Blueberry Boy Bait Cake Recipe | Best Blueberry Coffee Cake
on Apr 13, 2024, Updated Feb 07, 2025
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This blueberry boy bait cake recipe is perfect for serving any time of the day. Packed with blueberries and cinnamon sugar topping, it’s an absolutely delicious cake!
Today’s recipe is for a sweet and tender blueberry coffee cake that comes with a fabulous name – Blueberry Boy Bait. Blueberry Boy Bait first made an appearance in the junior division of a Pillsbury baking contest in 1954.
The girl who invented it was only 15 and the recipe won her second place in the contest. She named it for its “habit-forming effect on young men.” How cute is that! They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and that girl had it all figured out young!
The Blueberry boy bait recipe caught my eye because of the fun name, but also because it can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, brinner (breakfast for dinner), or dessert. I love a cake I feel like I can eat all day. You can chose to serve it for brinner because cake for dinner makes you the BEST MOM EVER!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Boy Bait Cake Recipe
- Perfect Texture: Tender, moist cake with a light crumb. It’s satisfying without being too heavy, ideal for any time of day.
- Versatile Recipe: Can be served warm or cold, with or without whipped cream or ice cream. It’s equally delightful as a breakfast treat or an after-dinner dessert.
- Easy to Make: Even novice bakers can achieve great results, as the straightforward mixing method and forgiving nature of the recipe ensure success every time.
- Irresistible Flavor: Combines juicy blueberries with a buttery, tender cake for a sweet and tangy treat. The burst of fresh blueberries in every bite makes it impossible to resist.
🫐When berries are everywhere, I’m all about turning them into something delicious, and you just can’t go wrong with warm, golden blueberry muffins fresh from the oven!
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Blueberries — fresh or frozen
- Ground cinnamon
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Blueberry Boy Bait Cake
- For the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl add the butter and sugars. Beat with an electric hand mixer or use your stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
- Beat in ⅓ of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk, and then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Toss the blueberries with an additional 1 teaspoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the batter and then spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- For the topping, scatter the blueberries over the top of the batter. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and then sprinkle it over the batter.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then turn it out and then place it on a serving platter or cutting board (topping side up). Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
- The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days.
Recipe FAQs
This vintage recipe actually benefits from some sinkage – it creates a jammy bottom layer that’s part of its charm. But if you want them more evenly distributed, reserve about 1/3 of the berries to sprinkle on top of the batter just before adding the streusel.
Your butter was likely too warm. It should be cold and cut into small pea-sized pieces. Also, don’t press the streusel down onto the batter – sprinkle it loosely for that coveted crumbly texture.
Don’t panic! This can happen when blueberries react with baking powder/soda. To prevent it, make sure your leavening agents are fresh and reduce the baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon.
A light-colored 9×13 metal pan gives the most even baking. Glass pans can cause the bottom to brown too quickly before the center sets. If using glass, reduce the oven temperature by 25°F.
Expert Tips
- Prevent Sinking: Before adding blueberries to your batter, toss them in 1-2 tablespoons of your measured flour from the recipe. This helps prevent sinking without adding extra flour to the recipe.
- Don’t Over Mix: Mix the batter just until combined – you should still see a few streaks of flour when you fold in the berries. Overmixing leads to a tough, dense cake.
- Toothpick Test: When testing for doneness, insert the toothpick between blueberries, not through them. A clean toothpick means it’s ready, but moist crumbs are okay – they’ll set as it cools.
- Cool Time: Let the cake cool for exactly 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Too short and it may break; too long and it might stick.
- Storage Tip: If storing longer than 2 days, don’t cover the whole cake – cut into portions and wrap individually. This prevents the streusel from becoming soggy from trapped moisture.
How To Serve Blueberry Boy Bait
This cake is best served slightly warm, about 15-20 minutes after it comes out of the oven, allowing the buttery streusel to remain crisp while the interior stays moist and tender.
For breakfast or brunch, pair thick squares with hot coffee or tea.
To transform it into a proper dessert, serve slightly warmed slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly whipped cream – the contrast of temperatures and textures is sublime.
If serving from the fridge, pop individual portions in the microwave for 10-12 seconds to revive that fresh-baked warmth.
More Cake Recipes to Consider
From Scratch Recipes
Blueberry Coffee Cake
From Scratch Recipes
Lemon Bundt Cake
Dessert Recipes
Mug Cake
Blueberry Boy Bait Cake Recipe | Best Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
For the Topping:
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl add the butter and sugars. Beat with an electric hand mixer or use your stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
- Beat in ⅓ of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk, and then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Toss the blueberries with an additional 1 teaspoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the batter and then spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- For the topping, scatter the blueberries over the top of the batter. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and then sprinkle it over the batter.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then turn it out and then place it on a serving platter or cutting board (topping side up). Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
- The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days.
Notes
- Tossing the blueberries with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Both fresh and frozen blueberries work well. If using frozen, do not thaw them before adding to the batter.
- You can make this as muffins but adjust the baking time to around 20-25 minutes for muffin-sized portions.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before turning it out to avoid breaking.
