German Blueberry Streusel Cake
Packed with sweet summer blueberries, a hint of lemon and topped with gloriously buttery streusel, my German Blueberry Coffee Cake is incredibly delicious and simple to make. Perfect for a special occasion or just for snacking. Serve this sweet treat with plenty of whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Yum!
Whenever I see blueberries on special in the summertime, I can’t resist snapping them up and always end up with a fridge full. This is no bad thing; it means I can make one of my favourite sweet treats: a German Blueberry Streusel Cake.
Packed with juicy berries, this is a classic German fruit cake with a crumbly base, fruity filling and a buttery streusel topping. Did I mention it is seriously delicious?
About this cake
First, I want to be clear that this is a German-style fruit cake. This is not a big, fluffy, spongy cake, but closer in style to a sweet blueberry pie. Trust me when I say though, that it is delicious!
This is a very popular cake base used for all sorts of summer fruit (my German mother-in-law Monika made an absolutely OUTSTANDING cherry version a few weeks back), so it’s a lovely flexible recipe.
(Check out some more of my MOST POPULAR German Cake Recipes here!)
Ingredients
To make this blueberry cake, you only need a few simple ingredients (the best kind of recipe!)
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in all baking recipes. This way, you can add salt to taste and control the amount of salt in the final product.
- Plain Flour: I use German type 405 flour in baking. This is soft cake flour, but you can also use plain or all-purpose flour.
- White Sugar: I use ordinary granulated white sugar in this recipe. You can swap out a tablespoon or two with brown sugar in the streusel topping if you’d like to give it a light caramel note.
- Eggs: I use German-size M eggs in this recipe, weighing around 63g (2.25oz.) in the shell.
- Vanilla extract: You can use vanilla extract, essence or vanilla sugar in this recipe, depending on your preference.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is sold in little sachets in Germany. This recipe is traditionally made with 1 sachet, which works out to 3 level teaspoons.
- Blueberries: I use fresh blueberries to make this cake; see the recipe notes for tips on using frozen. As there are a lot of blueberries in this recipe, it is definitely a cake to make when blueberries are really in season or you’ve picked some up on special!
Instructions
The beauty of this blueberry cake is in its simplicity! There are 3 major stages.
- 1. Make the streusel topping by stirring all the ingredients together until moist and pebbly. We usually use the dough hook attachment of the food processor to do this in Germany. Chilling the streusel gives it the best texture.
- 2 Beat the cake batter ingredients until light and fluffy, then spread into a prepared cake pan. It’s a firm batter and doesn’t look like much, but don’t worry, it will rise around the sides of the cake pan as it bakes.
- 3. Top the batter with berries and your prepared streusel, then bake to golden brown perfection! Then all you need is a light dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of freshly whipped cream, and you can kick back and enjoy your delicious blueberry coffee cake.
I have provided weights for this recipe as this will give the best and most accurate results. I use and thoroughly recommend an inexpensive digital kitchen scale like the one in the recipe card.
The complete ingredient list and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Storage
Because this is a very moist cake, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator. Allow cut slices to warm up a little on the countertop before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this cake with frozen blueberries?
Yes, however, frozen berries are very juicy, so you’ll need to defrost and drain them thoroughly before using them. I’d recommend sprinkling a couple of tablespoons of ground almonds over the cake batter before adding the blueberries to soak up any extra juices.
Can I freeze blueberry streusel cake?
Yes! These cakes freeze particularly well! Be sure to let it cool completely, and wrap it well in cling film before freezing.
Can I use other fruit to make this cake?
Yes! It’s excellent with all soft fruit. Cherries, red currants, apricots, plums or even apples are all lovely.
More Blueberry Recipes
Got loads of lovely blueberries on your hands? Why not try some Blueberry Friands, a classic Blueberry Pie or a Blueberry and Almond Tart?
German Blueberry Streusel Cake
Packed with sweet summer blueberries, a hint of lemon and topped with gloriously buttery streusel, my German Blueberry Coffee Cake is incredibly delicious and simple to make. Perfect for a special occasion or just for snacking. Serve this sweet treat with plenty of whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Yum!
Ingredients
for the streusel topping:
- 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 125 g white sugar
- 125 g plain or all-purpose flour
for the cake:
- 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 125 g white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 15 g baking powder, 3 level tsp
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- pinch of salt
- 750 g fresh blueberries, washed and dried
to serve:
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- PREPARE: Heat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4. Grease the sides and line the base of a 26cm (10 in.) springform cake pan with baking parchment paper.
- MAKE THE STREUSEL: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment fitted, combine the butter, sugar and flour on a low speed until the mixture looks rough and pebbly. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill while you prepare the rest of the cake.
- MAKE THE CAKE BATTER: Beat the butter until light and fluffy using the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one by one, followed by the vanilla extract, beating well between each addition.
- ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: Sift over the flour and baking powder, add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt, then run the mixer on low speed until the batter is just combined.
- ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Use a spatula to spread the cake batter in an even layer over the base of the prepared pan. Place the blueberries on top of the batter (it looks like a lot, but they will cook down), then sprinkle over the crumb topping, trying to get it in an even layer as possible.
- BAKE: Bake the cake in the bottom third of the preheated oven for 60 minutes until golden brown, and the berries are bubbling. As there is so much fruit in this cake, you won't be able to test for doneness by using a cake tester, you'll have to use your eyes. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
- COOL: Allow to cool in the cake pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- It is possible to make this cake using frozen blueberries. However, they are much juicer than fresh berries, so you must defrost them thoroughly and drain them well. I'd recommend spreading 2-3 tablespoons of ground almonds over the cake batter before you add the blueberries to soak up a little of the juices and avoid the dreaded soggy bottom!
