Go Back
A buttery, moist blueberry cake made with cornmeal and a crunchy streusel topping!

Blueberry Streusel Cake

A buttery, moist blueberry cake made with cornmeal and a crunchy streusel topping!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Makes: 8 " square cake
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal (makai atta; 80 gms; see notes)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temp (115 gms)
  • Zest of 1 small lemon
  • 2 eggs, at room temp (I have not tried substitutes)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup plain yoghurt (75 gms)
  • 200 gms frozen blueberries, do not thaw (see notes)

For the streusel topping

  • 6 tbsps all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsps cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar (45 gms)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed (55 gms)
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds (30 gms)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 175 C. Lightly grease an 8" square baking pan and line it with baking paper leaving a little overhang for easy removal. Grease the paper well. Set aside.
  • Make the batter. Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  • Add the lemon zest, eggs and vanilla and beat again till smooth.
  • Add a third of the flour mixture, then all the yoghurt, then again a third of the flour mixture and mix gently. This way, the batter doesn't curdle because of the yoghurt.
  • Into the remaining flour mixture, fold in the blueberries, then add to the batter and mix very gently so that juices don't run everywhere. Coating the blueberries in flour prevents them from sinking all the way to the bottom of the batter.
  • Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.
  • To make the streusel topping, mix all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl, then rub the butter in to make a crumbly mixture (see notes). Sprinkle all over the cake batter, then top with almonds.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 mins or until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick poked in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then lift using the overhang of the paper and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Slice into squares and dig in! It is best to store this cake in the fridge especially in warm environments. Happy baking!

Notes

*I used frozen blueberries by Delish, available at Food Hall, Nature's Basket and Big Basket. Fresh blueberries are fine too.
*You can increase the baking powder to 2 tsps for more lift, but I didn't find it necessary.
*If you don't have cornmeal or makai atta, use the same amount of additional all-purpose flour instead.
*The streusel topping would also be great with brown sugar! It is a good idea to mix the topping together at the beginning and keep it in the fridge till you're ready to sprinkle it on the cake. If you begin mixing it only after the batter is ready, the batter will sit out too long.
*Adapted from the The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook