Blueberry Lemon Crumb Coffeecake

 

Sometimes when you set out to do something, that “something” goes through some serious changes along the way and winds up looking a lot different from what you initially envisioned.

This basically sums up the origin story of this coffeecake.

What was originally anticipated to become a knockout recipe for a raspberry and cream cheese swirled crumb coffee cake eventually morphed into this lovely lemon-scented and blueberry studded beauty of a cake instead. (No complaints from me!)

No worries, though – I have yet to give up on the raspberry and cream cheese swirled coffeecake. Test Run #1 revealed some much-needed recipe modifications, and I plan on resuming that little kitchen adventure as soon as I can restock my kitchen with the raspberry and cream cheese components of the recipe (aka when I go home for Easter break next week and my dad buys me groceries <– I love this, this always makes me so, so happy. Thank you, dad, you are the best.).

Though my pantry was lacking the required raspberries and cream cheese, my need for some crumbly topped coffee cake was only becoming stronger. And with a fridge full of lemons and blueberries, what’s a girl to do? Make a lemony blueberry coffeecake, THAT’S what 😉

I wanted a simple, quick-mix type of recipe for this cake and that’s exactly what I created. No mixers required – just one mixing bowl, a measuring cup, and stirring utensils. It really doesn’t get any simpler than this.

And the final cake – so unbelievably moist with a perfectly subtle bite of zesty lemon, which always pairs wonderfully with sweet, juicy blueberries, crumbly streusel topping, and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. YUM.

The combination of greek yogurt, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and brown sugar ensure an ultra-moist cake. It’s also fluffy and practically muffin-like in texture, which I absolutely LOVE – because who likes dense cake? NOT ME, that’s not who.

If you don’t love lemon, feel free to omit the zest completely and add an extra half to full teaspoon of vanilla extract. And if blueberries aren’t your favorite berry add-in, then swap them out for whatever you like best. This cake is extremely versatile and is a great foundational base you can experiment with and change to your own tastes and preferences.

Also, in the pictures I’ve included in this post, you’ll notice that I added a layer of the crumb topping in the middle of the cake, which i opted not to include in the recipe instructions; let me tell you why.

With the amount of crumb topping I used to create that middle layer, it wasn’t really enough to make any significant impact in terms of flavor, but I didn’t want to use any more than that lest I wouldn’t have enough to sprinkle on top. In my personal opinion, I think all of the crumb topping would best be served sprinkled and browned on top of the cake, instead. If you do wish to have a cinnamon streusel swirl throughout the middle of your cake, though, then try making 50% more of the crumb topping (or even double the recipe, if you really like crumb topping!) and use half to layer with the batter and half to use as a topping. It’s completely up to you!

I’ll be brainstorming my next moves for Test Run #2 of the raspberry and cream cheese swirled crumb coffee cake, but in the meantime, enjoy this super simple but super tasty blueberry lemon crumb coffee cake. Between this coffeecake and the cinnamon rolls from a few weeks back, I honestly don’t know which I would prefer to wake up to on a weekend morning… and I really liked those cinnamon rolls, so that’s saying something!

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Coffeecake
Makes 1 8- or 9-inch pan; serves 9-12

For the crumb topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons oats
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Pinch of salt

For the cake:
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
Mix together all of the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until well-combined and crumbly in texture; set aside until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, oil, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla until the yolks are fully mixed in; set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). To these dry ingredients, add the buttermilk mixture and whisk (or stir, if using a rubber spatula) until nearly combined – stop mixing when only a few streaks of flour still remain. At this point, folding the berries just until they’re evenly mixed in and no more streaks of flour can be seen (don’t over-mix!).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the top and bake until a toothpick emerges clean and crumb-free, about 35- 45 minutes. If you notice the cake getting a little bit too brown while baking, just tent some foil over the top to prevent it from getting too dark. When done, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 20 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar and serving.