Strawberry Coffee Cake

Coffee cake definitely falls into my top ten of of favorite things to breakfast... but especially when it's strawberry coffee cake! We're putting the classic cinnamon filling aside for something else this time. This coffee cake is a moist, tender cake with a delicious layer of strawberry preserves baked in the middle.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR STRAWBERRY COFFEE CAKE

This coffee cake pretty simple to make, and comes together in no time! Here is everything you'll need for the cake.

• All-purpose flour

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Cinnamon

• Unsalted butter, softened

• Granulated sugar + light brown sugar

• Sour cream

• Buttermilk

• Eggs

• Vanilla extract + almond extract

• Strawberry preserves or jam

And let's be honest-- what's coffee cake without the crunchy streusel crumble on top? It only takes 5 ingredients-- so here's what you'll need.

• All-purpose flour

• Light brown sugar

• Unsalted butter, melted

• Cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

All you’ll need to do is mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl until you’re left with a thick, cinnamon crumb mixture. Once your cake batter is in the pan, sprinkle that all over the top of the batter and you’re ready to bake it!

THERE IS NO COFFEE IN COFFEE CAKE

Despite the name, there is no actual coffee found in classic coffee cakes. There's no fancy history of the name (to my knowledge), and it's called coffee cake simply because it is a cake that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee!

ADDING THE STRAWBERRY CENTER

For this recipe, I used American Spoon Early Glow Strawberry Preserves. These preserves are perfectly sweet and have an incredible strawberry flavor. You can use just about any brand of strawberry preserves you want, but if you can find it, I definitely recommend American Spoon preserves.

To assemble the cake and add the layer of preserves or jam to the coffee cake, this is all you'll need to do:

First, you'll spoon half of the cake batter into the pan, and spread it into an even layer. Next, spread your strawberry preserves evenly on top of the cake layer. Top that with the remaining cake batter and spread evenly. Lastly, sprinkle the streusel mixture on top and you're ready to bake!

TIPS FOR THE BEST STRAWBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Like most recipes, there are a few things you can do when making this coffee cake to make it extra delicious. Here are some tips to do just that.

• Don't overmix your coffee cake batter. Overmixing cake batter can result in a cake that's dense and a bit gummy in texture. Be sure to only mix your batter just until all of the ingredients are combined.
• Let it cool completely before slicing. This coffee cake has a fair amount of crumb to it. If you try to cut it while the coffee cake is still warm, you run the risk of it crumbling or breaking apart. For best results, allow it to cool fully before slicing it up.
• Top it with a simple glaze or powdered sugar. Not a necessary step, but a highly recommended one. Topping coffee cake with glaze or powdered sugar just gives each bite a little something extra.

Strawberry Coffee Cake

Recipe by Chrissy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¾ cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ¼ sour cream

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¾ teaspoon almond extract

• ⅔ cup buttermilk

• ¾ cup strawberry preserves or jam

• Streusel Topping

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 square pan and line with parchment paper, if desired. Set aside.
• Make the streusel topping by combining all streusel ingredients in a small mixing bowl. It should become a thick, with crumbly chunks. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract, and almond extract.
• To the bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Start mixing. Once almost completely combined, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Continue mixing until everything is smooth and incorporated.
• Pour about half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread in an even layer. Spoon your strawberry preserves or jam on top of the layer of coffee cake batter, and spread it evenly.  Pour the other half of the coffee cake batter on top, and carefully spread it into an even layer.
• Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly on top of the batter.
  Bake for 55-60 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy within 4 days.