Blueberry Breakfast Cake, the Best!

A straightforward blueberry coffee cake baked in a loaf pan with a tender, cakey crumb loaded with berries. It’s sweet enough for dessert but restrained enough for breakfast, which is exactly what a good breakfast cake should be.

Cut the shortening into the flour mixture like you would for biscuits. This creates small pockets of fat that melt during baking and give the crumb a flaky tenderness you won’t get from creaming. Combine the wet ingredients separately, then fold them together just until mixed.

Flouring the blueberries before folding them in is the trick that keeps them suspended throughout the batter instead of sinking to the bottom. A light coating of flour gives the berries something to grip onto. Fold gently so you don’t crush them and turn the whole batter purple.

Chef Tips

• Use frozen berries straight from the freezer if using frozen. Thawed berries release juice that bleeds into the batter.
• Don’t overmix after combining wet and dry ingredients. A few flour streaks are fine and disappear during baking.
• The cake is done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean. A loaf pan takes a full hour, so be patient.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out. Slicing too early crumbles the soft crumb.

Variations

• Add a streusel topping (butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon) sprinkled on before baking for a classic coffee cake finish.
• Swap blueberries for raspberries or diced strawberries.
• Stir in a teaspoon of lemon zest for a bright citrus note that pairs naturally with blueberries.