This sourdough blueberry crumb cake, made with sourdough discard, is the perfect breakfast treat. With an easy make-ahead topping, browned butter, and a rich sour cream base there’s no way you’ll pass on a second slice!
Cake for breakfast?! Yes please! Inspired by the classic coffee crumb cake recipe, this moist and tender sourdough version will enhance any breakfast, brunch or snacking situation. The blueberries add a delicious touch. If you love sourdough, cake (or both!) you’re gonna love this easy, sourdough discard recipe.
Sourdough Blueberry Crumb Cake: A Few Upgrades
At first, I wasn’t sure what direction to take this cake. Butter? Oil? Sour cream? Most crumb cake recipes are very similar and they all look SO good. But after several recipe tests, including one major flop I wish to eradicate from my memory, I’ve settled on the following 3 recipe upgrades.
- Salted Butter. If you’re not baking with salted butter, you’re really missing out. I’ve been using salted butter almost exclusively these days, and it makes all the difference in the world especially for cakes, frostings, and chocolate chip cookies. Also, for a nice touch, I like to lightly brown the butter before adding it to the batter. I did this by accident when first testing this recipe, and it was so yummy, I decided to keep it.
- Leftover Sourdough Starter (Discard). Baking with leftover sourdough discard (the stuff you remove and discard when when feeding it), is one of the best ways to get creative with something you’d otherwise throw away. As long as it’s been recently fed, smells yeasty (not like gym socks) and doesn’t have any dark liquid on top, it will add a wonderful depth of flavor to this crumb cake. Paired with tangy sour cream, the texture becomes rich and decadent too.
- Make-Ahead Crumble Topping. This is THE BEST time-saving tip: make and freeze your crumble topping ahead of time. Just take any crumble topping recipe (it doesn’t even have to be mine) and store the rubbly bits in a ziplock bag. Use directly from the freezer when ready to assemble desserts like apple crumbles, peach crisps, pies, cakes, etc. It will last in the freezer for several months and there’s no need to let the crumbles come to room temperature before using.
Tip: For best results, use leftover 100% hydration starter. This type of starter is fed with equal parts flour and water by weight, and has a consistency similar to thick pancake batter. If you need a sourdough starter, you can create one here (it takes about 7 days and up to two weeks).
My Thoughts On This Cake…
This sourdough blueberry crumb cake is sweet, fluffy, tangy, juicy…. and I’m telling you, that lightly browned salted butter is just to-die-for.
Also, fyi: the blueberries are mixed into the crumble topping, instead of folded throughout the batter. This way, they won’t sink to the bottom and you’ll get a burst of warm, blueberry goodness in every bite!
Finally, your best bet is to make this cake fresh and serve it on the same day. The prep takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, and the frozen make-ahead crumbles shaves off even more time.
Enjoy it for brunch, overnight guests, holiday gatherings, weekend treats- the list goes on! And if you like this recipe, move on to my famous sourdough banana bread, these crumbly scones or my homemade sourdough muffins!
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Sourdough Blueberry Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55-65 minutes
- Total Time: 70-80 minutes
- Yield: One 8x8-inch cake 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This sourdough blueberry crumb cake is the perfect treat to make for brunch and weekend breakfasts. With an easy make-ahead topping, browned butter, and a rich sour cream base there’s no way you’ll pass on a second slice! Don’t forget to check out my notes below for best results. Enjoy!
Notes & Tips:
- For best results, use leftover 100% hydration starter. Its batter-like texture is the perfect match for this crumb cake. If you’re using a thicker, low hydration starter you will have to add more liquid to the cake batter, such as milk. Otherwise the cake might become too dry.
- Weigh your ingredients for best results! Alternatively, be sure to spoon and level the flour into measuring cups to avoid over packing, and thus a denser cake.
- When adding the crumble topping and blueberries, make sure to evenly cover the surface of the batter, especially the corners. Otherwise, the batter will puff up in certain spots, which could lead to uneven baking.
Ingredients
For the Blueberries
- 1 heaping cup of fresh blueberries
- Powdered sugar, plus more to serve
Crumble Topping
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- Rounded 1/2 tsp cinnamon (use 1 tsp for more flavor)
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 8 tbsp or 1 stick (113 g) salted butter, cut into small cubes, cold
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tbsp or 1 stick (113 g) salted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (120g) leftover sourdough starter discard (see note below)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. Lightly oil an 8×8-inch pan and line with parchment paper. Smooth the bottom and sides of the pan so the paper is flat.
