Easy Cherry Coffee Cake

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Have fresh cherries? Make this delicious and easy to make Cherry Almond Coffee Cake with a delicious crumble topping.

We are lucky enough to live in a place where we can go and pick out own cherries!   Since cherries are my favorite fruit and they are always so expensive in the market I try and stock up whenever the local orchards have U-Pick days for cherries.

What is a U-Pick Day at the Orchard?

A u-pick day at a fruit orchard is an event where customers can visit the orchard to pick their own fruits directly from the plants. These events are popular during harvest seasons for various fruits such as apples, berries, peaches, and cherries.  Often the price of the fruit is deeply discounted since customers are doing the work and picking their own produce.

While I have been lucky enough to go and pick my own apples and berries, I rarely get to go and pick my own cherries.   Over the last few years I’ve had several friends who will pick the cherries for me and then drop them off at my house.

I make a lot of treats with cherries because of how much I enjoy them.  Cherry Crumble Bars are one of my favorites because they are easy to make and so delicious.  You can’t go wrong with sweet and tart Cherry Rhubarb Pie with crumble topping.  If muffins are more your jam then Cherry Muffins with a sweet crumble topping are always tasty in the mornings. 

I love that I have people in my life that will do this and I always get several pounds of cherries so that I can bake with some now and freeze some for later.

How do you freeze cherries?

The best way to freeze cherries is to pit them, place them on a baking sheet, flash freeze them for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and then place them in freezer bags.  You can also cut them in half before freezing but I generally just pit them and then freeze them.  They can last for up to 1 year in the freezer but I try to use them within 6 months for the best results.

The worst part about baking with cherries is pitting them.  For years I did this with a knife and it took forever.   Since I’ve been getting cherries from a local orchard I discovered the beauty and ease of owning a cherry pitter.

Using a cherry pitter can make pitting cherries so much easier and there is very little waste.   Spend the money and get a decent one and it will last you for years.

This time around I got Queen Anne’s cherries which are on the tart side and Bing cherries which are super sweet.   I couldn’t wait to bake them into a coffee cake knowing that the sweet and tart cherries together would make a delicious breakfast cake.

Ingredients:

• salted butter (or unsalted if you prefer)
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• granulated sugar
• egg
• whole milk (or plant based milk)
• almond extract
• sweet and tart cherries, pitted (or you can use one type of cherries if you prefer)
• brown sugar
• cinnamon

To make the coffee cake preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.  I have made it in this cake pan and I have also made it in two 8 x 6 disposable tin foil pans so that I could give them to friends. 

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.   Add in the egg, milk, and almond extract and beat until smooth.

Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is well combined.   Fold in half of the cherries.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and then place the remaining cherries on top of the batter, pressing down so that they are stuck in the batter.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter in a small bowl.   Mix well with your fingers until the butter has mixed with the other ingredients and has made a crumble. Sprinkle over top of the cake. 

Do I have to use the crumble on top?

You do not have to use the crumble on top.  You can simply bake the cake with the cherries on top.   Alternatively you can sprinkle thin sliced almonds and sugar on top of the cake and use that as your topping. 

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  If you bake in 2 smaller pans check the cakes at 35 minutes and see if they have finished baking.  Mine took almost 35 minutes. 

Remove the coffee cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack.   Cut and serve.

How do you store the cake?

Place a piece of foil over top of the cake pan once it has cooled completely and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.  You can also cut the cake into pieces and place in an air tight container for up to 3 days. 

I really enjoyed this coffee cake.  I didn’t feel like it was as dense as many coffee cakes I’ve enjoyed.   The cherries are both sweet and tart and the crumble topping is buttery and sweet. 

This is one of those coffee cakes that is great to have with a cup of coffee for breakfast but could also be served as dessert after dinner as well. 

Easy Cherry Coffee Cake

Sweet and tart cherries mixed into coffee cake with a tasty crumble topping.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 9 inch cake pan
• 1 cherry pitter
• 1 Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

For the coffee cake:

• 6 Tablespoons salted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 c. cherries pitted (I used one cup sweet cherries, one cup tart cherries)

For the topping:

• 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons butter cold and cut into pieces

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg, milk, and almond extract and mix for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.
• Fold in half of the cherries.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press the remaining cherries into the top of the cake batter.
• In a small bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and use your hands to combine it until it is crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the cake.
• Bake the coffee cake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

More Cherry Recipes: