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Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake is a quintessential old Charleston recipe that is from an 1871 archival reprint from the Huguenot Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This fluffy, lightly sweet coffee cake is bursting with juicy ripe blueberries, and has a hint of lemon in the glaze. This classic, old-fashioned dessert has been lightly adapted and is the perfect “must make” for your culinary bucket list!
Love easy cakes? Don’t miss my recipes for Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake and this Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This Huguenot Church blueberry coffee cake is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a light dessert.
- It’s been modernized to give it a lighter crumb and more moisture.
- There’s no fancy ingredients or complicated equipment needed!
Introduction
When I moved to Charleston in 2005, I came across a charming recipe for Blueberry Tea Cake, tucked into a reprint of an 1871 article from the Huguenot Church. It was praised at a church gathering for being so well received, and my mom had handwritten the recipe and tucked it away until we rediscovered it recently. With a few tweaks for added moisture and a sprinkle of blueberry sugar for visual pop, this lovely coffee cake—now glazed and bursting with fresh blueberries—feels like both a tribute and a treat.
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you’ll need to whip up this simple, old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake? Grab these key ingredients, and you’ll be ready to start baking!
- Blueberries: Use fresh, locally grown blueberries for the best flavor–or swap frozen blueberries that haven’t been thawed.
- Lemon: A touch of lemon juice for the glaze and a hint of lemon zest in the cake complement the blueberries perfectly and brightens the whole cake.
- Buttermilk: The buttermilk adds moisture to the cake, ensuring that it won’t dry out in the oven. Plus, it adds a subtle tang, and reacts with the baking powder to help the cake rise and get nice and fluffy.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own buttermilk or swap it for plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (use an equal amount; thin slightly with milk if needed).
- Gluten Free Version: Use a good quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour instead of all-purpose (like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Measure for Measure).
- Citrus Twist: Add orange zest instead of lemon for a different flavor profile. (If you want to add different fruit as well, you’ll want to try my apple blueberry ice box cake or this cast iron peach and blueberry cobbler!)
- Nutty Add-In: Fold in ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch and richness.
- Streusel Topping: Skip the glaze and sprinkle a simple brown sugar-butter-flour streusel over the batter before baking for a Midwestern twist.
How to Make Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Sugar: Lightly mash a few blueberries with granulated sugar using a fork until the mixture turns a pretty purple and the sugar stays loose, not wet or clumpy. Adjust with more berries or sugar as needed and set aside.
- Lemon Glaze: Combine melted butter, powdered sugar, and fresh lemon juice. Warm briefly in the microwave and whisk again until it’s silky smooth with no lumps.
- Prep the Pan and Blueberries: Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare a springform pan by greasing and lightly flouring it. Set aside a small handful of fresh blueberries for garnish, then toss the rest with a bit of flour to keep them from sinking in the batter.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream the Wet Ingredients: Beat butter, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Bring It All Together: Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed mixture in three additions. The batter should be very thick.
- Fold in the Berries: Gently fold in the floured blueberries with a spatula, being careful not to burst them.
- Bake the Cake: Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake until golden and just set in the center, about 50-60 minutes. Let it rest before releasing the sides and cooling completely on a wire rack.
- Glaze and Garnish: Pour the lemon glaze over the top and let it drip down the sides. Finish with the reserved blueberries and a generous sprinkle of that vibrant blueberry sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Frozen berries work well—just toss them in flour first as directed in the recipe and add them to the batter frozen. (Thawing them first will add too much moisture to the cake, so add them in frozen!) Keep in mind they can release extra moisture during baking, which may slightly extend your baking time.
Tossing the blueberries in flour helps absorb any extra juices, and it often helps keep them from sinking to the bottom—but sometimes, gravity still wins! However, it’s still a great idea to do this extra step; it only take a second, and gives you a better looking cake.
You’re looking for a lightly golden top and a toothpick inserted into the center that comes out mostly clean (just a few moist crumbs are fine). Baking time typically falls between 50–60 minutes, depending on your oven.
Yes! You can bake it, cool completely, and then cover it at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat slices gently in the oven or microwave before serving if desired. It also freezes beautifully—wrap tightly in a freezer bag or in layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw before enjoying.