- Add the blueberries to a small bowl. Sift a a tablespoon of powdered sugar over the top and gently toss to combine. This will prevent the berries from sinking into the cake. Set aside.
- To make the crumble topping, add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Mix into crumbles using your hands. The butter should be well blended into to the flour; some larger pieces are OK. If using frozen crumble topping, remove it from the freezer now.
- In a small skillet, melt the butter until light golden brown around the edges (you are not fully browning the butter). This will only take a few minutes, but do not walk away from the pan- it will burn quickly! Set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, using a stand mixer, beat the sugar, egg, and sourdough starter on medium-low speed, about 1 minute. With the machine running, gradually pour in the warm melted butter.
- In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Add to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined. You should still see specks of flour in the bowl; do not over mix. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. This technique will give the cake a soft, velvety texture. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter into the pan. In an even layer: scatter 1/2 of the crumbles over the top first, then layer 1/2 of the blueberries on top. Repeat to finish all of the crumbles and blueberries.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted (I use a dried piece of spaghetti). For me, 60 minutes is the sweet in a shiny metal pan. Please check at the 55 minute mark to see how things are going.
- Cool completely before serving.
- Dust with powdered sugar if you like, and cut into squares.
Comments
giuliana says
made this today, it’s amazing! i had to add way more butter to the crumble, almost double what the recipe calls for. not sure why this happened, but it turned out well! i also baked it in a 23cm (9-inch) round pan for about an hour and 20 minutes. next time i’ll be adding more blueberries :)
Nancy S says
I made this recipe. It’s still in the oven but it smells heavenly! I am such a fan of the clever carrot site and Emilie Rafa. Her instructions are easy to follow and makes me feel like a true baker with the results to show for it!
Nicole Guarnieri says
The cake was fabulous, im gonna make it into muffins right now!
Linda says
Just baked this. Delicious. Plan to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream. The only thing I will do next time is add a little more blueberries. I used wild frozen ones. Worked well. I will be baking this again. Thank you.
Amanda says
Is it possible to use olive oil instead of butter in the batter?
Ashley says
I’ve also used applesauce with a 1:1 ratio to replace the butter/oil in my pastry dishes… It makes them most and a lot healthier!! Hope this helps!!
Hannah J says
This recipe is a fantastic! I’ve made it twice now. The first time I made it as a coffee cake for guests, the other day I made it as muffins so I could freeze half! Made 13 muffins. I layered each muffin: batter, crumble, blueberries, batter, blueberries, crumble (so the blueberries on top wouldn’t fall off!). They turned out fantastic. I also didn’t fill every muffin cup, but filled every other so I could get a little more rise on each one. I baked at 350, I can’t remember how long I left them in for, just checked them occasionally. When they were hardened on top I pulled them out.
10/10 Emilie! Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Paulina Tran says
How to store, room temp or fridge? I just made mini ones as gifts.
Emilie Raffa says
Lovely! Once completely cool, for best texture, I would store at room temperature for a day (or even half day, depending on where you’re at in the process) and then transfer to the fridge.
Hope Vernon says
I always enjoy seeing others substitutions to know what I can do so here’s what I did! I substituted the sour cream for sheep yogurt and I did half maple syrup, half sugar. It looks really great! I also did the crumble trick of putting it in the freezer- game changer!
Emilie Raffa says
You will learn SO much from the comment section, from real people. I’m looking forward to others reading your tips and feedback here. Thanks Hope!
Nicole says
Hi, Emilie! I just made this today, and WOW – what a freaking delicious coffee cake! This is by far the best way to use discard. I cheated a bit by just melting my butter in the microwave and I am not sorry, because it is still FIRE. Thanks for sharing! :)
Liz says
This looks amazing! Is it affected by fermenting the batter in the fridge overnight before layering and baking the next morning?? Would love this to be gluten-sensitive friendly.
angela says
Sorry, in your recipe it says to add the sour cream…. but in the ingredient list there is no mention of sour cream????
