The Best Cherry Coffee Cake
I love all things cherry. They’re so dark and mysterious, sweet but also tart, and just the perfect texture. I grew up on canned cherry pie filling in desserts – team Comstock all the way – but as I get older, and obviously wiser, I’ve been trying to convert some of those childhood standards into make-it-myself adult expectations. What can I say, I like to know everything that’s going into my food.
By no means do I hate canned cherry pie filling, I do still use them and if you’d prefer to sub out the below fresh cherry filling with a canned cherry pie variety, you go for it (as long as it’s Comstock, just kidding but not). As a kid, when I first heard the word “coffee cake” I was immediately put off – as I presumed it had coffee inside of it, and my young child self thought that sounded revolting. Thankfully for all of us, it is a cake that pairs perfectly with coffee (or tea as is my preference) as it tends to be a smidge on the drier side, so a little cup of liquid pairs perfectly.
This recipe is adapted from the one my mom used to make for us growing up, with the exception of canned cherries instead of fresh, and I always loved it. It’s origins are from the classic Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, which I’m sure was a staple in many of our childhood homes and currently sits in the pantry, with sections that fall out from use every time you open it. I dream of cookbooks like that for myself one day…
Big shoutout to my Aunt Jean who helped me workshop this recipe, when I was super struggling and ready to throw in the towel!
WHAT IS COFFEE CAKE?
Coffee cake is often a single-layer cake, hilariously containing zero coffee (or at least that’s the case in the United States). It’s typically a drier cake which is why it pairs perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee (I prefer the former). You’ll often see it spiced with cinnamon though many variations exist (like this recipe which contains no cinnamon), layered with some type of filling, and topped with a crumble or streusel. Basically it’s perfection and the best way to make eating cake for breakfast socially acceptable since it’s often seen on breakfast/brunch spreads.
How to make cherry filling from scratch: Honestly it’s wild how simple it is and you can use fresh, frozen, or canned cherries (from the fruit aisle in the grocery store). You’ll make a simple slurry with cornstarch and water, which will act as your thickener as your fruit cooks, and combine it in a pot over medium-high heat with your cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. If using canned cherries, reserve ⅓ cup of the liquid and stir your cornstarch into that instead of water. Keep a close eye on your cherries as they cook, it will seem boring at first but once they thicken, they thicken fast! Remove them from the heat as soon as they start to get gooey and pour into a bowl to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools so be careful not to over thicken in the pot!
INGREDIENTS
- Cherries – Fresh, frozen, or canned in their juices will work! See the note above for how to make the filling with canned. To be clear, these are the canned cherries in the fruit aisle, not canned cherry pie filling, which is usually found in the baking aisle. If you prefer to use canned cherry pie filling, you do you! Just skip the ingredients and directions below for making your own at home and top your coffee cake (where instructed) with a can of your favorite cherry pie filling instead!
- Cornstarch – Key for thickening your cherry mixture to make that yummy layer on top of your coffeecake
- Water – Just a little to loosen up those cherries as they cook down, to help add to that ooey goo we all love. I mean, the goo may be the best part…
- Lemon Juice – Fresh is always best but no judgment if you use the bottle. This will bring out some of the tartness in your cherries
- Sugar – Key for a cake’s sweetness but also as a thickening agent for the cherry layer
- Flour – You’ll use this in both the crumb topping and the cake itself
- Butter – What makes that crumb topping so good and your coffee cake rich. Butter also adds extra flavor that you won’t get with a nuetral oil
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Key leavening agents for your cake’s rise and balance
- Salt – Always an important ingredient for enhancing the different flavors within your baked good
- Milk – In baking I prefer whole milk, the little bit of extra added fat adds even more moist deliciousness to your bake but 2% works fine too
- Egg – Just one will do the trick and bring out that pretty yellow coloring to your batter
- Vanilla Extract – Adds the perfect balance of flavor to this simple cake!
