This cherry coffee cake is made with fresh or frozen cherries, and lemon zest, and topped with a buttery crumble topping.
This cherry crumble cake is the ultimate cherry dessert for summertime and for the cherry season!
The rich cherry flavor provides a burst of slightly tart and sweet fruity goodness, while the crumb topping adds a satisfying crunch.
The combination of textures and flavors creates a truly irresistible dessert that will leave your taste buds craving more.
Whether enjoyed warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or served at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream, this dessert is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
For more coffee cake recipes, check out my blueberry sour cream coffee cake, banana coffee cake, and coffee cake muffins.
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Why this recipe works
- Cherry flavor- this cake is loaded with juicy cherries that add a burst of vibrant color and fruity sweetness to the delicious cake.
- Texture- the texture of this cake is light and tender with a buttery crumb that will simply melt in your mouth with a crunchy layer of crumble topping!
- Crumb topping- it is topped with a crunchy and buttery crumble topping that is spiced with cinnamon.
- Perfect for any occasion- this cake is perfect for brunch, dessert, holiday, snack, or breakfast!
- Simple- this recipe is made with a few simple ingredients you can find in any supermarket and is perfect for cherry season.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this dessert.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Cherries- we used sweet cherries for this recipe. The other options are using sour cherries, frozen cherries (thawed and drained), or canned cherries (drained).
Lemon zest-Â you will need 2 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest.
Baking powder and baking soda – to allow the cake to rise.
Greek yogurt- get your Greek yogurt to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that you use room-temperature eggs in this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the crumble topping
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, cake flour will work great as well.
Brown sugar- we used light brown sugar for this recipe, but you can use dark brown sugar as well.
Cinnamon- we love adding cinnamon to the topping. If you are allergic to cinnamon, you can skip this step.
Pinch of salt- we used kosher salt.
Melted butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. melt your butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Melted butter adds to this cake with lots of moisture.
Instructions
Start by preheating an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 10-inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
Make the crumble topping: In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, kosher salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Place in the fridge while you make the cake.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the cooled melted butter, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, buttermilk, kosher salt, and Greek yogurt, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
Pour the cake batter into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Pit the cherries and cut them in half. Top the cake batter with an even layer of cherries.
Top the cake with the streusel topping and press the streusel topping onto the cake batter so it sticks and does not fall off while baking.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, usually with a few crumbs.
Expert Tips
- Push the streusel topping onto the cake lightly so it would stick to the top of the cake while baking and not fall off.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cake and not dense and dry cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Add some of your favorite add-ins! Make this recipe your own and add your favorite cake add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, and more! Be creative!
- Be patient! I know it's extremely tempting to eat this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let this cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won't crumble up.
Faq's
Yes. We used fresh cherries for this cake, but frozen cherries will work great as well. Do not thaw the cherries before adding them to the mixture.
This cake will last for up to 4 days stored for two days in an airtight container at room temperature and two days in the fridge.
We use all-purpose flour for this cake. Self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
Storing
It’s okay to store this cake at room temperature for up to 2 days. Then, store the cake in the fridge for another 2 days. Make sure that you store the cake in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
Freezing
After baking, let the cake cool to room temperature, transfer it into a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
You can freeze this cake as individual slices or as a whole cake.
To thaw: place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions that may be helpful for your diet:
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- you can make this cake dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and the buttermilk with vegan milk or buttermilk, and the yogurt with vegan yogurt.
Variations
Add-ins- make this recipe your own and add your favorite add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, etc.
Fruit- If you don't like cherries or are allergic to them, you can simply replace them with your favorite fruit like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
Cherry pie filling- you can use cherry pie filling for the cherries instead of using plain pitted cherries.
Double the cherries- for more cherry flavor and more cherries in your cake, you can use double the cherries!
Cream cheese glaze- top this cake with cream cheese glaze instead of topping it with powdered sugar. You can use the recipe from my cinnamon roll cheesecake recipe.
More cherry recipes
Cherry galette- This decadent and easy cherry galette is made with a buttery flakey crust and filled with a delicious cherry filling.
Cherry pie- This homemade cherry pie is incredible. Our homemade cherry pie is made with a delicious and easy cherry pie filling and the easiest flakey pie crust.
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Coffee Cake W/ Crumble Topping
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter unsalted, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- â…” cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 cups Cherries
For the crumble topping
- 1 cup Flour
- â…“ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 0.4 cup Butter melted
Instructions
- Start by preheating an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 10-inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crumble topping: In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, kosher salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Place in the fridge while you make the cake.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the cooled melted butter, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, buttermilk, kosher salt, and Greek yogurt, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
- Pour the cake batter into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Pit the cherries and cut them in half. Top the cake batter with an even layer of cherries.
- Top the cake with the streusel topping and press the streusel topping onto the cake batter so it sticks and does not fall off while baking.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, usually with a few crumbs.
Notes
- Push the streusel topping onto the cake lightly so it would stick to the top of the cake while baking and not fall off.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cake and not dense and dry cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Add some of your favorite add-ins! Make this recipe your own and add your favorite cake add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, and more! Be creative!
- Be patient! I know it's extremely tempting to eat this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let this cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won't crumble up.
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