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! It’s under “dry ingredients” at the bottom of the list. It’s listed there (instead of under wet ingredients) because the sour cream goes in at the very end of the mixing process, after the flour. See step #6.
Sandra says
I bought your Artisan Sourdough Made Simple book. It is a great book, I am learning a lot, and your recipes are great. I started reading your posts today. I was pleased to see all of your goodies, with instructions and recipes. Do you have another book that includes these recipes?
Sarah says
How can I convert this to a fermented recipe (with active starter)? Thank you!
Jenn says
This was GORGEOUS and delicious! I browned the butter in a large saucier pan, then let it cool and mixed everything in the one pan. Also used 1.5 cups of frozen berries, rinsed, drained & tossed w a tablespoon of flour (was out of powdered sugar). Baked it in a metal pan for 55 minutes. People told me it was the best coffee cake they’ve ever had! Thank you for this recipe – adding it to my permanent collection. :)
Ess Ess says
This turned out really well. It’s my first recipe using any of my sourdough starter. There were a lot of steps, but the cake had a great taste. It was excellent with a cup of coffee. I didn’t have fresh blueberries, so I rinsed frozen berries in warm water to thaw them and used them instead.
I used a metal pan, and I baked for 58 minutes. My cake was slightly burned on the very bottom so I would reduce the time by a few minutes next time.
Destiny says
I made this last night, somehow while they look delicious somehow I made them to dense, not sure what I did wrong I followed the recipe to the Tee.
Emilie Raffa says
Oh no! Maybe it was your starter? Too thick? This would change the texture of the cake, making it more firm and dense.
Jasmine says
This cake turned out amazing! It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and tartness. Also, it’s a great way to use up some of the discard I have in the fridge.
Layla says
Could I make an upside-down-cake version of this? I was thinking of layering blueberries, batter, then crumble in a 9 inch circular pan. Do you think this would work given the juiciness of the blueberries and the already very moist cake? Thank you!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Layla! This is a great question. I haven’t tested an upside-down version of this cake, so I’m unable to advise with specifics. But if you experiment, please let me know!
Denise says
Bee Stoermer says
Any feedback on making this crumb cake and freezing for later use?
I would like to take to a large family gathering.
TY
Audrey says
This cake is phenomenal! Just had a piece for my breakfast and it’s worth every calorie! 😉
Added some extra blueberries just because we love them. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Dave Rutkowski says
I made the cake and loved it. Very rich, you must have a big family if it all went in 15 minutes. I’m sure I couldn’t handle seconds. It was good enough to share with my expert baker neighbor., but I haven’t received her review yet.
Vicki says
Thank you for this delicious looking cake!! Perfect for blueberry season in my state! You are always so generous with your recipes and suggestions. Thank you!! ❤️
I just made another loaf of your cheddar dill bread from your book! It’s amazing! Makes the best summer veggie sandwiches!
Annvee says
This turned out beautifully. I replaced 40 grams of AP Flour with Spelt flour and I used frozen organic blueberries. Where I live, fresh blueberries are only really good in the summer. Thank you, I will make this often!
Lexi says
I made this recipe and it was fantastic! It took longer than 65 minutes to bake, but turned out well with some extra time. I would rename it “Sourdough Blueberry Coffee Cake” to more accurately fit how it tastes, but I will definitely be making this again.
Cheryll says
Made this today, and the result was delicious. I baked it for 55 minutes, and my cake tester came out clean in several different spots. I noticed one reviewer layered the crumble with the batter. After reading and rereading your instructions, I put all the batter in the 8×8, then layered the crumble on top with the blueberries. Maybe your clarification about the layering will help me know which way to do this next time, and there will be a next time. This was a hit! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Bonnie says
Can I substitute gluten free flour for the regular in your discard recipes to keep the gluten down since it doesn’t have a long ferment like bread to help with digesting gluten?
Mallory says
I bake from home often and have started using sourdough with a starter I got from a friend. This recipe is incredible. I cooked mine for 55 minutes in an 8×8 and it wasn’t quite done so I added 5 more for 60 total. Will be making again
Mallory says
I missspoke, my pan is an 8.25×8.25 and at 60 mins it was perfect.
Shayna says
I made this last night and didn’t think to check the comments beforehand… wish I would’ve because 65 minutes in an 8×8 pan does not cook it through!
