There’s something about a soft coffee cake loaded with blueberries and a buttery crumb topping that just feels comforting and brings a nostalgic feeling. This Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake has the perfect fluffy texture with a rich almond flavor in every bite, and the sliced almond streusel with glaze on top gives it the best bakery style finish.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This recipe is an easy one bowl recipe that has household ingredients. There’s something special about coffee cake that makes it into a delicious breakfast treat or a late night snack. The moist and subtle flavor of almond throughout balances the tartness the blueberries have. Creating a bite that will have you coming back for more.
As I get older, brunch has become a very popular activity among my friend group and this is the perfect dessert to bring!
How to Make Bakery-Style Coffee Cake at Home
Don’t over mix the batter
Once the dry ingredients are added, over mixing is one of the fastest ways to lose that bakery-style texture. Overworking the batter develops too much gluten, which leads to a tougher crumb. Mix just until the flour disappears so the cake stays tender and soft.
Why the Almond Streusel topping is a non-negotiable
Adding sliced almonds to the streusel isn’t just decorative—it adds texture and a toasted, nutty crunch that elevates the whole cake. This recipe isn’t complete without the Almond Streusel Topping. This topping is thick and buttery with the perfect amount of crunch that brings a nice contrast of texture to balance out the soft and tender cake.
Why Almond Flour Makes Coffee Cake Extra Moist
Almond flour vs. Almond meal
While they sound similar, almond flour and almond meal are not identical. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds with the skins removed, giving it a lighter color and finer texture. Almond meal is coarser and includes the skins, which can make baked goods slightly heavier and more rustic.
Why combining almond flour with all-purpose flour works best
Using only almond flour would make the cake too dense and fragile because it lacks gluten structure. That’s why pairing it with all purpose flour is key! The all purpose flour provides structure and lift, while the almond flour adds moisture, fat, and tenderness. Together they create the perfect duo for this coffee cake recipe.
Ingredients You Need
- Unsalted Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Almond Flour: The key ingredient in this recipe to help bring a tender bite.
- Light Brown Sugar
- White Granulated Sugar
- Sour Cream: Full fat sour cream works best to help create a moist crumb. You can substitute with whole fat yogurt.
- Eggs: To help prevent your mixture from separating, bring eggs up to room temperature by removing from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before baking.
- Almond and Vanilla Extract: Please make sure you use accurate measurement for the almond extract as the flavor can be overpowering if you use too much.
- Blueberries: Fresh is BEST! If fresh blueberries are out of season, you can substitute with an equal amount of frozen blueberries. Bring to room temperature before adding in the batter. Also note, this will cause the batter to change color and leak more.
- Whole Milk
- Sliced Almonds: Highly recommend using slice almonds to have a more even bite all around. Using whole almonds will weigh down the crumble too much and can cause it to sink.
- Cinnamon
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt
Storage Tips
Room Temperature: Store covered in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The almond streusel stays crispest this way. If you plan on leaving it out, wait to put the glaze on top until ready to serve if using.
Refrigerator: Store tightly covered for up to 5 days. Let slices come to room temperature or warm slightly before serving for the best texture.
Freezer: Wrap individual slices or the whole cake tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a few hours.
To Reheat: Warm slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds or in a 300°F oven for a few minutes to refresh the buttery texture and crunchy topping. Drizzle with glaze on top after!
Let’s Start Baking!
Best Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake (Soft & Buttery)
Ingredients
Almond Streusel Topping:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (56g)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (60g)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (70g)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds (45g)
Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake:
- 1 cup all purpose flour, spoon and leveled, (125g)
- 3/4 cup almond flour (75g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (113g)
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar, (150g)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, (50g)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)
- 1/4 cup whole milk, (60g)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, (210g)
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour for tossing blueberries
Almond Glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (90g)
- 2-3 tbsp whole milk (adjust for thickness)
- tiny splash of almond extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment.
Almond Streusel Topping:
- In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, melted butter, and sliced almonds. Mix until crumbly. Refrigerate while preparing batter.
Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla and almond extract. Add sour cream and milk until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
- Toss blueberries with 1 tbsp flour, then gently fold into batter.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the cake.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Almond Glaze:
- For the almond glaze, in a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth and free of clumps. Drizzle over the coffee cake and enjoy.
Notes
- The Almond Streusel Topping will clump together while in the refrigerator. Before placing on top of coffee cake batter, simply break apart to spread evenly on top.
- This recipe creates a very moist coffee cake. With that being said the bake time is long.
- If you’re coffee cake is browning on the top, you can place tinfoil to cover for the last 30 minutes of baking.
- If you don’t want the Almond Glaze to finish the breakfast treat, you can dust powdered sugar on top or keep plain. It’s your kitchen! 🙂
- See above paragraph if wanting to use frozen blueberries.
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