Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This tender blueberry coffee cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel is cleverly named for its habit-forming effect on boys.
This old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake comes with a darling name and story. In 1954, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (the precursor to today’s Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny took second place in the junior division for her recipe, cleverly named “Boy Bait” for its habit-forming effect on young men.
Tender, easy to make, and jam-packed with berries, boy bait has been popular ever since. My version is updated with lemon zest to complement the flavor of the blueberries and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. You certainly don’t need to be a teenage boy to enjoy it, but I can attest that this 14-year-old loves it — so maybe Renny was onto something
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch chunks.
FOR THE CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used but do not defrost)
INSTRUCTIONS
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