Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake (2024)

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This lemon blueberry crumb cake features a moist and fresh butter vanilla cake topped with a thick layer of homemade wild blueberry jam and lemon streusel.

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Crumb cakes are one of my absolute favorite things to bake – they’re perfect for bringing over to people to share and the flavor possibilities are truly endless with the cake, jam, and streusel layers. This cake here is for the lemon & blueberry lovers. The cake is a butter vanilla cake with a hint of lemon, topped with a thick layer of a slightly lemon-y wild blueberry jam, lemon brown sugar streusel and a lemon icing. The jam and streusel paired with the cake is just *chef’s kiss*

expert baking tips

Weigh your ingredients:

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did.Here is my favorite kitchen scale.

Use room temperature ingredients:

It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your butter, milk, and sour cream about an hour before starting the cake.

Mix the cake batter carefully:

It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.

get more flavor out of zest

Because we often can’t put a lot of citrus juice directly into our bakes because it will throw off the texture, we need a way to maximize that citrus flavor. A little trick you can do is to rub the zest with the sugar, which will release oils from the zest into the sugar, and therefore, will release more flavor into your batter / bakes. In this lemon blueberry crumb cake, we’ll use this trick in the streusel and cake.

line your pan tall with parchment paper

This cake is not one that you want to flip upside down to get it out of the pan. Butter your pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan (plus I happen to enjoy the little crinkles it puts in the sides – it’s a little rustic almost!)

A note on oven temperature:

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

ingredients for lemon blueberry crumb cake

homemade wild blueberry jam:

Lemon: you’ll need a fresh lemon for the zest and the juice
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the jam.
Wild blueberries: I use frozen because I’m not able to find fresh around me, but if you can find fresh you can use that! You could also use regular frozen or fresh blueberries here.
Corn starch: for thickening the jam.

lemon streusel:

Unsalted butter: the base of the streusel, really what makes it buttery and delicious. You can use salted butter here as well!
Light brown sugar: sweetens and adds flavor to the streusel. In a pinch granulated sugar will work here as well.
All purpose flour: adds structure to the streusel.
Lemon: we’ll use the zest for flavor.

butter cake:

All purpose flour:the structure of the cake.
Baking powder:for helping the cake rise.
Salt:for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
Unsalted butter:for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.
Granulated sugar:for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise and keep it light and fluffy.
Lemon: we’ll use the zest for flavor.
Eggs:for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together.
Vanilla:for flavor.
Sour cream & whole milk: for moisture, texture, and tenderizing the cake. I recommend full-fat here for both for the best texture.

Lemon icing:

Powdered sugar & lemon juice: a super simple, delicious garnish!

how to make lemon blueberry crumb cake

Here’s a little bit of what the process of making this cake looks like. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!

Make the wild blueberry jam – cook together the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice & sugar until it simmers, then whisk in a corn starch slurry to thicken it all up.
Make the streusel by rubbing the zest into the sugar, then combining all the ingredients until you have little clumps of dough.

lemon blueberry crumb cake recipe q&a

can I double this recipe?

Definitely – simply double all the ingredients and split them between two 9″ cake pans.

can I make the jam ahead of time?

Yes! To make the process a bit easier, you can make the blueberry jam and keep it stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before making the cake.

How to store this cake

Keep the cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It will taste the best on the day it’s baked, but will keep well for up to 5 days.

You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use onmy Amazon Storefront page, here!

other recipes you might enjoy:

Chai Apple Crumb Cake
Blueberry Brioche Crumb Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins
Banana Blueberry Upside Down Cake

did you make this recipe?

I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

5 from 1 vote

Moist butter vanilla cake topped with a homemade wild blueberry jam and lemon streusel

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Prep TimePrep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total TimeTotal Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

ServingsServings 12 slices

CaloriesCalories 410 kcal

Ingredients

Wild Blueberry Jam

▢ 1 medium-sized lemon
▢ 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
▢ 280 g frozen wild blueberries (2 c.)
▢ 1 tbsp. corn starch

Lemon Streusel

▢ 100 g light brown sugar (½ c.)
▢ 1 medium-sized lemon
▢ 70 g unsalted butter (5 tbsp.)
▢ 120 g all purpose flour (1 c.)

Vanilla Butter Cake

▢ 210 g all purpose flour (1 ¾ c.)
▢ 2 tsp. baking powder
▢ ½ tsp. salt
▢ 175 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
▢ 2 medium-sized lemons
▢ 125 g unsalted butter room temperature (9 tbsp.)
▢ 2 eggs room temperature
▢ 2 tsp. vanilla extract
▢ 135 g whole milk room temperature (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
▢ 75 g sour cream room temperature (5 tbsp.)

Lemon Icing

▢ 60 g powdered sugar (½ c.)
▢ 1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Wild Blueberry Jam

Zest the lemon into a medium sized saucepan and add in 2 tbsp. of juice from the lemon. Then, add in the sugar and wild blueberries.
Set the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and 1 tbsp. of juice from the lemon. Add the mixture into the jam, stirring constantly until it thickens. Remove the jam from the heat and set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter a 9″ cake pan. Crumple up some parchment paper, then un-crumple it and place it into the buttered cake pan, making sure it sticks to the bottom and sides. Set aside.

Lemon Streusel

Pour the sugar into a small mixing bowl, then zest the lemon into the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the melted butter and flour into the lemon sugar. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until you have formed little clumps of dough. Set aside.

Lemon Vanilla Butter Cake

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Add the sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl, then zest the lemon into the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
Add in the butter, and beat the mixture with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in both eggs and the vanilla, then beat until well combined.
Add in half of the flour mixture, and mix by hand just until the flour is incorporated. Add in all of the milk and sour cream, and mix until combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture, and lightly fold the mixture together just until there are no more streaks of flour.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Gently spread the wild blueberry jam into an even layer over the cake batter, then top it all off with a layer of the lemon streusel.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan until it’s no longer too hot to touch, then use the parchment to lift the cake out of the pan.

Lemon Icing

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add in more juice as needed for a thinner glaze, if desired.
Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze over the top. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 189mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 2gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 519IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2mg