Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake

Ina Garten’s most loved coffee cake, made with sour cream and the best blueberries of the season.

There is a moment in early summer when the blueberries at the farmers’ market are so fat and so blue they almost feel like a gift. That is the moment I think of this cake. And, if I am honest, my grandmother.

Every summer when I was young, we went blueberry picking. My grandmother, my siblings, all of us out in the heat with our buckets, filling them slowly and eating at least as many as we saved. We picked peaches too. The peaches came home to be canned, and the kitchen smelled like summer for days.

I have not picked blueberries in years. But every May when they appear at the farmers’ market, piled high and almost impossibly blue, I buy too many and I think of her.

Then I make this cake.

I first made Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake years ago, and I have not missed a summer since. It is a coffee cake, the kind you could set out at breakfast when you want something a little special.. But the buttery crumb topping and the sour cream keeping everything tender underneath make it feel like more than breakfast. A little confectioners’ sugar over the top or a powdered sugar glaze and it is ready for a potluck, brunch or a bbq.

I am not a summer person by nature. I am firmly in the camp of autumn and winter, of wool and candlelight and soup on the stove. But blueberries in May and this cake on the counter have made a convert of me, at least for a few weeks.

This month my friend Sheri Silver and I are celebrating berry season together for our Sweet Treats for Your Sweet Tooth series, our monthly collaboration where we each bring something sweet to the table from our own kitchens. Sheri made the most gorgeous browned butter cherry bars, and I went in a completely different direction with this Blueberry Crumb Cake. Two kitchens, two very different desserts. Pop over to Sheri’s blog to see her recipe when you are done here.

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Why This Blueberry Crumb Cake Works

The sour cream is doing all the heavy lifting here. It keeps the cake batter moist and a little tangy and balances the sweetness of the buttery crumb topping perfectly. And the whole thing comes together faster than you would expect. If you do not have sour cream I have used Greek yogurt in a pinch.

Start with the streusel so it is ready to go. Combine the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted unsalted butter, then the all-purpose flour, and mix until crumbly. Set it aside. You can squeeze it into larger clumps if you like. I always do and I am not embarrassed to say that I eat a clump or two while I am making it. .

For the cake, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on high speed for four to five minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the extra-large eggs one at a time, then the pure vanilla extract, the lemon zest, and the sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.

Fold in the fresh blueberries by hand with a spatula so they stay whole and you get those juicy blueberries in every bite rather than streaks of purple through the cake batter. The cake is still delicious but not as pretty. 

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula. Crumble the streusel topping over the top of the cake, covering it completely. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before you dust generously with confectioners’ sugar and serve. Do as I say, not as I do, I forget the confectioners sugar. 

Ina calls for a 9-inch round cake pan lined with parchment paper. I used a fluted pan with a removable bottom, but a springform pan works beautifully too. Run a thin knife along the sides of the pan before releasing it if you go that route.

A Note on the Blueberries

Fresh blueberries are worth seeking out. What you are after is that jammy, sweet-tart burst of juicy blueberries when the cake is still a little warm, and the grocery store frozen ones will not give you that. When they are piled high at the market and practically falling off the table, that is when to make this. It is not a blueberry muffin. It is so much better.

If you are making it out of season, thaw frozen blueberries and pat them very dry before you fold them in. Next time the fresh ones appear, though, make it again. You will taste the difference.

A Few Last Things

Ina Garten blueberry crumb cake keeps beautifully at room temperature for two days, covered. It has never lasted that long in this house, but I am told it does. You can also freeze it for up to three months. Just be sure to wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and then in tin foil. 

It is wonderful with coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon, and it is the kind of thing guests are pleased to find waiting on the counter. 

Looking for more Barefoot Contessa Recipes? Try Ina Garten’s Raspberry Crumble Bars, Ina’s Lemon Yogurt Cake, Outrageous Brownies and Old Fashioned Banana Cake.

Do you have a summer recipe you come back to every year? The one that feels less like cooking and more like a small ritual? I would love to know what it is.

Don’t forget to visit Sheri for her Browned Butter Cherry Bars recipe.

If you enjoyed this post, I would love it if you shared it. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterestand X — I would love to have you along.

Have a wonderful day friends.

Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake

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 Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake is a buttery, tender coffee cake with sour cream and a cinnamon crumb topping. A perfect summer recipe.

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Streusel

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Cake

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or spray the pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. Make the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside for later.
3. Make the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract, fresh lemon zest, and sour cream. Mix until just combined.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.
6. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula, making sure the batter is completely mixed.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife or an offset spatula.. With your fingers, crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter. You can also squeeze it together to make large clumps.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester or a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack, then dust generously with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Notes

Start testing your cake at 40 minutes. The cake will take between 40-50 minutes to bake depending upon your oven.

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked