Nothing says Spring better than sunshine and seasonal fruit. Get ready for a home-made delight that celebrates the fresh flavors of spring and early summer.

Blueberries and lemons go so well together, and this super-moist lemon cake bursts with juicy blueberries in every bite. It’s not too sweet and the fresh lemon gives it a nice tang. Then it’s drizzled with fresh lemon glaze and garnished with lemon zest for an extra punch.

The result is a perfect treat for breakfast and dessert!

Why We Love These Ingredients

When it comes to yogurt, go Greek. Compared to ordinary yogurt, Greek Yogurt is higher in protein and lower in carbs. And let’s not forget that it’s loaded with gut-friendly probiotics!

Greek yogurt’s high protein content promotes muscle protein synthesis and recovery. It also contains abundant levels of Vitamin B12, magnesium, and calcium, which support your skeleton and promote bone density.

Blueberries are nutrient dense, fiber-rich and packed with prebiotics that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. They contain potent antioxidants called polyphenols, which not only support your digestive system but also protect your brain, heart, and immune health. Finally, blueberries contain compounds that can help reduce inflammation everywhere in your body, including your gut.

Lemons are a gut-health superstar! Lemons contain pectin, a type of soluble fiber that slows the digestion of sugars and starches. As a result, it may help reduce blood sugar levels. Lemons also keep things moving through the digestive tract, improving regularity, and easing constipation. Plus, its high levels of Vitamin C fire up immune health and ease inflammation.

Pro Tips To Get You Started

Whole milk Greek yogurt gives this coffee cake a delicious moist texture. However, you can swap the yogurt for sour cream.

This recipe works well with either thawed, frozen blueberries or fresh blueberries. In either case, coat the berries lightly with flour before adding to the batter. The flour prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake [although some will anyway—and that’s OK!]

Want to be gluten-free? You can replace the all-purpose flour for gluten free flour [such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or Cup4Cup brand]. Both are an easy 1 to 1 swap for regular all-purpose flour.

Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before icing. If you pour the icing while the cake is too warm it will slide around the top and leave a gooey mess. 

And in the rare case of leftovers, simply wrap the cake and leave it on your counter.  Refrigerating the cake will dry it out. You can also put it in the freezer to enjoy at a later time.

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time:1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 9

INGREDIENTS

Crumb Topping

• 1/2 cup light brown or granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 TBSP butter, softened to room temperature

Coffee Cake Batter

Wet Ingredients

• 6 TBSP butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, drained, and dried

Lemon Icing

• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 1/2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish or line with parchment paper.
   
   
2. Make the Topping: Add the softened butter, sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Work the butter into the flour and sugar with your fingers until a crumble has formed.
   
   
3. Prep the dry ingredients and blueberries: To a mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until well combined. Next, add the cleaned blueberries to another bowl and then add one tablespoon of the flour mixture. Gently toss the blueberries until well coated.
   
   
4. Make the Coffee Cake Batter: Add the melted butter, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest, eggs, and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
   
   
5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a thick batter. Then, add the flour coated blueberries to the batter, gently folding them in just enough to incorporate them into the batter. Just a few turns of the spatula should do it!
   
   
6. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish. Next, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the coffee cake.
   
   
7. Bake the coffee cake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Tent the cake with foil if the top starts to become too brown.
   
   
8. Make the Icing: Add the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined and smooth.
   
   
9. Let the coffee cake cool for 15-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the cake. Slice into 9 squares and enjoy!

Recipe source:

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake - All the Healthy Things