- The easiest and best way to make this cake is using an electric mixer, but it is simple to make it by hand. Use a pastry cutter or butter knife to combine the streusel ingredients in a large bowl, and a wooden spoon and plenty of arm power to mix the batter ingredients!
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg
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Why hassle with 3 level teaspoons of baking powder when 1 Tablespoon is equivalent?
Hi Carolyn! This is a FANTASTIC question, so thank you for asking! Days of Jay has a large international readership, and it may surprise you to find out that while a teaspoon is a teaspoon the world around, a tablespoon measure is actually not standardised which can cause all sorts of hiccups. For example, a standard tablespoon measurement in Australia where I have a lot of readers is 20ml or 4 teaspoons (and yes, I truly mean the measuring spoon in the set). This doesn’t matter too much for many things, but with baking powder or salt for example it can make a HUGE difference. In Germany they don’t have a standardised spoon measuring system at all, and most people would translate tablespoon as an Esslöffel (that’s what I would call a dessert spoon, or 10 ml/2 tsp – to be fair, in Germany baking powder is always sold in little paper packets anyway). It’s for the above reasons that I personally use and thoroughly recommend a simple digital scale, as this is the most accurate way to bake. I’ve included the gram measurements for baking powder in the recipe too. Thanks for your very interesting question, I hope this has answered it. Happy cooking! J.
such a hassle…..
Hi…recipe caught my eye. I love plum cake in Germany. So am eager to see how it comes out. Question…the streusel mix wasn’t what I am used to plus it got too soft to break it. and the cake batter looked curdled and after adding the dry ingredients it seemed too soft. In the illustration to appeared it had a high side. much like a cheese cake would…will the batter rise to make it loo… i just took it out of the oven, and the cookie sheet was swimming in butter!!! well it came out nicely and it is tasty…except for the butter bleed
Hi James! Wow, I am so happy this recipe worked (mostly!) for you in the end, but I am sorry about all the butter running out, I’m not too sure what has gone on there! What sort of butter were you using? Did you chill the streusel topping after mixing? It should firm up in the fridge enough to crumble it over? The dough for the base is very soft and spreadable, in the picture it is a little bit higher on the sides but this isn’t usually necessary, it rises around the fruit. Hopefully this helps! I’d love to get this recipe working properly for you as it is very tasty usually! J.
Thank you Jay for such an easy and fantastic recipe. “Great tasting cake” as per everyone who just finished off a slice for dessert today. I topped the slices with fresh vanilla whipped cream when serving. Instead of a springform pan, I used a scalloped edge backform with a removable bottom which made it a tad more tricky removing the cake from the form due to the edges but patience and persistence won the day. I also used 2 tsps of orange essence instead of vanilla essence which really accented the citrus zest and went well with the blueberries. We live at 5.5K ft above sea level; I baked the cake on a convection setting of 350 for 70 minutes.
Hi Frank! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am absolutely thrilled that this cake was a big success, it is a real classic here in Germany and always a crowd pleaser. Vanilla whipped cream sounds just perfect, and orange essence is a wonderful addition, I’ll have to try that next time! Great tip on the cooking time at altitude, Munich is only around 1700ft ASL, so I am always interested on the difference in cooking time for those of you in the in the real mountains! Thanks again for taking the time to write, J.
I’m going to try this recipe soon! I’ve read it over a couple of times and I don’t see any instructions for the blueberries. Do you just put them in as they are? No tossing in sugar and lemon juice? Thanks for your advice!
H Angela! Normally the blueberries are added to this cake just as they are (washed and dried of course!) I’d avoid adding any extra liquid as it may make the base soggy so would add lemon zest rather than too much lemon juice and sugar only if the berries were very sour (the streusel is already quite sweet).
Baking with fruit can depend very much on the fruit being used (sometimes it’s extra juicy or extra tart) so it’s not a perfect science. In Germany it is common to sprinkle a little ground almond under the fruit if you need to add sugar to soak up any excess liquid produced. I hope this has helped! Happy baking and thank you for writing! J.
This recipe is what finally put me over the edge to try backing by weighing ingredients vs volume ! Looked too delicious and just had to make it
I had picked up 2 “pints” of blueberries hoping they’d be enough as so many blueberry recipes barely ever use much more than 1-2cups. Also my springform pan is 9″ so knew I’d have some challenges with cook time not using the 10″ pan.
For future reference – 2pints of blueberries weighs 574g so I was short 176g of blueberries which I decided would work in my favor using the smaller pan. Following the recipe exactly for all other ingredients as well as bake time – it came out PERFECTLY ! Also might have helped my baking powder was a little past the “use by” date. Anyhoo — anyone with a 9″ pan may want to just knock down the blueberries to 574g or so and keep all else the same as well as bake time.
Hi Doreen! I am so happy this recipe worked out for you! Thank you so much for adding all the tips for using the smaller pan. I grew up using cups to measure baking ingredients, but after I moved to Germany I became a total convert to using the scales, it is a much more reliable and consistent way of baking, and there is less washing up! Thank you also for taking the time to share your experience here. Happy cooking! J.
Absolutely delicious! I made this yesterday for a Bavarian themed birthday party and it was by far the most popular dessert at the gathering. I worried that the amount of blueberries would be too much. But I trusted the process and it turned out great! I weighed out all of the ingredients and didn’t miss a step and the cake was as moist, fruity and had the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you for a fantastic recipe! I will make this again.
Hi Lindsay! Thank you so much for your very kind feedback on this recipe! I am so happy it was a success and everyone enjoyed it at the birthday party. It does look like a lot of blueberries, doesn’t it? But the result is so worth it. Happy cooking’! J.