feel like a professional baker, thanks for sharing! 👌🏻😉
One word…
YUMMY!
Thank you!!
This is a great recipe. I didn’t change a thing. I did take it out of the oven after 32 minutes. I’m glad I did as the cake was perfectly moist.
This is the BEST recipe. I’ve made it twice for company and both times, it was GONE. I use Jenn’s recipes weekly, and this is in the top 5 favorites. Perfect texture, moisture, and flavor combination between the lemon/blueberries/streusel. It’s also fool-proof.
Made without vanilla extract,added little lemon juice. Came out perfect,love the lemon in the cake.will make again
Only used half the topping and the cake was dry.
If I made this into a 9×13 pan would I x1.5 the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Mel, I’d actually double it. Baking time may be slightly different so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
I made this delicious coffee cake with two substitutions: substituted one egg with apple sauce (because I only had one egg) and lime rind instead of lemon. I’ll definitely make again.
This is a fantastic recipe. I’ve already made it twice. Once with friends who came for coffee and also brought to a luncheon. Both times a hit. The cake is moist and rich but still a light texture. Just the right amount of sweetness and the blueberries are the star. This is my first review but all your recipes I’ve tried are delicious and turn out beautifully. Happy to have found you!
This is the go to recipe.
Did you mention the size pan?
Yes, you’ll need a 9-inch square pan. Enjoy!
I made this as the recipe states but substituted GF flour for regular AP flour. It came out amazing!!! I agree that the cake isn’t overly sweet but I think coffee cake in general isn’t that sweet. If you wanted it sweeter, I believe you could make a little icing out of confectioner’s sugar and milk or half and half and drizzle it over the top of the crumb topping. I will definitely make this again!!
I am looking to make this and live in Denver where the elevation is 5,280. What adjustments should I make to the recipe since I am baking at high altitude?
Hi Dana, Thanks for your note. I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
So incredible! I know I am not the only one who says this but ALL your recipes are winners! I also made this gf (Bobs Redmill 1:1)because my daughter is celiac and you could not even taste that it was gluten free!
Thanks so so much Jenn!!!
💗
This recipe is amazing. The cake texture is very moist & soft. I used frozen blueberries, which left some purple streaks to my batter when I folded the berries in (despite not thawing the berries). I’ll definitely try making this cake again using fresh blueberries and see if it works well. Nonetheless the taste is amazing and I really enjoy this cake. Thank you ! 🙂
Can I substitute raspberries for the blueberries. I am making them for a morning work meeting and would like a variety of coffee cakes.
Hi Shawna, this should work nicely with raspberries. Depending on how tart the raspberries are, you may want to add just a bit more sugar. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Just a tip! Sifting your frozen berries in a teaspoon or so of flour before adding them to your batter will keep the colour from seeping into the batter when mixing!
I love this cake! My whole family ate it up so quickly, I’m going to make another. What do you think about freezing it? Any experience freezing it whole, in the pan, topping and all?
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it can definitely be frozen — see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions.
Hi. Lovely cake, light and moist. However I was looking for the coffee in the ingredients. I think the name is misleading as some people drink tea! I started making the cake before I realized the ‘coffee’ is just in the name.
Sorry for the confusion!
This cake is delicious! Thank you for sharing. I tried another blueberry cake and it didn’t have the nice flavor this one has. It was bland. I could eat this cake by itself but who would pass on streusel topping?
Disappointing recipe. Thought it lacked flavor. Big fan of this website overall.
I had the same experience-HUGE fan of Jenn’s work and have had success with other recipes, but found this cake to be dry, not very flavorful, and the crumb topping skimpy (although it seemed like loads when I was sprinkling it over). I made the recipe just as written, so I probably won’t try again but will continue to enjoy all the other recipes here 🙂
I have to say I find it wild all the people who are commenting about there being no coffee in the cake-this is a common term and it’s ok if you don’t know that coffee cake implies it would be a nice accompaniment to coffee, vs containing coffee, but for goodness sake, Jenn didn’t name it so don’t rate her recipe down bc you don’t like the name of it!
I’ve not tried this recipe but will soon! If you haven’t tried Jenn’s Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake I highly suggest it…very moist and delicious!
Delicious cake, followed recipe exactly as written and came out beautiful. I have fresh blueberries just picked and this was the perfect use for two cups. I am trying again today but ran out of vanilla and fresh lemon so I substituted almond and orange will get back and let you know how it is.
This is a great recipe. It is moist and soft. I made it in a 9-inch springform pan and sliced it in wedges like a cake. Because of the the lemon zest, this will also be good with fresh or frozen cranberries. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will check out your other recipes.
This is the best blueberry Coffee cake ever. I doubled the recipe for xtra people this time. HUGE hit! Is it absolutely the best!!!!!
Do you recall, or made notes, on how long you baked it?
Made this today and it was delicious!! Only problem was all my blueberries sank to the bottom of the pan. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong?
Hi Mo, Sorry to hear your blueberries sunk. What brand of flour did you use? I have great luck with King Arthur all-purpose flour. It’s slightly higher in protein than some other brands which helps to give cakes more structure (and keeps fruit from sinking). Hope that helps!
I got it ready to put in the oven, but then plans changed and I never got around to baking it. Was it ok to freeze it before I bake it?
Hi Ann, I’ve never tried freezing cake batter, so I can’t guarantee how it will turn out when you bake it, but I just read online that it’s possible. Please LMK how the cake turns out when you bake it!
I learned this on the Great British Baking show, to avoid your fruits from sinking to the bottom of your bake, lightly toss them in flour and shake the excess off. It should keep your fruit of choice suspended within the bake. Hope this helps!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. The streusel topping is buttery, decadent and delicious. The cake is perfect with just the right amount of sweetness. I did reduce the amount of butter in the cake to be a bit more healthy, using 1/2 stick of butter plus 3 tablespoons of canola oil. This is my new favorite coffee cake!
Followed the recipe exactly. Baked in a glass 9×9. Took 45 minutes. Blueberry lovers perfect coffee cake. It is just sweet enough that the true flavor of blueberries shines through.
Thank you for the recipe, I made it yesterday. I agree with another reviewer saying it needed a touch more sweetness in the main cake part. I would say a full 1 cup of sugar would be good. And this coming from someone who doesnt like my desserts very sweet –I usually reduce the sugar. Otherwise it was good, loved the topping.
I just made this today. It’s good but I think it could use a little something additional. I put the amount of sugar the recipe listed and it isn’t quite sweet enough. It has more of the flavor of a bread, less of a coffee cake. Perhaps my blueberries weren’t sweet enough? I used organic wild blueberries.
I usually don’t like things very sweet, for me to say it isn’t sweet enough is saying something. I might make a drizzle for it. It is moist though and pretty, it tastes okay just not as good as I was expecting it to. I didn’t make any mistakes with the measurements, do you have any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong?
Hi Janice, sorry you didn’t love this! If you found that it wasn’t sweet enough, I’d guess that perhaps your blueberries were pretty tart. You could try adding up to 1/4 more sugar if you make this again but a better option would be to taste the blueberries and make sure they’re really sweet ones. Hope that helps!
Is there a way to make this vegan?
Hi Jen, It looks like you’d need to make several adjustments to make this vegan — other readers have mentioned that they’ve replaced the butter with coconut oil, you could use non-dairy milk, and for the eggs, two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder, and carbonated water. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more information about both. I would assume many recipes would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Please LMK how it turns out if you make all these changes!
Delicious, and the name is appropriate! My 11 yr old son has already eaten half of this and I only made it a few hours ago 😆 I had oatmeal in the topping because I already had some crumb topping premade in the fridge, and it gave some nice added texture. The cake is so light and fluffy it’s easy to eat way more than a single serving.
I have made this recipe numerous times for family & friends and it’s delicious every time. I substituted the eggs with a large smashed ripe banana because my daughter has an egg intolerance, and it’s even better! I’ve also made square muffins (reduced baking time to 35 minutes) – it made 16 count – and again they were delicious!
Does this recipe work in a 9” x 9” x 2.5” square pan or would i have to change the recipe in any way?
Hi Maya, this calls for a 9-inch square pan, so what you have is perfect. Hope you enjoy!
If I want to double the recipe, what size pan should I use? 9×13 equals 117 sq. Inches and 9 inch square = 81??? Am I better off doing 2 nine inch? Thank you
Hi Marcia, If you have two 9-inch pans, I’d go that route. Hope you enjoy!
My cake has been in the oven for nearly an hour and the middle is completely raw. It’s in a 9” square glass baking dish. The edges are brown. What do I need to adjust?
Hi Joy, I’m sorry you had a problem with this baking unevenly. Glass conducts heat better than metal so it can cause the edges to brown before the center is done. In those cases, I recommend reducing the oven temperature by 25°F and letting it bake a little longer. That said, it seems really strange that the center was completely raw after almost an hour. Is there any chance you made a measuring error?
Hi Jen, can I use my kitchenaid mixer instead of a handheld mixer? I gave away my handheld.
Sure – enjoy!
Can I make this in a square glass baking dish instead of a pan? Only thing square I have 🙂 thanks!
Sure! Just keep an eye on it and reduce the heat by 25°F if it looks like it’s starting to brown around the edges. Enjoy!
I measured the flour (128g/cup) to avoid a dry cake and the batter was still incredibly thick. Once you add frozen blueberries it clams up and becomes like cement! This means you need to stir harder to distribute the berries, which also makes your cake a bit gray with the juice but no less tasty. At my house we’re thrilled when anything I bake is edible, but just FYI on using frozen berries if you’re concerned with having it look like the picture.
For me too, batter was so thick, I could not mix in berries. I had to take clumps of dough and put with my hand in pan. Any solution?
The batter is naturally quite thick, but you should be able to get it into a baking pan with a spatula. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Can I half the recipe for a 4×8 loaf pan?
Hi K, I haven’t done it, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Baked blueberry coffee cake in a bundt pan. Came out tender. Crumb topping was crunchy. Used very large fresh blueberries and they exploded in the cake. Next time I will use smaller blueberries for a more appealing look. Thank you for sharing your wonderful culinary skills.
Hello! Was wondering if we have to bake it longer if using frozen blueberries cause the batter is cold pre-baking?
And thank you for this recipe! So glad I found your website. Looking forward to trying others! 🙂
Hi Klarizza, I don’t think it should take any longer but feel free to add an extra 2 to 3 minutes if the cake tester doesn’t come out clean after the 40 to 45 minute mark. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!