Who doesn’t love a coffee cake (especially Cherry Coffee Cake!)?
They are probably one of my favorite breakfast treats. I was super excited to bring you this delicious (and easy) cherry streusel coffee cake that’s loaded with tart cherries, topped with a thick oat-almond streusel lid and a quick drizzle of glaze.
Think of it as a traditional coffee cake, but with jazz hands.
This delicious cake is such a lovely and accommodating coffee cake she’ll even let you assemble her the night before, stash in the fridge and bake first thing in the morning making her (we’re still talking about the coffee cake) the perfect breakfast treat for entertaining (or not ;)).
Both the sour cream and milk make this a MEGA moist cake and it’s simply begging (PLEADING) for a cup of coffee to now with it.
For more coffee cake recipes, check out my Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Cranberry Coffee Cake and you can find all of my Breakfast & Brunch Baked Goods here!
Tips to Make Ahead
Nothing gives me greater joy than make-ahead everything. Especially if I’m entertaining and especially if it involves breakfast. Thomas Keller has a recipe in his Bouchon Bakery cookbook (one of my favorite cookbooks!) for cornbread muffins and he has you rest them in the fridge overnight prior to baking.
They were such a revelation for me in my baking career and it was the start of me really using the cool fridge temps to my advantage. It won’t mess with your leavening, I promise.
What you may lose in added leavening power, you gain in the batter moisture getting absorbed into the flour and making things nice and puffy. Trust me on this.
Mix the dough and the streusel ahead of time, stash each in an airtight container and then store in the fridge separately overnight. Come morning, just assemble and bake!
The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!
Canned vs Fresh Cherries
You can use fresh or canned cherries for this recipe.
I use canned Oregon Fruit Product Tart Cherries when cherries aren’t in season. The recipe is written to use canned cherries, but feel free to use fresh (see note below for substituting)!
Using Canned vs Fresh Cherries
When using canned cherries, get cherries in ideally water or light syrup, not heavy syrup (don’t accidentally pick up a can of cherry pie filling). Be sure to drain well before using. One 14.5 oz (411 g) can of cherries is all you need for this recipe.
If using fresh cherries, use about 2 cups (276 g) fresh cherries. Pit, de-stem and cut in halves before adding to the cake batter.
If using fresh cherries, sprinkle all of the cherries over the cake batter, before the streusel, to keep them from drying out.
Instead of folding the cherries into the batter, I sprinkled 3/4 of them over the top of the batter, then sprinkled the streusel over the top of the cake and then sprinkled the remaining 1/4 of cherries on top of the streusel.
I like to give people an idea of what flavors they’re biting into. This also makes it so that every bite has a cherry in it.
Let’s get our cherry streusel coffee cake on, shall we?
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make
The Best Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake
- Chill the Streusel While You Mix the Cake. This helps the streusel hold it’s shape and will give you that nice, crispy topping.
- Line Your Pan With Parchment. Lining the pan with parchment makes it easier to get the cake out of the pan to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Add the Eggs One at a Time. It’s important to slowly add liquid to your cake batter so it doesn’t curdle. For the best consistency, add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is well blended before adding the next.
- Make Sure Ingredients are Room Temperature. The eggs, butter, sour cream and milk all need to be room temperature for best results. Cold ingredients added to your cake batter can curdle the mixture.
- Careful With Your Cherry Placement. Add 3/4 of the cherries evenly over the top of the cake batter, cover with the streusel and then sprinkle the remaining cherries over the top. If using fresh cherries, add all of the cherries to the top of the cake. If you place them on top of the streusel they may dry out (depending on how juicy they are/aren’t).
Let’s make a really delicious cherry coffee cake!!
For the Streusel
For the Cake
Best Baking Tools for The Ultimate Coffee Cake
Electric Stand Mixer, I prefer the Artisan to the Professional. And while a mixer isn’t necessary for this cake, I love it to cream the butter and sugar together!
Or Breville Handheld Mixer, this one has a bunch of speeds, dough hooks, whisks. I was never a fan of handhelds until I got this one!
