Blackberry coffee cake is a classic soft, moist and buttery coffee cake filled with fresh, juicy blackberries, topped with a cinnamon streusel crumb topping. Made with simple ingredients, this easy and flavorful blackberry coffee cake recipe makes the perfect breakfast, brunch or dessert.
Jump to:
Why Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a delicious coffee cake recipe. My Buttermilk Coffee Cake, Banana Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Coffee Cake Muffins, Blueberry Coffee Cake and Coffee Cake Cookies are just a few coffee cake recipes I love from the blog. This blackberry coffee cake with sour cream is filled with the coziest flavors and textures while capturing the sweetness of summer blackberries.
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and fluffy vanilla cake bursting with sweet blackberries, to the sweet cinnamon spiced streusel, this blackberry sour cream coffee cake will delight your senses.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. This homemade blackberry coffee cake tastes like you just bought it from a bakery, but is so simple to make. Simply make the streusel, mix up the sour cream coffee cake with blackberries, bake and enjoy.
- Perfectly cozy and perfect for warmer seasons. The light, fluffy and tender vanilla coffee cake is flavored with lemon and blackberries and is perfect for summer breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This blackberry sour cream cake with streusel topping is as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are the ingredients needed, as well as my recommended substitutions to make this blackberry crumb cake if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make this blackberry crumble cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. I recommend using the weight of flour (240 g) rather than cup for cup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These both act as leaveners in this coffee cake.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: This blackberry crumb cake recipe calls for granulated sugar and light brown sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this refined sugar free.
- Lemon Zest: Lemon pairs so beautifully with blackberries. Lime would be a wonderful substitute.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: This ingredient is standard in the classic blackberry sour cream coffee cake. However, a thick and creamy greek yogurt or full fat buttermilk works well in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Blackberries: You can fresh or frozen blackberries. If using frozen berries, do not let them thaw. Also note that the baking time will be a bit longer if using frozen berries.
Variations
- Blueberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake: Generously grease a 10 -12 cup capacity bundt pan. Prepare the streusel topping and blueberry coffee cake according to the recipe directions. Transfer ? of the coffee cake batter into the bundt pan and top with ½ of the streusel. Repeat with the next ? of the blueberry sour cream coffee cake and the remaining ½ of streusel. Top with the last of the blackberry cream cake batter. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 50 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then inverted onto a serving plate to cool to room temperature.
- Lemon or Lime Glaze: Top the blackberry coffee cake with a tart lemon or lime glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon or lime juice until smooth. Pour over the warm coffee cake and enjoy.
- Vanilla Maple Glaze: Top the blackberry our cream coffee cake with a vanilla maple glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 1 teaspoons (5 ml) vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk. Pour over the warm coffee cake and enjoy.
How To Make
Learn how to make blackberry coffee cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two sides of a 9 x 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the streusel topping. Work in the cold butter cubes until a sand like texture develops. There will be a few bigger crumbs, but most should be finer, smaller pieces. Place the bowl in the fridge until the coffee cake is ready for topping.
- In a medium bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. Cream the butter and lemon sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. On low, cream in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Alternating dry ingredients and sour cream, mix in ? of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the sour cream. Repeat until all the ingredients are just combined. Fold in the flour coated blackberries.
- Evenly spread the blackberry coffee cake batter into the prepared pan.Top with the streusel, making sure to break any extra large pieces into smaller pieces.
5. Bake the coffee cake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blackberry coffee cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool the pan in the pan for 15 - 20 minutes. Gently lift the coffee cake out of the pan using the parchment paper. Transfer to a serving plate or serve right from the pan. Top with powdered sugar or a glaze, slice and enjoy.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze and Store
- Make Ahead: Parts of these coffee cake can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare streusel topping according to the recipe directions and place it in an airtight storage container and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the coffee cake.
- Store: Place the slices of the blackberry crumb cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Then the cake should be transferred to the fridge for up to another 2 - 3 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the blackberry crumble cake is completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the blackberry coffee cake is to let it sit out at room temperature for at least two hours or overnight in the fridge. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the coffee cake slice for 20 - 30 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Cube the cold butter into small even pieces before mixing into the streusel. Mix until the texture of the topping resembles wet sand with some larger pieces mixed in. Store the streusel topping in the fridge until it's time to top the coffee cake.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender coffee cake.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Coat the blackberries in flour and don’t thaw. If using fresh blackberries, make sure to toss them with 1 tablespoon (8 g) flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them before mixing into the cake and also make sure to coat them in flour.
- Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the coffee cake becomes fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. Begin checking on the coffee cake at the minimum baking time. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean. If you use frozen blackberries, the coffee cake will need longer to bake.
FAQs
Does coffee cake have coffee in it?
No. The name “coffee cake” implies that this type of cake is perfect when served with coffee.
Should coffee cake with blackberries be refrigerated?
No, it can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Then to maintain freshness for longer, it can be transferred to the fridge for 2 - 3 more days.
Does sour cream change the taste of cake?
Sour cream adds more moisture and a tender crumb. It also helps to balance the sweetness of the cake, while also adding a background of tangy flavor. Feel free to use an equal amount of buttermilk if you prefer.
Can I bake this blackberry sour cream coffee cake in a different pan?
Use a 9 inch (23 cm) round pan or 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan and bake for about the same amount of time. Double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. If you prefer, make this as blackberry coffee cake muffins. Bake in a muffin pan at 375 F (190 C) for about 20 - 22 minutes.
Other Blackberry Recipes to Try
- Blackberry Muffins
- Blackberry Pound Cake
- Blackberry Compote
- Lemon Blackberry Loaf
If you try this Blackberry Coffee Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Blackberry Coffee Cake Recipe
This blackberry coffee cake is packed with sweet, tart and juicy blackberries and is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel crumb topping. Soft, moist, and easy to make, it's the perfect coffee cake recipe for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Equipment
- 1 9x9 (23cm) aluminum pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) cold butter, cubed
Blackberry Coffee Cake
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups blackberries (tossed in 2 tablespoons flour)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two sides of a 9 x 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the streusel topping. Work in the cold butter cubes until a sand like texture develops. There will be a few bigger crumbs, but most should be finer, smaller pieces. Place the bowl in the fridge until the coffee cake is ready for topping.½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon , 4 tablespoons (57 g) cold butter, cubed
- In a medium bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. Cream the butter and lemon sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. On low, cream in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 lemon zested, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Alternating dry ingredients and sour cream, mix in ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the sour cream. Repeat until all the ingredients are just combined. Fold in the flour coated blackberries. Evenly spread the blackberry coffee cake batter into the prepared pan. Top with the streusel, making sure to break any extra large pieces into smaller pieces.1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature, 2 cups blackberries (tossed in 2 tablespoons flour)
- Bake the coffee cake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blackberry coffee cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the pan in the pan for 15 - 20 minutes. Gently lift the coffee cake out of the pan using the parchment paper. Transfer to a serving plate or serve right from the pan. Top with powdered sugar or a glaze, slice and enjoy.
Notes
Store: Place the slices of the blackberry crumb cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Then the cake should be transferred to the fridge for up to another 2 - 3 days.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
Leave a Reply