This recipe is a blueberry 3 p.m. pick-me-up for when your afternoon is dragging by, but a leeeetle square of sweet and salty streusel-topped blueberry sour cream cake will help make your day. It’s also the little snacking cake that’s perfect nestled into lunchboxes or served at brunch along with waffles, fresh fruit and cups of hot coffee. Feel free to swap out the blueberries for raspberries or sour cherries – whatever is in season and within your grasp! You can use frozen berries for this too. –Lyndsay Sung
Plantcakes: Fancy + Everyday Vegan Cakes for Everyone is on sale September 12.
Vegan Blueberry Sour Cream Streusel Cake
Lyndsay Sung's recipe for a vegan streusel-topped blueberry sour cream cake, from her Fall 2023 cookbook Plantcakes.
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp granulated white sugar
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted plant-based butter room temperature, cut into cubes
Blueberry Sour Cream Cake
- ¾ cup + 2 tsp granulated white sugar
- 1 cup plant-based sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries + more for serving, optional
Instructions
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Sprinkle in the butter pieces and toss to coat. Using your hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until it is incorporated somewhat but some floury bits remain – I like to toss it all together with my fingers, with varying sizes of streusel bits, the largest being about pea-sized. Set aside.
Blueberry Sour Cream Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9-× 2-inch round cake pan by spritzing it with vegetable oil and lining with a parchment paper circle cut to size, and then spritzing again with oil, to prevent sticking. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and lemon zest until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer, pulsing to combine, then mix on low speed for 30 seconds to form a smooth batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold in 1 cup of the blueberries, reserving the rest to add to the top of the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading and smoothing with an offset spatula if needed. Give the pan a light tap on the counter to reduce any air bubbles. Sprinkle the reserved berries on top, pushing down slightly to nestle them into the batter.
- Using a large spoon, sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the streusel is getting golden brown and toasty, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with only moist crumbs. You can also broil the cake for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of the baking time (keeping a very close eye so it doesn’t burn), to crisp up the streusel topping even further.
- Slice the cake while still in the pan, and serve warm or at room temperature, topped with fresh blueberries if you like.
Notes
This cake will taste freshest eaten within a day of making it, but can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
