Blueberry cream cheese coffee cake may just be my favorite coffee cake recipe yet, with a moist and tender crumb, fresh summer blueberries, and a ribbon of sweetened cream cheese running through the middle.
Yield: one 8-inch cake (about 12 servings)
Cook Time: 55 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
For cream cheese layer:
6oz/ 170gfull fat cream cheese, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round by 3-inch deep cake pan (preferably with a removable bottom). Line bottom with parchment paper; lightly butter parchment.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, scraping out as much as you can from the main mixing bowl.
In the same mixing bowl (no need to wash it), cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed. In another small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk sour cream and baking soda.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of dry ingredients to batter, followed by half of sour cream, mixing after each addition until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then repeat with remaining dry ingredients and sour cream.
Spread half of the plain batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of blueberries, pressing them lightly into the batter.
Dollop cream cheese mixture on top, carefully spreading it into an even layer that doesn't quite go to the edges of the pan.
Fold remaining blueberries into the rest of the batter until evenly distributed. Drop small spoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) evenly all over the top of cream cheese layer, then use an offset spatula to spread it out until smooth. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of granulated sugar.
Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes or until top is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean (use a skewer or cocktail pick, a regular toothpick isn't quite long enough). Note that different sized pans may take more/less time to bake, so adjust accordingly (see full post for more info).
Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Run a knife around the edge to release, then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing. Cake will keep, covered in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
Notes
If using frozen blueberries, be sure to thaw them completely and let them come up to room temperature; otherwise they will bring the temperature of the batter down and result in a cake with an underbaked center.