Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake
Embrace summer berry season with this Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake! This cake is packed with juicy strawberries and topped with a cinnamon-brown sugar crumble. Happy baking!
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I recently stumbled across a surprising statistic – 1″ of rainfall over an area of one square mile equals 17.4 million gallons of water. That’s enough to fill about 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools. That’s a lot of water – you could call that a real frog-wash of a rainstorm! To be fair, it’s not every day that a storm produces a full inch of rain. But still…17.4 million gallons of water!? Crazy.
The rainfall statistic might seem random, but we had a huge storm come through our area on the day I baked this Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake. Nothing dangerous. Just a deluge of rain like you often find in the spring and summer. Our dogs (and Robbie) spent part of the day staring out longingly at the yard. No playing in the yard on this day!
That’s ok – I distracted Robbie by getting him to help me in the kitchen. And the dogs? They each got a chew bone, and they seemed to be quite pleased with that option!
Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake
Fresh Strawberry Coffee CakeWhen I asked Robbie if he would help me make a coffee cake, his response was, “Uh, Dad, coffee is for grown-ups.” I had to laugh a bit to myself. As my buddy Ben noted years ago, coffee cake is a bit of a misnomer. It is indeed a cake, but it doesn’t include coffee. That’s confusing!
I believe coffee cake gets its name as it’s often served with a hot mug of coffee. With that said, I did decide to bake a coffee cake one time that actually included coffee and espresso powder as ingredients. It was tasty, and if you like coffee-flavored desserts, then I highly recommend checking that one out!
Now I love my coffee cakes around here! A good coffee cake is hard to beat, and there have been times I specifically requested a coffee cake for my birthday instead of a traditional cake. Coffee cakes are one of those baked goods that can adapted quite easily to include seasonal flavors.
In the spring, a carrot cake coffee cake fits in well for Easter brunch. In the fall? Change it up and add some maple syrup and pecans. However, since we are heading into summer berry season here in upstate New York, I decided to chop up some fresh strawberries for this Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake. This cake didn’t last long around here!
I’m not gonna lie – one of my favorite parts about coffee cake is the streusel topping. I’ve been using the same topping for years, and there are times when I debate just eating the streusel topping off of all the slices of coffee cake. (I’ve never actually done this – but the thought has crossed my mind!) The combination of brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom is the perfect mix of warming baking spices. Put that over a good coffee cake? That’s pretty much my idea of the perfect breakfast, lunch and dinner! (I kid. I don’t actually eat coffee cake for dinner. Well, not since my bachelor days.)
I hope you get a chance to make this Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake! It’s packed with berry flavor, and it makes for a delicious treat. Happy baking!
Did you bake this Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the streusel
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
For the Cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1¼ cups sour cream
- 2 cups chopped strawberries
Instructions
For the Streusel
- Using a medium bowl, add sugars, cinnamon, cardamom and salt; stir until well combined.
- Add the melted butter; stir until well combined.
- Add the flour; stir until well combined. Set mixture aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour (or spray with nonstick spray) a 9”x3” round cake pan. Set pan aside. (See note below.)
- In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined; set mixture aside.
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add eggs; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice and sour cream; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low until just combined.
- Pour ~½ of the batter into greased cake pan. Spread chopped strawberries evenly on top and then pour remaining batter on top of strawberries.
- Crumble streusel on top of batter. (Tip: Leave some bigger chunks of streusel on top!)
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Open oven and tent the top of the cake with a piece of tin foil to prevent the streusel from burning. Continue baking for another 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out mostly clean.
- Place cake on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Looking for more dessert recipes with fresh strawberries? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon can i use vegan butter and sour cream as am dairy free i never had strawberry coffee cake before perfect for my birthday on 19 September and after office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hey Ramya! I’m not exactly sure how vegan butter and sour cream behave in a baking recipe, but I assume they’re pretty similar. Give it a shot! This is a great cake for sure, and it can work with all sorts of fresh fruit/berries!
That sounds like quite a storm, David. Glad you had the tools to make everything ok for Robbie and your dogs. 😉 This coffee cake looks incredibly good – such a fun way to enjoy peak season strawberries!
Haha – there’s always a cake to be baked around here! 🙂 Thanks so much, Marissa!
yes i always have to think for a minute when i see an american recipe for coffee cake. it’s confusing:) anyways – a strawberry version sounds delish! it’s just coming up to strawberry season here in queensland so good timing.
I agree, Sherry! Coffee cake is confusing for sure. I’m used to the term as I grew up with coffee cakes making regular appearances. Either way, they’re amazing, and totally worth making! This version with fresh strawberries is quite delicious, too. Thanks!
We’ve had another rainy spring. Last year there was so much rain my strawberries were tasteless. For some reason, in spite of excess rain for Oklahoma this spring, my strawberries are perfect. I can only share so many, and freeze the extra. Although yesterday with friends I made a simple syrup strawberry purée and created fun cocktails. Next I’ll try your coffee cake. I hope I can manage it! You know I’m no baker, but I have friends coming in July and this would be perfect with our mugs of coffee!
I hear ya, Mimi – not enough rain, the berries don’t grow. Too much rain and they have no flavor. It’s a fine line there! I’m glad you are having a good crop this year, though! Even subpar fruit is better in the summer (compared to winter).
I have absolute faith in your ability to make this coffee cake, Mimi! I know you’re not a baker, but this is a fun recipe. It’s also my base recipe, so if you can make this…then the sky is the limit for all sorts of other flavors/fruit combinations! Let me know if you have any questions!
