Cherry coffee cake is a delightful treat that you can easily whip up for a delicious breakfast or a satisfying mid-morning snack. Bursting with the sweetness of cherries and the comforting flavors of a classic coffee cake, this delicious coffee cake is great for dessert as well. 

Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, this coffee crumb cake will start your morning off right. 

This cherry coffee cake is perfect for the Christmas season or during cherry season when using fresh cherries. This coffee cake is an easy make-ahead breakfast recipe for any special occasion.

Jump to:

• Ingredients in Cherry Coffee Cake
• How to Make Cherry Coffee Cake
• Substitutions
• Variations for Cherry Coffee Cake
• Storing Coffee Cake
• Tools Needed to Make a Coffee Cake
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• Coffee Cake
• Crumb Topping Directions
• Coffee Cake Drizzle

Ingredients in Cherry Coffee Cake

• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter, softened
• almond extract
• vanilla extract
• baking powder
• large eggs
• all-purpose flour
• salt
• can of cherry pie filling

Crumble Topping

• unsalted butter, softened
• all purpose flour
• brown sugar
• ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake Drizzle

• powdered sugar
• milk

See the recipe card for ingredient amounts and directions.

How to Make Cherry Coffee Cake

Making a cherry coffee cake is simple and requires only a few ingredients. Get your ingredients ready ahead of time by softening your butter and setting the eggs out to room temperature. 

Step 1: Preheat Oven

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). While the oven is heating up, prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish by greasing it with butter or non-stick spray to prevent the cake from sticking. You can also use parchment paper to line the baking dish.

Step 2: Prepare the Batter

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat in the eggs until just combined. 

Next, in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined.

Step 3: Make the Crumble Topping

In a small food processor or using a pastry blender, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a food processor and blend until large crumbs come together. If you prefer smaller crumbs, continue blending until the desired crumbs are reached.

Step 4: Fill Baking Dish and Bake

Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared baking dish and evenly spread the cherry filling over top of the cake layer. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the pie filling over the batter to create the cherry layer.

Drop the remaining cake batter by the spoonful on top of the cherry filling.

Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the coffee cake and gently press it down into the batter.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown. 

Allow the coffee cake to cool completely before drizzling with icing. 

Step 5: Drizzle with icing. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and the milk and mix until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled coffee cake, slice, and serve. 

Enjoy your delicious homemade treat with a cup of coffee or tea!

Hint: Using a small food processor is useful when making an easy crumb topping. Just use short pulses to get coarse crumbs to fine crumbs depending on preference.

Substitutions

When making a cherry coffee cake, you may want to try different ingredient substitutions to suit your preferences or accommodate dietary restrictions. 

• Oil: Instead of using butter in your cherry coffee cake, you can substitute it with a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or even coconut oil. Using oil will result in a slightly different texture.
• Fruit: If you don't have cherry pie filling on hand or want to try something different, other fruit fillings can also work beautifully in this recipe. You can also use frozen cherries or fresh cherries in this recipe. 
• Nuts: For added crunch or a nutty flavor, consider adding pecans to your cherry coffee cake crumble. You can incorporate them into the streusel topping or simply sprinkle them on top.

Remember that when making substitutions, the end result may vary slightly from the original recipe, but experimenting with ingredients can lead to new and delicious variations. Happy baking!

Variations for Cherry Coffee Cake

When it comes to customizing your cherry coffee cake, there are plenty of options to explore. For instance, you can easily swap out the typical cherry pie filling with other fruit-based fillings, such as blackberry, blueberry, apple, or pineapple, to create a unique and delightful twist to the classic recipe.

Toppings: If you prefer to leave the crumb topping off of this cake, simply omit it from the recipe and bake as directed. You can choose to leave the cake drizzle off as well. Mixing nuts into the crumb topping will give the cherry coffee cake a nice crunch.

Tweaking the Filling: If you prefer using fresh cherries, you can make homemade cherry pie filling or you can mix nuts, or chocolate chips right into the filling.

Storing Coffee Cake

This cherry coffee cake is very easy to store for short term or long term storage. The first step is to allow the coffee cake to cool completely before putting it in an airtight container. This will prevent condensation from building up inside the container and making the cake soggy. You can store the coffee cake at room temperature for up to 4 days.  For longer storage, you can place the coffee cake in the refrigerator. This method can extend the freshness of your cake up to a week. For the best flavor, set the cake out to reach room temperature or put it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up. 

For long-term storage, you can freeze your cherry coffee cake. To do this, slice your cake into pieces and wrap each individual slice in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer safe bag.  When you're ready to enjoy your frozen cake, let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. 

Following these storage tips will ensure that you can savor every bite of your cherry coffee cake, whether it's for breakfast, dessert, or a midday treat. Remember - keeping the cake properly stored is the key to maintaining its delicious taste and texture.

Tools Needed to Make a Coffee Cake

To make a coffee cake, you will typically need the following tools:

• Mixing bowls - you will need a large bowl, medium bowl, and a small bowl for this recipe.
• Hand Mixer or stand mixer - This batter is very thick so an electric mixer is ideal.
• Measuring cups and spoons - for accurately measuring your ingredients.
• Spatula - an offset spatula works well to smooth out your cake layer and your cherry layer.
• A 9x13 baking dish is needed for this recipe. 
• Optional: small food processor or pastry blender to make the crumb topping

Frequently Asked Questions