Tender, packed with blueberries, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze, this single serving blueberry coffee cake is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
A coffee cake is a perfect excuse for eating cake any time of the day. This buttery, blueberry coffee cake goes extremely well with your morning coffee, and will also satisfy an afternoon sweet craving.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make: With just a handful of simple ingredients, this coffee cake recipe is simple and the cake comes together easily. No electric mixer is necessary.
- Filled with blueberries: My goal was to have blueberries in every bite and this recipe does not disappoint. This coffee cake is loaded with juicy blueberries.
- Tender crumb: The cake is moist, tender, and so delicious.
- The perfect size for one: We bake our small blueberry coffee cake in a 10-ounce ramekin which is a great size to use for anyone cooking for one. However, our coffee cake is definitely sharable - my husband and I will often enjoy one with two spoons.
What Is Coffee Cake?
A coffee cake is a sweet cake intended to be eaten with coffee or tea. It is usually a single layer cake often topped with either a streusel topping or a sugar glaze.
Coffee cakes became popular in the 17th century when German, Dutch, and Scandinavian communities began to pair sweet cakes and breads with coffee. This became known as kaffeeklatsch.
Although some earlier versions of this cake did contain coffee, the cake is meant to be an accompaniment to coffee or tea.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Breakfast Recipes Worth Waking Up To
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
To make a "blueberry coffee cake for one", you will need:
- Butter: Melted butter helps to give the coffee cake a delicate crumb.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar provides the cake with its sweetness.
- Egg yolk: The egg yolk helps to provide structure. Save the egg white and use it in other recipes (see below).
- Vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt: For wonderful flavor.
- Flour: This recipe calls for using all-purpose flour, its moderate protein content makes it ideal to use in this recipe. We have not tested this recipe with any other types of flour.
- Baking powder: This ingredient helps the coffee cake rise.
- Milk: I use 1% milk in this recipe. You can also use skim, whole, 2%, or even almond milk instead.
- Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries.
For The Glaze
The coffee cake glaze is totally optional but I love making it as a topping for this cake. You will need:
- Powdered sugar: Also called confectioners' sugar because of its physical, powder-like appearance.
- Milk: Use 1%, whole, skim, or 2% milk. You can also use heavy cream or almond milk.
- Vanilla extract
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Make A Blueberry Coffee Cake For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Gather the ingredients before starting. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177° C).
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until well blended.
- Add in the egg yolk and vanilla and stir until well combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour into the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Stir in the milk and fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the batter into a 10-ounce ramekin lightly greased with butter or oil.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The cake is cooked through if the tip of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
To make the glaze (optional):
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cream or milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.
Expert Tips
- Always gather your ingredients and read through the recipe before beginning.
- Consider using different berries in this berry-filled coffee cake. Cherries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination of them all make wonderful substitutions for blueberries.
- To make a lemon blueberry coffee cake, add ⅛ of a teaspoon of lemon zest and use lemon juice instead of vanilla in the coffee cake batter and in the glaze.
- Leave out the fruit to make a simple cinnamon coffee cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee cake is best enjoyed the day it's made. Leftovers will keep well for 3-4 days when covered and stored at room temperature.
For some, a coffee cake isn't a coffee cake without a streusel topping. Feel free to use this small batch streusel topping recipe:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Instructions
Use a fork to mix together all ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly. Spoon evenly over coffee cake batter. Bake as directed in the recipe. You may need to bake your cake for an additional 5-10 minutes if using a streusel topping.
I'm mentioning it again because it is SO IMPORTANT.
For best results, use a 10-ounce ramekin that measures 4-inches in diameter and is approximately 1 ¾-inches tall. Many ramekins don’t have the size printed on them. Because of this, it can be hard to know exactly how large (or small) yours is. The best way to measure the size of your ramekin is to fill it with water and pour the water into a measuring cup.
You can also use mini loaf pans that also hold about 8 to 10-ounces. If you happen to have smaller ramekins, use those and divide the coffee cake batter between them.
Be sure to check out our Store page where we feature all of the baking dishes we use in our recipes.
Yes. Double the ingredients and divide the batter between two 10-ounce ramekins or use one 5x5-inch baking dish that has a base area of 25 square inches.
Other alternative baking dishes if doubling the recipe:
4x6-inch dish
6x6-inch dish (this will yield a thinner crust coffee cake and will bake in a shorter amount of time)
6-inch round dish
These baking dishes can be viewed on our Store page.
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving coffee cake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Blueberries: Mini Blueberry Pie, Blueberry Cobbler, Blueberry Dutch Baby, Baked Oatmeal
- Egg white: Mini Texas Sheet Cake, Two Chocolate Cupcakes, Two Vanilla Cupcakes, Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Vanilla: Coconut Cream Pie, Flan, Mini Hummingbird Cake, Deep Dish Brownie
- Cinnamon: Snickerdoodles, Fried Apples, Ham Steak, French Toast
- Powdered Sugar: Ricotta Cookies, Peach Scones, Mini Red Velvet Cake, Peanut Butter Pie
- Milk: Strawberry Milkshake, Panna Cotta, Biscuits, Cheese Grits
A word about calories...
The nutrition information calculated in the recipe box is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator.
Keep in mind that this recipe yields one generous "coffee cake for one". The blueberry coffee cake is baked in a 10-ounce ramekin and can be enjoyed in one sitting or over a couple of days.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this small coffee cake recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Blueberry Coffee Cake For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter , melted
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ⅓ cup blueberries
For the glaze (optional)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk , or heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177° C).
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until well blended.
- Add in the egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Stir in the milk and fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the batter into a 10-ounce ramekin lightly greased with butter or oil.
- Place the ramekin on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The cake is cooked through if the tip of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
To make the glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.If the glaze is too thick, add a small amount of milk or cream. If the glaze is too runny, whisk in additional powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
Notes
- Always gather your ingredients and read through the recipe before beginning.
- Consider using different berries in this berry-filled coffee cake. Cherries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination of them all make wonderful substitutions for blueberries.
- To make a lemon blueberry coffee cake, add ⅛ of a teaspoon of lemon zest and use lemon juice instead of vanilla in the coffee cake batter and in the glaze.
- Leave out the fruit to make a simple cinnamon coffee cake.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Linda Wilson says
I thought I had blueberries in the freezer but my search turned up empty. I did find some diced peaches cups in my pantry that I give to my grandchildren when they visit, so I drained one and used the peaches in the cake. It turned out great!
Anne says
I made this one afternoon with raspberries for me. It was incredible. My husband, who does not like raspberries, tried a bite and loved it so I make his with blueberries or strawberries. It doesn't even need the icing. Thank you so much for sharing.