A whisk and/or a spatula for for whisking up the cinnamon-sugar swirl and mixing the cake.
My trusty scale for precision.
These heat-safe nesting glass bowls for mixing the streusel, cake and glaze.
Knife, love this chef’s knife with the white handle.
For more fun shopping, check out my Shop (aka my favorite things!).
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Also check out my Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Blueberry Muffins and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.
You can find more Breakfast and Brunch Recipes here.
Before you get started, take a peek at my Top 10 Cake Tips for perfect cakes, every time!
Enjoy your moist Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel!!
Easy Tender Moist Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Streusel
- 1 batch 5-Minute Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup (40 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) raw almonds (sliced)
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) real vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup (240 g) whole milk (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup (180 g) sour cream (full fat; room temperature)
- 3 cups + 2 tbsp (423 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
- 14.5 ounce (411 g) canned cherries (Ideally in water or light syrup; drained. See section Canned vs Fresh Cherries above recipe for info on using fresh cherries)
For the Vanilla Glaze Drizzle
- 1 batch Easy Vanilla Glaze
Instructions
For the Streusel
- Make 1 batch 5-Minute Streusel Topping Recipe all the way through mixing following the step-by-step photos and instructions. Stir in the oats and almonds and then chill in an airtight container until ready to use.
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13-inch (23 x 33 cm or 13 cup or 3.3 L) baking dish and line with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the sides (you’ll use this to pull the cake out of the pan). Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (see note below recipe) fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon on medium speed for about 5-6 minutes or until light and fluffy. You want it pretty fluffy, so if your kitchen is chilly let the machine run longer. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is well blended before adding in the second. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix for 1 minute more. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended.
- In a liquid measuring cup (or medium bowl) whisk together the milk and sour cream. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixture in two batches, mixing each addition until just combined. Grab a spatula and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl one more time to make sure the cake batter is thoroughly mixed.
To Assemble
- Scoop the cake batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top to make it even (it doesn't have to be perfect). Sprinkle 3/4ths of the cherries over the top of the cake and then cover evenly with the streusel. Add the remaining cherries to the top.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 55-60 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. The center will be soft but set. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 50-60 minutes and then use the parchment handles to remove it from the pan to finish cooling. If it resists coming out run a knife around the edge to help it along. Additionally, you can let it cool longer in the pan if you’re having a hard time getting it out. Let cool completely before adding the vanilla glaze.
For the Vanilla Glaze Drizzle
- Make 1 batch Easy Vanilla Glaze (just confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla!) and immediately drizzle over the top of the cooled coffee cake. The higher up you drizzle, the more control you'll have over your drizzles. Serve excess vanilla glaze on the side (for those that love more glaze!).The drizzle will set and become matte after several hours. Serve immediately (this cake also tastes great the next day!).
Notes
Mixer vs Your Arms
I mention an electric stand mixer in the instruction. However, this is definitely a recipe that can easily be made with a large mixing bowl and spatula. Make sure you really cream your butter and sugar so that you get that awesome light cake texture. Additionally, you can use a hand mixer if you have one handy!Streusel
I love to give my streusel a nice chill prior to baking which is why we make it first. Don’t skip this step.Almonds
Some people are nut sensitive or just don’t like them…you’re fine to omit. But they look so pretty and I love the crunch if you’re on the fence. If you want to play up the almond flavor, omit the vanilla extract from the cake batter and add in 1 teaspoon almond extract. I LOVE cherries and almonds together and make it this way often!Cherries
I used the Oregon Fruit Product Tart Cherries and instead of folding them into the batter, I sprinkled 3/4 of them over the top of the batter, sprinkled the streusel and then sprinkled the remaining 1/4 of cherries over the top. I like to give people an idea of what flavors they’re biting into. This also makes it so that every bite has a cherry in it. If using canned cherries:- Get cherries that are in water or light syrup (Oregon does Whole Fruit in Water that I love!)
- Drain well before using (so your cake doesn’t get soggy)
- You can use sweet cherries, tart cherries, bing cherries, sour cherries; whatever cherries float your boat (I love tart cherries!)
- Do not use canned cherry filling for pies
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