Blueberry Pecan Crunch Cake

By Melissa Clark

Updated June 1, 2021

Blueberry Pecan Crunch Cake
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(1,658)
Comments
Read comments

Topped with coarse Demerara sugar and chopped pecans, this might just be the crunchiest coffee cake you’ve ever made. It’s also one of the easiest, as it’s quickly whisked together in just one bowl. Soft, juicy blueberries dot the cinnamon-scented batter, making jammy pockets in the tender crumb. It will keep at room temperature for up to three days, though the topping does lose a little texture the longer it sits. But this cake is so good, its keeping qualities may be beside the point.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 1½cups/337 grams sour cream
  • ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ stick), melted and cooled
  • 4large eggs
  • 1tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
  • 1½teaspoons baking powder
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2½cups/312 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1½cups/200 grams blueberries
  • ⅔cup/85 grams chopped pecans (or walnuts or almonds)
  • 2tablespoons Demerara sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

636 calories; 36 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 435 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-by-9-inch metal pan.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, butter, eggs, vanilla and salt until everything is well combined. Whisk in sugar. Add the dry ingredients in this order: baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, whisking well in between additions. Then, whisk in the flour until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

  3. Step 3

    Using a spatula, scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the nuts and Demerara sugar. Bake until the top is golden and puffed, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the cake to a rack, and let it cool in the pan.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,658 user ratings
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Comments

Lynette on Sakhalin Island

Made this last night to have ready for breakfast and packed school/work lunches today. Baked up beautifully golden-topped and impressively tall in the 9X9 pan - which I worried about being too small but worked swell. I used local frozen brusnika berries as it’s not yet berry season here. Tart berry/pecan combo great. Rave reviews from all family members this morning. Crunchy top remained even after letting sit in pan overnight. Light and not overly sweet - a nice treat for breakfast or coffee!

Cordau

Glass conducts heat really well, so glass pans get hotter than metal pans. A lot of baking cookbooks recommend that if you use a glass pan, the oven temperature be reduced 25 degrees (i.e., make it 25 degrees lower than the temperature specified in the recipe). I do the 25-degree reduction when I bake in a glass pan and it usually works out well. It's an especially good idea to do it if the recipe includes fruit which blackens and burns easily.

Veronica

Another winner from the reigning queen! I decreased the sugar to 200g because I don't like things very sweet and my berries were more sweet than tart and it was perfect for me! I also added a little almond extract and subbed sliced almonds for pecans because that's what I had. This came together super quickly and was a satisfying treat that made the house smell like heaven and hope, which we could all use a little more of.

Barbara

does anyone have experience with freezing this cake?

Mike B.

So good and so easy. Rave reviews.

Mary Jane Brisbane

Rises beautifully and looks gorgeous but felt it needed a punch of something, maybe lemon zest. I used the suggested amount of sugar and it was not too sweet. It baked around 40 minutes in my oven, not convection setting.

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