blueberry crumble cake

this blueberry crumble cake is bursting with fresh blueberries, has a moist vanilla cake base with a lovely lemon flavour, and is topped with the most buttery streusel topping. perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert – this classic blueberry cake is absolutely irresistible!

why you will love this blueberry crumble cake recipe

• bursting with fresh blueberries – this blueberry crumble lemon cake is loaded with juicy fresh blueberries that create pockets of fruity sweetness throughout. the technique of adding blueberries to only the top layer means they don’t sink to the bottom, so every slice is perfectly bursting with berries!

• buttery streusel topping – the blueberry crumble cake topping is what makes this cake so special! made with cold butter, brown sugar, and flour, it bakes into the most delicious buttery crumble topping that’s crispy, sweet, and comforting. it’s similar to a coffee cake but even better with the blueberries and lemon.

• moist and tender crumb – this homemade blueberry crumble cake uses a touch of lemon zest rubbed into the sugar to create incredible flavour, plus the simple vanilla cake base stays incredibly moist. this recipe makes the perfect blueberry crumble tea cake for serving with coffee or as an afternoon treat!

learn how to make blueberry crumble cake from scratch

to make this delicious blueberry crumble cake from scratch, we’ll start by making the buttery crumble topping. we’ll mix together flour, brown sugar, and cold cubed butter until it forms coarse crumbs, then chill it in the fridge while we make the cake batter. this keeps the butter cold so the blueberry crumb cake topping stays crumbly and doesn’t melt into the batter when baking.

for the blueberry crumble cake batter, we’ll start by rubbing lemon zest into the sugar. this releases the aromatic oils and infuses the entire cake with a subtle lemon flavour, creating a beautiful blueberry crumble lemon cake. then we’ll make a simple vanilla cake batter with butter, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, and a touch of yoghurt for extra moisture.

next, we’ll add a nice, even layer of the plain batter to the bottom of a greased and lined baking pan first, and then fold fresh blueberries into the remaining batter and spread that on top of the first layer. this two-layer technique ensures the blueberries don’t sink and creates a beautiful blueberry crumble layer cake effect.

top the blueberry crumble cake mix with the chilled crumble topping, bake until golden, let the cake cool, then drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze for the perfect finishing touch!

blueberry crumble cake ingredients

• flour – i use plain flour or all purpose flour – this provides structure to the crumble topping and helps it hold together in clusters. i’ll also be using flour for the cake batter.

• brown sugar – adds sweetness to the crumble topping and helps create those golden, caramelised clusters. brown sugar also adds a slight molasses flavour that makes the crumble topping taste richer.

• butter – cold butter is essential for the best texture when making the crumble topping! the cold butter creates those flaky, crunchy bits that make crumble so irresistible. we’ll also be using room temperature, softened butter for the actual vanilla blueberry crumble cake base – you need to make sure that this is at room temperature so that the butter and sugar creams together easily when making the cake batter. i like to use salted butter for both the crumble topping and the cake batter as the salt helps balance out the sweetness, but you can also use unsalted butter and a little bit of salt if you’d like to have more control over the salt level.

• granulated sugar – we’ll be using granulated sugar for the cake base.

• lemon zest – this is rubbed into the sugar to infuse the entire blueberry crumble lemon cake with a beautiful, bright citrus flavour.

• eggs – we’ll be using 2 large room temperature eggs to bind the cake batter and add richness.

• vanilla extract – to add a subtle vanilla flavour to our vanilla blueberry crumble cake and to the simple vanilla icing.

• yogurt – i love making this blueberry crumb cake with yogurt because the yogurt adds moisture and tenderness. this is key to making a blueberry crumble cake that stays moist for days. you can also make this blueberry crumble cake with sour cream if you don’t have yogurt on hand.

• baking powder and baking soda – helps the cake rise.

• blueberries – use fresh, not frozen blueberries for the best texture in this old fashioned blueberry crumble cake.

• icing sugar or powdered sugar – this will be used to make our simple, sweet icing to drizzle on top of the cake at the end.

• milk – just a teaspoon or two of milk will thin the icing sugar to a drizzle-able consistency.

tools:

• mixing bowls – big bowls for making the crumble topping and the blueberry crumble cake batter and then a smaller bowl for the vanilla icing.

• pastry cutter or fork – for cutting the butter into the dry ingredients when making the crumble topping. you can also just use your hands!

• zester or grater – for the lemon zest.

• hand mixer or stand mixer – makes mixing the cake batter easy. i would especially recommend using this when creaming the butter and sugar together, as it makes things a lot easier.

