Blueberry Coffee Cake

I’m often making baked goods for church gatherings, so when a group of sweet ladies at my church asked if I had a good coffee cake recipe, I thought of this one right away. It’s something I’ve been working on, trying to make a classic blueberry coffee cake with crumble topping, but also make it more nutritious at the same time. I’ve cut back on added sugar, letting the natural sweetness of the blueberries shine through. And I also incorporate a secret baking weapon of mine: teff flour, which is highly nutritious, but still tastes just like the coffee cake I know and love.  

Some Main Ingredients

• Fresh blueberries: This coffee cake is good year-round, but it’s especially delicious when fresh blueberries are in season in the summer months. Frozen wild blueberries or any other type of favorite fresh or frozen berries can be used in place of the blueberries. 
• Greek yogurt: In this recipe, I’m able to cut down on added fat, such as melted butter, thanks to the Greek yogurt. I love using yogurt in baked good recipes, since it helps create a soft, fine texture in the crumb and adds a lot of moisture. It also adds a bit of calcium and potassium, too. May use an equal amount of sour cream instead of yogurt, if desired. 
• Flour: For this recipe, I call for two types of flour – regular all-purpose flour and teff flour, which is milled from whole-grain teff, a tiny and incredibly nutritious grain. 
• Pantry staples: I also call for some everyday staples, including avocado oil, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, milk, vinegar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. 

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Ingredient Spotlight: Maskal Teff’s Organic Ivory Teff Flour

I first learned about teff, the world’s tiniest grain (smaller even than a poppyseed) when Stacie was testing this recipe for Morning Glory muffins and these air fryer chicken tenders. Both of those family favorite recipes are so delicious and have a great nutritional boost just by incorporating teff flour, so I’ve been using it more in my baking experiments. It’s easy to work with and I’ve learned that teff is: 

• A good source of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber
• High in iron
• Naturally gluten free. Maskal Teff Organic Ivory Teff flour, which is what I used in this recipe, also is free of other allergens, including milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts  
• A grain native to Ethiopia. Ethiopian marathoners have sworn by teff as a pivotal component of their diet. 
• Maskal Teff is a family-owned company that has produced U.S.-grown teff for over 40 years.

Here’s an at-a-glance view at how teff flour compares, nutritionally, to other gluten-free and conventional flours.

Flour (per 1 cup)	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Complex carbs (g)	Fiber (g)
Teff flour	420	13.2	2.5	72.5	10.5
All-purpose flour	455	13	1.5	95	3
Sorghum flour	455	10	7	94	7
Rice flour	440	4	1	92	2
Whole wheat flour	400	16	2	87	14
Oat flour	455	14	7	76	8
Coconut flour	480	6	24	64	12
Almond flour	640	24	56	20	12

Teff flour can replace many other gluten free flours in baking, and in some cases, be a one-for-one gluten free flour substitute. In addition to this coffee cake, I’ve used it in pancakes, waffles, batters, and other unyeasted baked goods.

Time To Get Baking!

Here are the basic steps and a few of the tips I’ve picked up after testing this best blueberry coffee cake recipe so many times to get it in perfect shape for sharing: 

1. Make quick buttermilk: Buttermilk is a tenderizer and leavening agent, giving coffee cake its tender crumb, nice rise, and moist, soft texture. To make it, I simply combine ¼ cup milk with ½ teaspoon of white vinegar and let it sit aside while I make the rest of the recipe. It’s not true buttermilk, but it works just the same. 
2. Stir together the streusel topping: Next, in a small bowl, combine a small amount of flour, teff flour, sugar, cinnamon, sugar, and softened butter. I mix and mash it with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I set this mixture aside for later. 
3. Combine the batter: In a large mixing bowl, I combine a larger amount of flour, teff flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. I whisk the dry ingredients together. Without using a separate bowl, I add the wet ingredients directly to the flour mixture by stirring in yogurt, oil, eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus the milk and vinegar mixture from the first step. I stir everything together until the batter is smooth. 
4. Fold in the blueberries: To finish the batter, I gently fold in fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries) using a rubber spatula and gentle lift and fold technique until they’re incorporated. I do this step slowly so the blueberries don’t break and leak their dark color into the batter. 
5. Top and bake: Next, I pour batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it out evenly with a spatula. Then I sprinkle the cinnamon streusel topping evenly over the top. I don’t want the blueberries to sink, so I bake the coffee cake right away. The filled baking dish goes into the oven to bake until it’s tender in the center. I know it’s done after about 35 minutes of baking time and when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Make It Gluten-Free

To make this coffee cake gluten free, replace the all-purpose flour used in the batter and in the crumble with an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. There’s no need to substitute the teff flour when making gluten-free coffee cake, since teff flour is naturally gluten free. 

Make It Dairy-Free

I call for dairy in a few places in this recipe, but simple non-dairy replacements work really well. In fact, when I shared my dairy-free tests with my family and team, no one could even tell the difference. To make this recipe dairy free, use coconut oil in place of the butter in the crumble and use a non-dairy yogurt, such as almond yogurt, in place of the Greek yogurt in the batter. Also, use a non-dairy unsweetened milk in place of the milk in the batter and optional glaze. 

Serve Warm And Enjoy

I especially love this coffee cake when it’s still warm from the oven. As the name suggests, any coffee cake recipe is the perfect baked good for pairing with a cup of coffee. 

I like it both with and without the optional glaze. When I’m serving it for a special occasion, such as at church or for overnight guests, I always add the glaze, however, as a little added touch. 

If I’m serving it for brunch, I might pair it with these egg bites and sausage patties or this overnight egg bake for a boost of protein. 

Storing Leftovers 

This coffee cake can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I tend to prefer storing it in the refrigerator, which helps make it last even an extra day or two.

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The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.

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