Blueberry-Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Updated April 16, 2025

Blueberry-Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd.
Total Time
1¼ hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(881)
Comments
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Studded with bright, juicy blueberries, this spiced coffee cake has a hefty dose of cinnamon in the cake and the crumble, and a cinnamon ribbon running through the center. You can use blackberries or raspberries in place of the blueberries, or even chocolate chips for an extra-sweet treat. Serve warm slices of cake with a cup of coffee for the perfect weekend brunch or afternoon pick-me-up.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (8-inch-square) cake

    For the Crumb Topping

    • ½cup/65 grams all-purpose flour
    • ¼packed cup/50 grams light brown sugar
    • ¼cup/26 grams rolled oats
    • teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼cup/57 grams unsalted butter, softened

    For the Cinnamon Swirl

    • ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
    • 2teaspoons ground cinnamon

    For the Cake

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter, softened
    • 2large eggs, at room temperature
    • ½cup/120 grams sour cream
    • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾teaspoon kosher salt
    • cups plus 1 tablespoon/203 grams all-purpose flour
    • teaspoons baking powder
    • ¼teaspoon baking soda
    • 1cup/140 grams fresh blueberries (or blackberries or raspberries)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the center. Spray an 8-by-8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two sides.

  2. Step 2

    Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and squish it together with your fingertips until it’s evenly moistened, and pebble-size crumbs form.

  3. Step 3

    Make the cinnamon swirl: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon; set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Make the cake: In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in one egg completely before adding the next. Add the sour cream, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, and beat to combine.

  5. Step 5

    Stop the mixer and add the 1½ cups/195 grams flour, the baking powder and baking soda; mix on low speed until just combined. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour, then gently fold them into the batter.

  6. Step 6

    Assemble the cake: Spoon half the batter into the pan and smooth it to cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top of the batter. Spoon the remaining cake batter over the top and gently smooth it to cover the cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top.

  7. Step 7

    Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes until puffed and golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store the cake loosely wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
881 user ratings
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Comments

ShaZAM! So tasty! We’ll definitely make this again and again. Tackled the “spreading chewing gum over dry sand” issue by evenly dropping globs of the second layer of batter on top of the cinnamon-sugar layer and then gently smoothing it out with the back of a wet spoon. Close to magical.

Lovely recipe! Made it with peaches and blueberries and substituted whole-wheat flour and 2% Greek yogurt for the all-purpose and the sour cream. Fantastic with coffee this morning!

This recipe seems very promising (currently in the oven, smells great!) but "spoon remaining cake batter over the top" would be better described as "wrestle the batter over the top of the cinnamon sugar like you're trying to smooth chewing gum evenly over dry sand".

I’ve made this cake for so many get together and family brunch and it’s always a hit! When spreading the other layer of batter, I spray my hands with baking spray so it’s a little less sticky-usually takes a second spray to get it spread out fully

I LOVE coffee cake and have been making it for years and this has to be the best recipe yet. It’s very rare that a cake actually tastes great warm out of the oven and this one does! Do not be deterred by the amount of cinnamon/salt in the recipe - flavor was awesome!

I used a cashew/coconut milk yogurt instead of sour cream and it worked great. This is already a stiff batter and since I only had frozen blueberries it made spreading it more difficult. Next time I’d just spread the blueberries in the middle rather than folding them into the mix. Using an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter for the second layer worked well. To keep the sweetness down I only used 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar mix between layers and another 1/3 on top before adding the streusel topping. I baked it for 50 minutes and turned it halfway through until it finished baking. It tasted great!

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