I did a bad thing. I’m trying to be all good and healthy, but I accidentally made this Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake this morning. Oops. Sorry (not sorry).
This big, fluffy coffee cake is studded with sweet blueberries and topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. It comes together surprisingly quick, so it would make a nice treat for a slow weekend morning. It’s the little things in life that make it good. :)
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Can I Substitute the Buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to each cup of milk. That substitute will function like buttermilk, but if you want true buttermilk flavor, I suggest using actual buttermilk. But don’t worry, you don’t have to waste a whole bottle of buttermilk just to make this recipe.
How to Use Leftover Buttermilk
You can freeze buttermilk! Pour the buttermilk into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for long term storage. This way you can thaw a few cubes out at a time to use in various recipes without wasting a whole bottle each time! This trick is an absolute lifesaver for anyone who loves the authentic flavor of buttermilk (hi, ME) and doesn’t want to resort to the milk and lemon juice trick.
Can I Freeze Coffee Cake?
Yes! Baked goods are one of those things that freeze surprisingly well. Let the coffee cake cool completely, then wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped pieces in a gallon size freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat your decadent Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake, just take however many pieces out you want and let them thaw on the countertop, or microwave for a few seconds until warmed through.
…And that’s exactly what I need to go do right now before I do eat the whole cake. 😜
Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake
Servings 8Ingredients
STREUSEL TOPPING
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp softened butter ($0.18)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
COFFEE CAKE
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.33)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder ($0.24)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/2 cup white sugar ($0.16)
- 2 large eggs ($0.55)
- 1 cup buttermilk ($0.60)
- 1/4 cup melted butter ($0.36)
- 1/2 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh) ($0.60)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the streusel topping (flour, brown sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon) until they create a uniform, crumbly topping. Set the topping aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for the coffee cake batter. In a separate bowl, whisk together the white sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter until smooth. Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir just until a thick, fluffy batter forms (do not over stir).
- Coat an 8×8 inch baking dish (or similar size) with nonstick spray. Spread the batter into the dish. Sprinkle the blueberries over top, then push them down into the batter with your fingers. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top.
- Bake the coffee cake in the fully preheated 350ºF oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Slice into eight pieces, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare the cinnamon streusel topping first, so it’s ready to go when needed. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp softened butter, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. (the amounts for the streusel in the photos are double, but I ended up having way more than needed and only used 1/2 of the batch on the coffee cake. I froze the rest).
Stir the streusel topping ingredients until they form a crumbly mixture. Set the topping aside.
In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Make sure they’re very well mixed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, and 1/4 cup melted butter (4 Tbsp). Whisk until smooth.
Now pour those wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir just until you have a thick and fluffy batter. Do not over stir the batter. It may still look a little lumpy, just make sure all the dry flour is mixed in.
Coat the inside of an 8×8 inch baking dish, or similar sized dish, with non-stick spray. Spread the batter evenly inside the dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries over the batter, then push them down in with your fingers.
Sprinkle that cinnamon streusel topping over the batter. It doesn’t need to cover the batter in a solid layer.
Bake the Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown…
Like this! Perfect. Now you can slice it into eight pieces and serve with your favorite coffee or tea.
. If you DO decide to freeze the extra pieces of your Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake, make sure they are COMPLETELY cool before wrapping them in plastic. Enjoy!
Zoe says, “I can haz coffee cake? Trade you some cuddles…”
I made this today. I used half the baking powder because I don’t like the taste of it. I also added a quarter cup chopped pecans to the topping and about three quarters cup blueberries in the cake. I also subbed 2/3 cup yogurt whey instead of buttermilk. It all turned out so great! It’s so yummy! I think I might use a little more whey next time. But it’s so good as is. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best coffee cake that l have ever had. We had lemons l needed to use so I also added all the zest of one lemon. OMG. I highly recommend this recipe to everyone.
I think if I were to make this recipe again, I would modify it slightly. I would fold the blueberries into the batter instead of just putting them on top. I found that the bottom of my coffee cake was dry (didn’t have the extra moisture from the blueberries like the top) and the crumble turned soggy (again, extra moisture from the fruit). I also think I would add an extract to the batter to give the bites without blueberries a little more flavor. Saw another commenter saying he used a recipe that called for yogurt instead of buttermilk, I may try that as well.
Hi
I just made this coffe cake today. It is amazing.
Not too sweet.
Thanks for the recipe
What is the macros of all your recipes?
I made these last week so I could have something to snack on all week…….My girlfriend and I ate all of them 2 days. Whoops :) Next time we will freeze them..Or eat them all. SOooooooo Good. So Happy my friend told me about this site and that I discovered how fun baking can be!
If I was trying to make a buttermilk replacement, would 1% milk work? It’s all I have in the fridge and I’m so excited to make this.
Thanks!
Yes, but the flavor won’t be quite as good as using real buttermilk and it won’t be quite as rich.
So would heavy cream be a better replacement?
It’s hard to say without testing them both to see how they turn out. Unfortunately you can’t always guess with substitutions in baking, since baking involves so much chemistry.
Make your own buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup milk. Let sit for 10 minutes and it will thicken and curdle slightly. I use this method often and love the results.
A baking dish is necessary? Not a cake tin?
Thanks Kat for all the great recipes! I’ve been cooking a lot of them lately and haven’t had a failure yet!
You could probably use a cake tin. :) Just be aware that if it’s metal the baking time may change slightly since it’s a different thickness than the ceramic baking dish I used.
Made this for the second time in a week today to have for afternoon tea with friends … a real winner! Even the fuss pots loved it. I used a quarter cup of sugar instead of a half the second time, because the topping was so moorish.
I bought some buttermilk for another recipe and was looking for ways to use it up, so I had to (really, I had to!) make this coffee cake for breakfast this morning. It was fluffy and delightful! And not too sweet. And pretty easy to throw together. Thanks :)
I love all your recipes , they are fast and very tasty.
Is this your dog and is it Boston terier?
My daughter has one called Frida.
I am looking forward for more recipes.
Best regards, Sonia
Thank you! Yes, that is my dog. She is a boxer (55 lbs.), but does look like a giant Boston Terrier. :)
hi bet! long time fan, located in montréal!
i baked this coffee cake with my mom yesterday and oh boy! AMAZEBALL :)
i’m still under the spell…
i’m so glad i found your website (i don’t remember how though) a few years ago, and i’ve been eating pretty well since!
thanks again :)
Zoe is adorable! Love her!! I plan on making this for my guests who spend the night on New Year’s Eve!! My 3 kids and their spouses and kids…it will be gone, I better double the recipe!!
I just made this and it is scrumptious!! I had all the ingredients, I put the topping on halfway through the cooking time and it is delicious!
Obsessed with this site! Tried this one out today. Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfectly. First time making coffee cake so I was a little nervous but the recipe was so easy to follow. Shared with my boyfriend and family and everyone loved it!
I make something similar with yogurt instead of buttermilk and whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose. Same topping as well.
Passing this on!