• spoon or whisk – use a spoon or whisk to mix in the dry ingredients. when mixing the dry ingredients into the wet batter, you want to fold everything quite gently so something like a spoon or silicone spatula would be best there. a whisk is also fine!

• 8×8 inch baking pan – for baking our old fashioned blueberry crumble cake.

• parchment paper or baking paper – to line the baking pan for easy removal of the cake and clean slicing.

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: make the crumble topping. in a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar until well combined.

step two: cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients.

step three: using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a fork, work the butter into the dry mixture. rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some bigger pieces of butter remaining. the mixture should hold together when squeezed but still look crumbly.

step four: place the crumble mixture in the fridge while you make the blueberry crumble cake batter. this will keep the butter cold so it doesn’t melt when you bake it.

step five: preheat your oven and grease and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or baking paper, leaving overhang on the sides.

STEP SIX: in a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant and the sugar looks slightly coarse with a pale yellow tint. this releases the lemon oils!

STEP SEVEN: add the softened, room temperature butter to the lemon sugar. beat with a hand mixer until light, fluffy and combined, about 2-3 minutes.

step EIGHT: add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

step NINE: add the yoghurt to the cake batter, and whisk this in until combined.

STEP TEN: in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

step ELEVEN: add the dry ingredients to the cake batter, and using a whisk or spoon, gently fold the dry ingredients in until just combined and you get a thick vanilla cake batter. do not over mix.

step TWELVE: scoop out enough of the plain cake batter to spread an even layer of it on the bottom of your prepared baking pan.

step THIRTEEN: add the fresh blueberries to the remaining cake batter in the bowl. gently fold them in until evenly distributed.

STEP FOURTEEN: carefully spread the blueberry cake batter over the plain layer, trying not to disturb the bottom layer too much.

STEP FIFTEEN: remove the chilled crumble from the fridge. sprinkle it evenly over the top of the blueberry cake batter layer, covering the entire surface.

STEP SIXTEEN: bake for around 50 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. DON’T WORRY IF IT DOESN’T SEEM QUITE FULLY DONE YET – THE CAKE WILL FIRM UP AND THE CRUMBLE WILL BECOME CRUNCHY AS IT COOLS.

STEP SEVENTEEN: remove the blueberry crumble cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan.

STEP EIGHTEEN: once the blueberry crumble cake is completely cool, whisk together powdered sugar or icing sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and drizzle-able.

STEP NINETEEN: drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake in whatever pattern you like.

STEP TWENTY: let the glaze set, then slice up and serve each beautiful blueberry crumble cake slice with a cup of tea or coffee!

tips and notes

• use cold butter FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING for the best crunchy texture! cold butter creates those flaky, crispy bits that make crumble so delicious, SO USING COLD BUTTER AND CHILLING THE CRUMBLE IS crucial for getting that crumbly, streusel-like texture. if your butter is too warm, the crumble will melt into the cake instead of staying on top WHEN YOU BAKE IT.

• don’t skip rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar WHEN MAKING THE BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE BATTER – this simple step infuses the entire cake with A BEAUTIFUL lemon flavoUr.

• I’D REALLY RECOMMEND FOLLOWING THE two-layer batter METHOD WHEN MAKING THESE BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE BARS – adding plain batter first, then THE blueberry batter on top, prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom OF THE CAKE.

• WHEN ADDING THE BLUEBERRIES TO THE CAKE BATTER, TRY YOUR BEST TO fold the blueberries gently into the batter to avoid breaking them and turning the batter purple.

• don’t overbake YOUR BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE! the cake is done when a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. THE CAKE WILL FIRM UP FURTHER AS IT COOLS IN THE PAN. THE CRUMBLE TOPPING WILL ALSO GET CRISPIER AS IT COOLS. over baking will dry out your blueberry crumble cake.

• use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. while i add both metric and cup measurements for this OLD FASHIONED BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE recipe, i always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients for most accurate results.

• MAKE SURE YOU DRIZZLE THE FINAL GLAZE ON TOP ONCE THE CAKE IS COMPLETELY COOL.