I added 30-35 more minutes onto that cook time. I also did layer this in the pan: a layer of batter, then a cup of crumble, then spread some blueberries and repeated with two more layers (total of 3 layers), but probably could’ve just done two layers as the top dough layer was a little sparse, but it turned out just fine and tastes very good! Oh and I halved the amount of sugar in batter and it’s sweet enough in my opinion. Also, Would definitely add more blueberries throughout and on top.
Sibbo says
Delicious – and only took 2.5 hours (lol – normal for blokes baking from the internet; double the time)!
:-)
Emilie Raffa says
So glad you liked it! Thank you!
Judith Reinhardt says
A delicious recipe only change that I made because I added some lemon zest to the batter
Emilie Raffa says
Judith, I love the flavor of lemon & blueberry together. A perfect match. Thanks for sharing with us!
Judy says
I made this recipe and I must say it turned out beyond my wildest dreams! Eating a piece now with a cup of coffee and I’m in heaven. Followed directions as written and it was super easy. I made your basic sourdough bread and now this recipe and I am now such a fan of your site! I will be telling others about The Clever Carrot and can not wait to try the next recipe!
Assunta Trischka says
I made this last year for 4th of July and it was a bit hit. Want to do it again but have berries NOW (read: almost two weeks before I want to serve it). I wonder if I can make the entire thing, bake, then freeze and defrost day-of… Whaddya think?
Emilie Raffa says
Great to hear, Assunta! I totally get what you’re saying. I haven’t tested a baked & frozen version of this cake, so I’m unable to advise with specifics. But I’m wondering if you could freeze the berries first, and then use them later? No need to defrost. I think this would be the best option.
Mads says
Came out beautifully! I was a bit nervous about the crumble to cake ratio but it’s delicious.
Emilie Raffa says
Glad you liked it, Mads! Thanks for commenting! xx
Diane says
What about using frozen berries?
Either blueberries or haskap berries.
Jess says
Just made this, didn’t have sour cream so used natural yoghurt instead- it was delicious!
Kim says
Made it and it’s delicious. Absentmindedly forgot the sour cream, added it at the end. No problems still came out light and moist. Might just try chopped apple next will go lovely with the cinnamon crumble
Jami says
Hi, I am not sure what I did wrong, but it seemed to take forever to cook. Almost 2 hours. The center was finally not gooey, but the edges were so crisp… Had to cut them off. Maybe it was my pan. It was super easy to make though and still tasted good. I might try this in a larger pan next time. :) I used frozen berries. They worked perfect.
Tina says
Made it and loved it! I added extra blueberries bc we love the fruit and “WOW” what a dish. It was even better the next day. This was my first time with brown butter, new changes to recipes. Thank you for the new ideas and the fun!
Deborah says
Hi, I made this yesterday and I must say it turned out great! I love it! A great way to use up my discard. Gonna try it today using strawberries. I think the ladies in my group will love it. Thank you for the recipes.
Sofie says
Hi,
Can I substitute sour cream with buttermilk? Any advice what to watch out for?
Christina says
This recipe is delicious!I made it last week and am making again today….I will add more blueberries this time though! Also your sourdough bread recipe is my “go to “ recipe for sourdough bread! Comes out fabulous every time!
AH says
I made this recipe tonight in an 8×8 pan, and while it was good, the two parts of the cake both seemed a bit too thick; 3 inches of somewhat bland cake with an inch of crumb topping just sitting heavily on top. I think next time I would A) use a larger pan (as other commenters have suggested), B) use more blueberries and include the extra in the batter layer, and C) sprinkle some of the crumb topping as a middle layer between two layers of batter (so, batter, crumb, batter, crumb, blueberries, crumb). A big positive: the light toasting on the butter really does come through and add a nice nutty flavor, which I loved!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for the tips! :)
Tracy L Bednarick says
Yes…needs a larger pan…Rectangular pan would be better. Took for ever to bake through!
Bronwyn says
Hi Emilie
Thanks for this great recipe.
Can I omit the baking powder and baking soda? I’d like to make it purely sourdough.
Many thanks.
Bronwyn
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I haven’t tested this, so I’m unable to advise with any specifics. However, if you experiment do let us know. Thanks!
