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Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffin Cake (Bakery Style) - Soft, Tall, and Packed With Berries

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • For the muffin cake batter: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, rested 5 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (about 225 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 tbsp flour (for tossing the berries)
  • For the cream cheese ribbon: 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • For the topping (optional but bakery-style): 2 tbsp coarse sugar (turbinado or demerara)
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Method
 

  1. Prep the pan. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan or springform with parchment on the bottom. For a taller look, use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and extend bake time.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Combine gently. Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a spatula just until no flour streaks remain. Don’t overmix.
  5. Toss the berries. In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 1 tbsp flour. Fold 1 cup of the berries into the batter. Reserve the rest for the top.
  6. Make the cream cheese layer. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until silky and smooth.
  7. Layer the cake. Spread half the batter into the pan. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over it and gently spread to the edges. Top with the remaining batter, smoothing lightly.
  8. Add berries and topping. Scatter the reserved blueberries over the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and lemon zest.
  9. Bake. Bake 45–55 minutes (round pan) or 60–70 minutes (loaf), until the top is golden and a tester inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. The cream cheese may cling slightly—that’s okay.
  10. Cool. Let cool in the pan 15 minutes, then lift or invert onto a rack, peel parchment, and cool completely before slicing.