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This soft and moist vanilla cake is studded with fresh blueberries, has ribbons of brown sugar and cinnamon, is topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel, and is drizzled with an easy vanilla bean glaze. It’s everything you could want from a loaf cake.
Why You’ll Love this Blueberry Cinnamon Streusel Loaf Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze
Simple – loaf cakes are wonderfully simple. They don’t have layers that you have to stack or frost. Just bake it in a loaf pan, top with glaze (if you want to) and you’re done! It’s ready to slice and enjoy.
Flavor Combination – the combination of vanilla, blueberry, brown sugar, and cinnamon is a classic that is hard to beat.
Texture – the soft and moist vanilla cake pairs beautifully with pockets of blueberry and crunchy brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping.
Gatherings – this loaf cake is perfect for gatherings. It’s a crowd favorite, looks beautiful, and is easy to serve. You can even prepare it the night before. All you have to do day-of is drizzle with glaze (optional), slice, and serve.
Easy Glaze – the glaze is so simple to prepare and adds a beautiful (and delicious) finishing touch to this cake.
Versatile – you can make this cake in a variety of sizes. I’ve made this recipe and split the batter between two 5 x 5 baking dishes that I have from Souper Cubes to make two half loaves. I’ve also used their 5 x 3 baking dishes to make 4 mini loaves from this recipe. For the extra mini loaves, I like to use frozen wild blueberries since they’re smaller than standard blueberries. I love gifting the smaller loaves around the holidays. Sometimes I’ll make mini loaves in a variety of flavors and gift them together; it’s almost like a mini loaf cake flight which is really fun!
Tips for Making this Blueberry Cinnamon Streusel Loaf Cake
Room Temperature Ingredients – using room temperature ingredients allows everything to mix together well and emulsify. Cold ingredients can cause the butter in the batter to solidify and “curdle” the batter. If I forget to take the eggs out ahead of time, a good tip is placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water and allowing them to sit for 5-10 minutes to bring to room temperature before using.
Blueberries – ensuring your blueberries are dry before adding them to the cake is key. If they’re still wet from washing, they’ll add unnecessary moisture to the cake and cause wet spots. Let the berries air dry or pat with a towel before using.
Flouring the Blueberries – tossing the blueberries with flour, giving them a light coating, can help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
Prepare the Pan – I like to use parchment paper to line the loaf pan to ensure that the loaf removes cleanly. Alternatively, you can choose to grease the pan.
Cooling – You’ll want to remove the loaf from the pan soon after baking. Allowing it to sit too long in the pan will trap steam and can make the cake a bit soggy. After baking, wait about 5 minutes before removing the cake from the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool. If you’ve lined your pan with parchment paper, you will want to remove that as well.
Glaze – initially the butter and sugar may appear separated. Continue whisking and the glaze will come together to be cohesive and smooth. Adding a teaspoon of water at a time, whisking between each addition, will allow you to achieve your desired pourable consistency.
FAQ
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can choose to make this loaf cake the day before it’s needed. Allow it to cool on a wire rack and leave unsliced and uncovered until ready to serve the following day.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can create a substitute using milk and either lemon juice or vinegar. This recipe calls for 1/3 cup of buttermilk; for a substitute, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup. Next, add milk up to the 1/3 cup mark and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.
Can I use vanilla bean paste in the cake instead of vanilla extract?
Yes, you can choose to use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste in the cake batter instead of vanilla extract. I like to save vanilla bean paste for things where the little specks of vanilla bean will be noticable (like in the vanilla bean glaze), but if it’s what you have on hand, you can absolutley use it in the cake as well.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes, you can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh in this recipe, though they might add a tiny bit more moisture to the final product. Keep the blueberries frozen until you’re ready for them. When you’re ready to add them, dust the frozen berries with flour before gently folding them into the batter. Alternatively, you may want to layer the frozen blueberries into the batter when filling the loaf pan; this can prevent a bit of the color bleeding that you get when folding the frozen berries into the batter.
Can I make the glaze ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the glaze ahead of time. Note – It will usually solidify at room temperature due to the butter content. When you’re ready to use, microwave for a few seconds and whisk until smooth before pouring over the cake.
Can I use vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean paste?
Yes, you can use an equal amount of vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean paste in the glaze.
More Blueberry Recipes
Equipment
You’ll want a loaf pan to make this recipe. I used a standard 8.5 x 4.5 inch (1 lb) loaf pan. For the glaze, I like to use vanilla bean paste because I love how the little specks of vanilla bean look. Popular brands include Nielsen-Massey and Rodelle, which you can find on Amazon.
Blueberry Cinnamon Streusel Loaf Cake With Vanilla Bean Glaze
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 4 tbsp (57 g) butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (72 g) dark brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup (90 g) flour
Blueberry Loaf Cake
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) flour, plus extra for blueberries
- 1 ½ cups blueberries
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 4 tbsp (57 g) butter, melted
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2-4 tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch (1 lb.) loaf pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease it well.
Prepare the Streusel
- Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add flour and mix until well combined. Set aside.
Make the Blueberry Loaf Cake
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add sour cream and buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Fold in the flour until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with about 2 tsp of flour until evenly coated.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Spread one-third of the batter into a prepared loaf pan and crumble one-quarter of the streusel on top. Repeat once more. Top with the remaining batter, then generously cover the surface with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for 75 – 82 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Depending on your oven, you may want to start checking the loaf at 70 minutes.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you lined the pan with parchment paper, you should remove that from the loaf as well.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a bowl until well combined.
- Add the water a teaspoon at a time, whisking well in between each addition, until smooth and pourable.
- Pour the glaze over the loaf cake.
- Slice and enjoy.
Notes
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