• STORE thESE BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE BARS covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

frequently asked questions

1. CAN I MAKE THIS BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE WITH CAKE MIX ?

   – TECHNICALLY, YOU CAN MAKE THIS BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE USING BOX MIX, BUT I’D REALLY RECOMMEND MAKING THE CAKE FROM SCRATCH. THE CAKE BATTER IS MADE TO BE THICK TO ENSURE THAT THE BLUEBERRIES DON’T SINK TO THE BOTTOM, AND THE CAKE ALSO HAS A REALLY LOVELY LEMON FLAVOUR THROUGHOUT AND A BEAUTIFULLY MOIST AND TENDER CRUMB THAT MAKES IT WORTH MAKING FROM SCRATCH! HOWEVER, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE THIS BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE CAKE RECIPE EASY AND QUICK, YOU CAN MAKE THE BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE FROM CAKE MIX BY MAKING THE CRUMBLE AS STATED IN THE RECIPE, PREPARING A BOX OF VANILLA or lemon or yellow cake mix according to package directions, then following the rest of the recipe as stated.

2. can I make a blueberry oat crumble cake by adding oats to the crumble topping ?

   – yes, you can! i personally like to keep my crumble topping simple with just flour, sugar and butter, but a crumble topping made with oats will definitely have more of a crunch if that’s what you want. just replace some of the flour with oats if you’re wanting to make this old fashioned blueberry crumble cake recipe using oats in the crumble topping.

3. can I make this blueberry crumb cake recipe with frozen blueberries instead of fresh ?

   – i would really recommend sticking with fresh blueberries for the best texture. frozen blueberries can leak juice into the batter and ruin the whole look and texture of the cake. however, if you do decide to use frozen blueberries, you need to make sure you use them frozen – don’t thaw them first. rinse the frozen blueberries in cold water a few times, then pat them dry and then gently and quickly fold them into the cake batter.

4. can i make the crumble topping and cake batter with unsalted butter instead of salted ?

   – i like to use salted butter in this blueberry crumble cake recipe because it helps balance out the sweetness in the crumble topping and the cake. if you’re using unsalted butter, just add around 1/4 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients in both the crumble mixture and the cake batter.

5. can i make this blueberry crumb cake with sour cream instead of yogurt ?

   – yes, you can. i usually like to make this blueberry crumb cake with yogurt over sour cream because it’s just normally what i have on hand, but sour cream will work really well too.

6. can i make the crumble topping without brown sugar ?

   – brown sugar adds moisture and flavour to the crumb topping, but you can absolutely just substitute it for the same amount of granulated sugar. there will be some differences in taste, appearance and texture, but otherwise it’ll be fine.

7. do i have to make this blueberry crumb cake with streusel topping or can i skip it ?

   – you can definitely skip the crumble topping if you just want a simple blueberry lemon cake!

8. can i use this as a blueberry crumble loaf cake recipe ?

   – you can absolutely make a blueberry crumble cake loaf using this recipe. this recipe would make a beautiful lemon blueberry crumble loaf cake! if you want to bake this as a blueberry crumb cake loaf, just follow the recipe as stated and bake in a loaf pan instead of an 8×8 inch baking pan. you might have to increase the baking times, so just keep an eye on that.

9. why is the crumble topping on my blueberry crumble cake not crunchy after baking ?

   – this usually means it needs more time in the oven or it has too much butter. make sure to bake until the crumble turns a golden brown colour, and let it cool once it’s out of the oven – the crumble topping will crisp up significantly as it cools.

10. can I use this as a blueberry crumb cake muffin recipe ?

    – yes, you can make blueberry crumb cake muffins using this recipe! just follow the recipe as stated (but no need to do the layers method – just mix all of the blueberries into the batter to make things easier), divide the batter into muffin cups, top with the crumble and bake. baking these as muffins will take less time to bake, so again, just keep an eye on baking times.

11. can I make this blueberry crumble cake with cream cheese swirled in the batter ?

    – yes, you can! you could swirl a sweetened cream cheese mixture through the batter before adding the crumble topping for an extra rich lemon blueberry crumble cake.

12. can i make this blueberry crumb cake with oil instead of butter ?

    – i would recommend making this blueberry crumb cake with butter for best results in terms of texture and flavour. creaming softened butter with sugar will give you a really moist and tender crumb, really nice flavour and also keeps the batter thick so that the blueberries don’t sink. replacing all the butter with oil will give you a moist cake, but it might thin out the batter too much. if you really want to reduce the butter, you could replace around half of it with oil for best results. note that you will still need butter for the crumble topping!

13. can i make blueberry crumble cake cookies using this recipe ?

    – blueberry crumb cake cookies sound like a great idea, but you’ll need a cookie recipe to make those! you could use a lemon and blueberry cookie as a base and bake it with a crumble topping, then top with a vanilla icing once the cookies cool!

14. is this blueberry crumble cake healthy ?

    – this blueberry crumble cake is quite rich and high in calories due to the butter and sugar, and the crumble topping and icing! it’s best enjoyed as an occasional treat rather than an everyday thing.

recipe