Berry Coffee Cake
This Berry Coffee Cake is moist, tender, and packed with fresh blueberries and raspberries, all topped with an irresistible sugar-cracked crust. Easy to make, it’s the perfect treat for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
What sets this berry coffee cake apart is its irresistible cracked topping. The secret? Sprinkle sugar over the batter, then pour boiling water over the entire surface. As the cake bakes, the topping transforms into a slightly golden, crackled crust that’s so crisp and tempting, you’ll want to dig in the moment it comes out of the oven.
What is berry coffee cake?
This berry coffee cake follows a traditional coffee cake batter but skips the usual streusel topping. Instead, granulated sugar is sprinkled over the batter, then drenched with boiling water. It’s a simple technique that yields a deliciously sugary, cracked crust.
I’ve packed this cake with fresh blueberries and raspberries, though it’s easy to customize with your favorite berries instead.
Like any good coffee cake, this berry coffee cake shines as a dessert or as a treat for breakfast and brunch.
Why you’ll love berry coffee cake
- Made with basic pantry staples, this berry coffee cake is an easy go-to for a treat or dessert.
- The cracked sugar topping creates a beautiful, eye-catching effect which offers a lovely change from the classic coffee cake streusel.
- Make it ahead to save time – it tastes just as delicious served slightly warm or cold.
Ingredients needed to make blackberry coffee cake
- Butter: Softened at room temperature. I prefer to bake with unsalted butter. If you opt for salted butter, then leave out the salt in this ingredient list.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is the common choice for cake batter. You’ll need to reserve some of the sugar to sprinkle over the batter before baking.
- Eggs: Allow your eggs to reach room temperature for easy mixing. For an egg-free cake, use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract provides depth of flavor. Feel free to use a combination of vanilla and almond extract.
- Lemon zest: Adds brightness to the cake and is the perfect pairing with the fresh berries.
- All-purpose flour: For a lighter texture, substitute with a small portion of cake flour.
- Baking powder: Reacts with the acidity in the sour cream for the perfect rise.
- Salt: Balances sweetness. Leave this out if using salted butter in the batter.
- Sour cream: Adds a tangy flavor to offset the sweetness in this cake and provides a good amount of moisture to the cake batter.
- Berries: Use fresh blueberries and raspberries for this berry coffee cake. Wash and pat them dry before gently folding into the cake batter. If you can only source frozen berries, thaw them first and then gently pat them dry.
- Boiling water: To pour over the sugar-sprinkled cake batter before baking which creates that irresistible cracked topping!
How do you make this berry coffee cake?
Prep and preheat:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
Prepare the cake batter:
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and zest to the bowl of the stand mixer, and combine well.
- Gradually add half of the flour mixture with half of the sour cream, repeating with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gently fold in the berries with a spatula so they don’t break.
- Spread the batter in the pan evenly.
Bake and cool:
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the batter, then pour boiling water over the entire cake.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is cracked and slightly brown, and the center is barely jiggly.
- Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
Serving
Baking this berry coffee cake in a round pan means that you can either serve it in beautiful slices or cut it into small coffee cake bites to enjoy for breakfast or brunch!
It’s absolutely delicious with lemon curd ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream for a more decadent treat.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover berry coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. It gets even better over time!
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled coffee cake in plastic and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving again.
- Make ahead: You can bake the berry coffee cake ahead of time and even freeze it for up to a month before planning to reheat it gently in the oven or serve it at room temperature.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake. I use a spatula to gently fold the batter once the ingredients have just been combined.
- Fresh berries: Always use in-season berries, bought from your local grocery store or farmer’s market for the best flavor. If the berries are out of season where you are, use frozen and thawed (patted dry) berries.
- Coat the berries in flour: To help prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the pan, lightly toss them in flour before adding them to the cake batter.
Variations:
- Fruity twist: If you don’t like blueberries or raspberries, make this coffee cake with blackberries, sliced or chopped apples, banana, or pear.
- Nuts: Mix in some toasted pecans or walnuts for nutty flavor and texture.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make the cake batter. You may need to add Xanthan gum.
Have leftover seasonal fresh berries? Use them to make Berry Delight or Raspberry Lemon Bars.
More coffee cakes you may want to try:
- Banana Coffee Cake
- Chocolate Coffee Cake
- Applesauce Coffee Cake
- Rhubarb Buttermilk Coffee Cake
- Blackberry Coffee Cake
Get the Recipe:
Berry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, room temp
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup sour cream, full fat
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ¼ cup boiling water
- Whipped cream or ice cream for serving, or enjoy it as coffee cake!
Equipment
- 9" round baking pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and zest to the bowl of the stand mixer, and combine well.
- Gradually add half of the flour mixture with half of the sour cream, repeating with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gently fold in the berries with a spatula so they don’t break.
- Spread the batter in the pan evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the batter, then pour boiling water over the entire cake.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is cracked and slightly brown, and the center is barely jiggly.
- Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