Serving Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake
Making this Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake for your next brunch? Serve it alongside savory dishes like Ham and Swiss Croissant Breakfast Casserole or Smoked Salmon Frittata. For an easy sheet pan option, try Home Fries with Sausage and Eggs. Lighter dishes like this creamy Creamy Polenta with Eggs or this Avocado Toast with Jammy Egg will definitely be a hit as well. (Or for an extra blueberry burst, top it with my easy blueberry compote!)
Looking for drink ideas? Nothing beats freshly brewed coffee, herbal tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, or a sparkling mimosa to complete your brunch spread!
Expert Tips
- If you’re using frozen blueberries, don’t thaw them first, or they will add too much moisture to the cake.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can deflate the batter and will give you a dense cake. Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then fold in the remaining ingredients gently to keep the air in the batter, which will give you a tender crumb.
- Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice in the glaze. This will give you the absolute best flavor and the citrus brightness that this cake needs.
- Let the cake cool completely before glazing. This will ensure that the glaze sets beautifully instead of melting into the cake.
Other Breakfast & Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
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A Recipe for Baked Eggs
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Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon quality vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 cups sifted all purpose flour, + 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh ripe blueberries, cleaned and dried
- ½ cup fresh buttermilk
For the Blueberry Sugar
- 5-6 very ripe blueberries, mashed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Lemon Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, with pulp
Instructions
Making the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan. Set aside.
- Set aside 1/3 cup of the fresh blueberries that will be used to garnish the cake after baking. Toss the remaining blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl and set aside, making sure the berries are dry.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of flour along with the baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, lemon zest, and ¾ cup of sugar. Beat for several minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla just until incorporated.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk in thirds to the creamed butter and sugar, beating on low between each addition until incorporated. The batter will be very thick.
- Gently fold in the floured blueberries and any extra flour into the batter with a rubber spatula. Take care not to break the blueberries.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in a 325°F preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Allow the cake to rest on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Place the cake on the serving plate or platter and let it cool completely.
Preparing the Blueberry Sugar
- Meanwhile, mash 5 blueberries slightly using the tines of a fork. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sugar is a beautiful purple color and the grains are loose and not mushy. If it's too dry, add an extra berry. If it's too wet, add extra sugar 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Set aside.
Preparing the Lemon Glaze
- Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in a glass measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Place in the microwave to heat for 10 seconds. Whisk again to eliminate any lumps. Set aside.
Decorating the Cake
- Pour the lemon glaze onto the center of the cake and allow it to drizzle down the sides and fill in any cracks in the top.
- Garnish with fresh blueberries and sprinkle liberally with the blueberry sugar. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re using frozen blueberries, don’t thaw them first, or they will add too much moisture to the cake.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can deflate the batter and will give you a dense cake. Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then fold in the remaining ingredients gently to keep the air in the batter, which will give you a tender crumb.
- Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice in the glaze. This will give you the absolute best flavor and the citrus brightness that this cake needs.
- Let the cake cool completely before glazing. This will ensure that the glaze sets beautifully instead of melting into the cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lovely recipe!
Food Nutters – thank you for saying so…it’s an OLDIE!! Jenny
This looks delicious. Blueberries and lemon are the perfect combination.
Hey, hey Sabrina! Thank you, and yes, it was shockingly a really tasty 100 year old recipe. I swapped buttermilk for whatever “uncut warm milk” was according to the original recipe and cut the sugar in half, instead opting for the blueberry sugar on top. I hope you are doing well! x – Jenny
This sounds delicious!
Alex | adoredbyalex.com
Oh Miss Alex, it most certainly is! Thanks for checking out this recipe!
This looks so amazing, Jenny!! Definitely need to try this recipe!
HILLARY! With the shutdowns, all I have done is cook and bake! This one is a keeper for sure, and the recipe is over 100 years old – crazy that it was (more or less) clear to follow. I hope you and your family are doing well! x – Jenny
Can I use frozen berries?
Maggie, unfortunately, this method did not do well when tested with frozen blueberries. The batter is dense, so fresh berries seem to stand up better.