Kristen says
So, I have it in the oven and suddenly realized I forgot the sour cream. May just try reducing the cook time a bit? Should I add a glaze of some sort?
Emilie Raffa says
Oh no! Not sure about the cooking time because this has never happened to me before! But I do know the texture of the cake will definitely be different as the sour cream adds moisture. A glaze would be a nice touch.
Davina Dunner says
Delicious. Gonna try it with cranberries next! Thank you for sharing this.
Rials says
I tweaked this to make it vegan (flaxseed egg and vegan butter), added vanilla, and baked for 58 minutes in the 8×8 pan and it turned out PERFECT. Seriously delicious, not overly sweet, and a perfect airy consistency. My roommates could not believe it was vegan. I thought I made too much crumb mixture so I only put about 2/3 on top, but seriously just pack it on there you wont regret it.
Síofra says
Do you think you could use spelt/wholewheat mix? Sounds divine and I loved this mix of flours in your strawberry crumb cake! Do you think it would work with the starter? :)
Christy says
Do you think these could be made into muffins? Also, I’m hoping you can help me with another question. I make sourdough breads and yeasted sourdough sweet breads. During these times that we’ve had to use whatever flour is available, how do you decide how much flour to use? Do you continue to use the same gram weight your recipe calls for? Or do you have to figure out how much a cup of your new flour weighs and use that for adjusting your recipe. I’ve been playing around, but with continued sales, I do not have time to experiment much. Thanks for any advice!
Erin Bloys says
3rd or 4th time I’v made this recipe and still giving it 5 starts, even with the cry changes that I made to it! My attempt to make this with blueberries was once again thwarted when I discovered that they were all completely moldy (hate throwing away expensive fruit!). The only fruit I had in the fridge were fresh strawberries, which I didn’t think would work because they’d be too watery, but decided to go ahead and try anyway. Heres’ what I did: first, I doubled everything, which made a HUGE, thick coffee cake in a 9 x 13″ pan. I fully and fairly deeply browned the butter in the batter, because anytime I can get brown-butter flavor into a dessert I’m happy about it! Then I added almond extract and vanilla extract to the batter. Also added almond extract and chopped, salted dry roasted almonds to the topping. Then after spreading the batter into the 9 x 13″ pan I tossed the two cups of chopped strawberries in with the crumb topping (the berries were chopped in 1/2″ pieces) and generously scattered that over the whole top. I ended up baking it at 350 F for 45 minutes, then turning it down to 325 and baked for another 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes or so. The result is spectacular! Only maybe 1/4 of the strawberries sunk down into the batter. The ones that sunk almost turned into a jam-like substance, unrecognizable as an actual strawberry. But the ones that stayed on top mixed with the crumb topping ended up being deliciously fruit leather-like and roasted. What a topping! The cinnamon almond crumb studded with roast-y berries and bubbling juices is just wonderful! Maybe next time I’ll finally get to make it with actual blueberries!
MacKenzie Barker says
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe in grams soooo many billions of people dont live in America but use the internet for recipes.
Christine says
Hi! Super excited to try this out and wondering if I could add strawberries to the crumb topping also? Think it might be too wet? If anyone has thoughts please let me know!
I want to make it for Memorial Day weekend and it would be great to have the red, white and blue!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I think it might be too wet! Maybe cut up and serve some fresh on the side with vanilla sugar?
Erin B says
This crumb cake was an excellent use of starter discard! Due to supply issues I had to make some substitutions, but we all loved the velvety texture, and the flavors I ended up with were actually really good! To the topping I added a big, heaping handful of sliced almonds, a few drops of almond extract and about 1/2 teaspoon of flaky Maldon salt. I didn’t have blueberries so I peeled and chopped two Honeycrisp apples. I tossed the apples with lemon zest, cinnamon, the powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. I had no sour cream so I used full-fat Greek yogurt. I folded about a third of the apples into the batter, a third on top of the batter and the final third tossed in with the crumb topping. It was awesome! I really like apples and almond together, so even though I can’t wait to get my hands on some blueberries to try the real version of this cake, the version we ended up with was also a winner! Thanks so much!!
Emilie Raffa says
Erin, this sounds so ridiculously good. I love almond extract. And paired with apples? Girl did you save me a piece?! xx