That is a lot of water! Whoa!! We get a decent amount of rain around here so when I see the sun, I’m quite happy! These beautiful strawberry coffee cakes looks like a delicious use of those summer berries (can’t wait) and I would just love to have a huge hunk of it right now with my coffee (or perhaps some after supper with whipped cream or ice cream). Okay, now I’m hungry! 😉 Have a great week!!
We just had a cold and rainy long weekend here, Dawn. Oomph. Good for the plants, but sad for us when we just wanted to go play outside! Either way, this coffee cake is a great way to use those summer berries. Hope you have a great week ahead, too, my friend!
Haha, when I saw the name, I was going to remind you about cake name being a misnomer, but you indeed remember! (I guess I might have said that too many times!) But indeed I’m used to it now, so now you can confuse me by incorporating coffee (once again) into the cake. 🙂 Also, what a delicious and fresh cake! Loving that subtle marble effect from the strawberries.
Ah – I always think about you when I make a coffee cake, Ben! You’re right. They are confusing. But they are also delicious. You should totally make this coffee cake sometime. The berries + that streusel topping? Yum!!
My kids used to be confused with the name of coffee cake too. They thought it sounded so gross, until they learned there wasn’t any coffee in it. This strawberry version looks perfect! I love getting strawberries at the peak of ripeness and using them in everything!
Coffee cake truly is an unfortunate term for this treat! No matter the name, though, coffee cake is one of my favorites! This strawberry version is perfect for fresh strawberry season. Thanks, Kathy!
I’m always excited for strawberry season! And this cake looks so perfect – the texture is totally perfect and with that beautiful streusel, I’m having a tough time deciding which part is best! Can’t wait to give this one a whirl, David!
Thanks so much, Laura! We love strawberry season here, too – the best is when you pick up that container of strawberries in the store and can smell how good they are. Yum! And then putting them into a coffee cake? It just combines two of my favorite things! 🙂
I bought a bucket of fresh strawberries from a local farm and I have been thinking about what I should do with them. This coffee cake sounds delicious. I love the streusel on top.
Ah! A coffee cake is always a good option when you have extra berries. I love this one – it just screams summer to me. Thanks, Holly!
Same thing here, it feels like there is an inch of rain on our end, every day its raining, such a bad season we are in now. Thats a good idea to liven up the wet weather, bake! I think I need to do that after seeing this delicious cake of yours.
Umph…that must be tough with all of that rain, Raymund. We get decent rain storms here, but fortunately they don’t set in for days/weeks at a time. Snow? That’s another story. But I do think baking is a great indoor activity for those days when the weather isn’t cooperating!
Robbie is such a smart cookie! Sounds like Chinese pineapple buns, which actually don’t have any pineapple in it! 😉 This strawberry coffee cake looks amazing — love the addition of cardamom to it too!!
Thanks so much, Michelle! Good comparison there to Chinese pineapple buns – I learned something there myself. 🙂 And the cardamom in the coffee cake? That’s my secret weapon! Once I started adding a bit of cardamom to my coffee cakes, I haven’t looked back!
I’ll take coffee cake over cake-cake any day! This looks scrumptious. But I have to ask: what’s going on with your blog? Looks like a redesign? Looks great but I miss your latest blogs/ recipes being front and center. I finally found some recent ones at the bottom, but this one is not even on the home page. I notice because I rarely check the email account this goes to. I tend to just go to your blog once a week or so while having my coffee. I noticed there hadn’t been a new one posted in a while so I checked my email, and that’s how I found this newest recipe.
Thanks so much, Kim! I do love a good coffee cake. As far as the blog, I decided it was time for a facelift. I really appreciate your feedback. Based on what you said, I moved “Latest Recipes” up higher on the home page so they should be easier to find now. Let me know what you think! Also, my apologies for the delayed response – we were on vacation last week, and I was doing my best to disconnect from email. 🙂
I love coffee cake and I’m excited to try one with strawberries. Can’t get enough of them this time of year — and they’ll only be getting better in the next couple of months. (Thanks for the intro to Ben’s site, too. It’s lovely!) 🙂 ~Valentina
I’m with ya, Valentina! I can’t get enough strawberries this time of the year – although I have to admit that I’m jealous as our strawberry season doesn’t last as long as yours. We can get them year-round, but the best ones are limited to just a month or two here.
I love a good plain iced coffee cake on its own David and I’m looking forward to trying this version with fresh strawberries! It’s strawberry season here in Scotland at the moment so a great excuse to make this cake! Yum! Hope you guys are well!
I hear ya, Neil – I love coffee cakes of all types, too. Adding fresh fruit is a fun way to mix things up, though. And strawberries in coffee cake? It’s a perfect match! 🙂
WOA! I would not have thought that a mere 1″ of rain over one square mile could fill up 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools!!!! What’s seemingly a little goes a long way! Like a slice of this coffee cake! Cut off a small slice and drone it all the way down to the Atl and ill be forever grateful! Unless it gets caught in another storm like the one yall had! Speaking of storms… its been unusually dry here … last June we had a lot more rain. But I digress… this is one amazing coffee cake! Such a treat!
I know, right? That rain statistic is crazy! And the perfect thing to do on rainy days? Bake a coffee cake! Haha. This one is fantastic, and sadly we don’t have any left. Thanks so much, Shashi!