Blueberry Cake with Crumb Topping

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This blueberry cake is soft, fluffy, and filled with juicy blueberries, then finished with a buttery crumb topping that turns lightly crisp and golden in the oven. Whipped egg whites help give the cake a lighter texture, while the blueberries add bursts of sweetness in every slice.

A slice of blueberries cake served on a white plate with crumb topping and blueberries

It works just as well as a blueberry breakfast cake with coffee as it does for brunch or dessert. If you enjoy simple homemade cakes, try my Moist Carrot Cake Loaf for another soft everyday bake. My Easy Chocolate Filled Cake is a richer option when you want something more chocolatey.

For another easy sweet treat, these Raffaello Coconut Balls are no-bake and perfect for making ahead, while White Christmas Rocky Road is a good choice for a holiday dessert tray.

Blueberries cake slice with thick crumb topping and visible blueberries inside — Crumb-topped blueberries cake with juicy berries in every bite.

Ingredients For Blueberry Cake with Crumb Topping

Labeled ingredients for blueberries cake including flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, baking powder, vanilla, and blueberries — Ingredients you need to make blueberries cake.

How to Make Blueberry Cake

Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Grease and flour the pan (round, in springform if you have one). Make the crumb topping

In a bowl, mix:

50 g flour
pinch of salt
about 40 g sugar

Add cold butter (115 g) and rub in with your fingertips (or a fork) until you have what resembles a breadcrumb (sandy like) texture.
Transfer to the refrigerator while you make the batter.

Greased cake pan and vanilla cake batter being poured into the pan

Whip the egg whites

Separate eggs. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.

Make the batter

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (about 60 grams).
Add:

milk (240 ml)
vanilla extract (1 tbsp)

Then mix in:

baking powder (5 g)

Fold in egg whites

Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in 2–3 additions until only just combined (don’t over-mix).

Mixing streusel crumbs, whipping egg whites, and mixing cake batter for blueberry cake — Simple steps: streusel, batter, and whipped egg whites for a fluffy cake

Assemble

Scrape batter into the prepared pan.
Scatter blueberries on top.
Top with the crumb topping, scrunching it evenly over all of the blueberries.

Blueberries scattered over cake batter and covered with crumb streusel topping — Add blueberries, then finish with the buttery crumb topping.

Bake

Bake up to 45–55 minutes (depending on your oven), until a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay — no wet batter).
Cool 15–20 minutes before slicing.

What Makes This Blueberry Cake So Light and Fluffy

The texture of this blueberry crumb cake comes from separating the eggs and whipping the whites before folding them into the batter. The whipped whites trap air, so folding them in gently helps preserve that lighter texture.

The other important part is the crumb topping. Cold butter is worked into flour, sugar, and salt until the mixture looks crumbly, then kept cold until the cake is ready to assemble. Keeping the topping cool helps it stay in separate pieces rather than melting into the batter too early.

Fresh blueberries work beautifully, but frozen blueberries can work too. When using frozen berries, add them while still frozen rather than thawing them first; King Arthur Baking also recommends adding frozen blueberries directly in several blueberry bakes to reduce excessive bleeding into the batter.

For more information, see King Arthur Baking’s guide to baking with frozen blueberries.

A little lemon zest is also a good optional addition because it brightens the blueberry flavor without changing the basic structure of the cake.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Using blueberries that are very wet before folding them into the batter.
Overmixing the cake batter, which can make the cake dense.
Adding too many blueberries, which can make the center too moist.
Skipping the step of coating the blueberries lightly with flour.
Pressing the crumb topping too hard into the batter.
Baking at a temperature that is too high, causing the topping to brown before the cake is done.
Cutting the cake before it has cooled, which can make the crumb topping fall apart.

What To Serve With Blueberry Cake with Crumb Topping

Blueberry Cake with Crumb Topping is delicious served with hot coffee, tea, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or a dusting of powdered sugar. It also pairs well with fresh berries, lemon glaze, honey, or a simple brunch spread with fruit and pastries.

FAQs

Can I make it in a loaf pan ?

Yes, but baking time will be longer — you’ll want to start checking at around 55 minutes.

How will I know it’s done baking ?

When pressed gently in the center, a toothpick should emerge clean or with only moist arranged crumbs.

Why do we whip egg whites ?

It adds lightness and fluffiness to the cake.

Can I use frozen blueberries ?

Yes. Add them frozen—no thawing.

Why Is My Crumb Topping Melting?

The butter may have become too warm before baking.
Use cold butter, avoid overworking the topping with warm hands, and refrigerate the prepared streusel while making the cake.

Can I Make Lemon Blueberry Cake?

Yes.
Add finely grated lemon zest to the batter. I would start with zest rather than a large amount of lemon juice because juice adds extra liquid and can affect the cake batter.

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