I don’t have a springform pan… No problem! You can use a 9”x9” square baking pan and follow the same instructions below! Once baked, you can leave the coffee cake in the pan versus removing it like you would with the springform.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY COFFEE CAKE
You’ll start by making your cherry filling (unless you are using canned cherry pie filling and you can skip this step). First, make your cornstarch slurry by stirring together your water and cornstarch, this makes it easier to seamlessly blend it into your filling. Add your cherries, cornstarch mixture, sugar, and lemon juice to a pot over medium-high heat and stir continuously until thickened. Pour into a bowl that can handle heat – your cherries will be hot! – and cool to room temperature. If you’re preparing in advance, you can cover your cherry mixture and store in the fridge for up to four days.
Next, make your crumble by combining your flour, sugar, and cubed butter into a bowl. Use two butter knives, held in the form of an “X” against each other, and cut the butter into the flour and sugar until you have course crumbles. You can also use your fingers instead of knives, and rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Place in the fridge to keep the butter cold until you are ready to assemble your coffee cake.
For your cake, in a clean bowl combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together your melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet and combine. You can use a spatula or whisk for this step. The batter should be smooth with no flour visible but be careful not to overmix past that point.
Preheat your oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan, placing a layer of parchment on the bottom of the pan to make removing the baked cake easier.
To assemble, pour your cake batter into your prepared pan, then top with half of your crumb topping, sprinkled in an even layer. Spoon over your cherries – including all that delicious goo – into another layer before topping with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake low and slow for 60-65 minutes. The crumble will stay fairly white throughout the bake, do not be alarmed, but the cake will be ready once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs on it (and likely some cherry goo).
3 reasons you’ll love this coffee cake
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Don’t over-thicken your cherries. That’s the only tricky part of any fruit filling, sauce, compote, or jam. You want to pull it off the heat a little before it’s the “perfect” consistency, as the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools!
- Want a little more pizazz on top? Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate!
- Don’t overbake: your cake will likely be ready at the hour mark unless your oven runs cool. Much longer and you risk drying out your cake!
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
- You can prepare your layers in advance if you want to simply just assemble and bake the day you need it. Your cherry filling will last in a sealed container in the fridge for four days or frozen for 3 months. The crumb topping can be made and stored in the fridge up to three days in advance. For the batter, I would make it no more than a day before, you can try for two but you’ll risk your leavening agents (baking powder and soda) losing their strength
- Once baked, store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze mine in slices so I can take out a little treat whenever I want!
MORE CHERRY RECIPES
Love some cherry? Me too! Try my Individual Pavlovas filled with cherry-berry compote, my Black Forest Cake with layers of gooey cherries, chocolate cake, and whipped cream, or this Classic Cherry Pie!
This cherry coffee cake is one of my favorite recipes that I hope you absolutely devour. If you love it, please leave a review and comment below and tag @accentgolden in your bakes on social!
Equipment
- Fork
- Spoon
- Mixing Bowls
- 9-inch springform
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups pitted cherries fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 tbsp cold butter cubed
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 tbsp butter melted
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the cherries, stir together your 2 tbsp of cornstarch with ⅓ cup of water until dissolved. Then, in a medium pot, add your cherries, ⅓ cup of sugar, lemon juice, and your cornstarch slurry, stir, and place over medium-high heat. Continue to stir until lightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a heat-safe bowl to cool to room temperature (about 35 minutes). If making in advance, cool at room temperature and then cover and place in the fridge until ready to use
- In a bowl make your crumb topping by cutting in with two knives or rubbing together with your fingers ½ cup of flour, ½ cup of sugar, and the four tablespoons of cubed cold butter, until it resembles coarse crumbles. Place in the fridge while you make your batter.
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper
- For your cake, in a new bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- In a separate bowl, mix together your 8 tablespoons of melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet and combine. The batter should be smooth with no flour visible but be careful not to overmix past that point. Pour into your greased and lined baking pan
- To assemble, sprinkle half of the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the batter in the pan, then evenly spoon your cherries (including the goo!) in a layer over the crumbs before covering the cherries with the remaining crumb topping
- Bake for 60-65 minutes. The crumble will stay fairly white throughout the bake but any crust that peeks through will be a deep golden. A toothpick inserted should come out clean with likely a little cherry
- Cool in the pan for one hour before removing. You may need to run a butter knife around the outside to release any cherry goo from the pan, this will ensure you don’t crack your cake as you release it from the springform
- Slice and enjoy!
