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–+ servings
Moist blueberry crumb cake with streusel topping on a white and blue China plate

Blueberry-Ricotta Crumb Cake

There’s something about a blueberry‑ricotta crumb cake and a great cup of coffee that turns any moment—morning or afternoon—into one worth savoring. This version leans on three ingredients that speak my love language: maple sugar, cardamom, and creamy ricotta. The batter is thick and rich, packed with blueberries, and finished with a golden crumb. As it bakes, the scent of cardamom fills the kitchen with comfort.
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Prep Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour
Total Time:1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 8 people

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crumb Topping

  • 3/4 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold cut into pieces

For the Cake

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 2 cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar or use brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract or use maple syrup
  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese pulsed in a food processor until smooth
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

Make the Crumb Topping

  • Butter nestled in a mixing bowl with flour, brown sugar, cardamom, and salt for the crumb topping.
    Stir together the flour, brown sugar, cardamom, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with two forks or your fingers until clumps form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line it with parchment paper; butter the parchment.
  • Dry baking ingredients—flour, sugars, and spices—arranged separately in a mixing bowl before combining.
    Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
  • Red KitchenAid stand mixer blending batter with visible vanilla extract and maple extract in a stainless steel bowl.
    Beat the butter, both sugars, and lemon zest on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until fluffy in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add both extracts.
  • Partially mixed wet and flour batter with visible ricotta cheese rotation in a stand mixer bowl.
    Beat in the flour mixture, alternating with the ricotta, until combined.
  • Thick batter with fresh or frozen blueberries being folded with a red spatula in a mixing bowl.
    Fold in 1 cup blueberries. Spread the batter in the prepared pan; the batter will be thick.
  • Unbaked dessert in a baking dish topped with a crumb topping layer, ready for the oven.
    Then scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries on top. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
  • A full blueberry ricotta crumb cake cools on parchment paper, showing a golden crumb and baked‑in blueberries.
    Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cake and cool completely. Dust with confectoners' sugar and enjoy!

Notes

Did you know?! Using a thermometer is the most reliable way to check doneness. I don't recall where I learned this, but this crumb cake is very dense. Since ricotta cakes stay moist and can fool the usual visual cues, I use a thermometer to test the batter in this recipe.
Insert the probe into the center of the cake (avoiding the pan, blueberries, and crumb topping) and check the internal temperature of 200–205°F. The probe should come out clean with no wet batter. For extra accuracy, gently press the center — it should spring back slightly when the cake is fully baked.
Recipe Inspiration: Adapted from Steve Jackson for Food Network Kitchen. Blueberry-Ricotta Crumb Cake