You just can’t go wrong with a buttery breakfast cake loaded with juicy, tart raspberries. Make this soft, rich cake in the height of summer when the raspberries are fresh and plentiful, or dig a frozen bag of raspberries out of your freezer in the depths of winter. Either way, your morning just got a whole lot more delicious!
I’ll take a great breakfast cake over dessert any day, and this raspberry cake is a perfect illustration of why that is. Breakfast cakes are indulgent without feeling decadent, and I can enjoy my treats so much more when I don’t have to deal with the guilt.
This recipe is based on a 50 year old Betty Crocker blueberry buckle recipe, so I guess you could call it a raspberry buckle…but whatever you call it, it’s the perfect simple summer cake for breakfast, bunch, snack, or tea time. It follows the age old tradition of combining fresh summer fruit with a simple cake batter.
why I love this raspberry coffee cake recipe, and why I think you will too!
- it’s an easy 2 bowl recipe (one for the cake, one for the streusel)
- it bakes up with a nice crackly crunchy top
- the inside is moist with a tender, loose crumb
- I love the background vanilla flavor with the tart raspberries
- there are just enough berries for great flavor without overpowering the cake
- the base cake is fabulous and could be varied a million ways
- it keeps beautifully for a few days on the counter
fresh or frozen raspberries work in this breakfast cake
We picked our own raspberries this year, but because they’re so delicate, I flash freeze them so I can use them at my leisure without them spoiling on me. I just lay them on a baking sheet, put that directly in the freezer for about an hour or so until the berries are frozen, and then a slide them all into a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag. They stay perfect for months, although they never last that long. Note: if you use fresh raspberries they will break up a bit as you fold them into the batter, turning it pink. That’s fine, it will taste just as good!
more raspberry recipes to try:
- Easy Raspberry Galette
- Raspberry Apricot Rugelach Bars
- Perfect Black Raspberry Muffins
- Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
the light streusel topping is one of my favorite things about this cake!
The topping really makes this cake extra special, it’s not a thick crumble, but just enough butter and sugar mixed with a little flour to give the top a sweet crunch.
variations suggestions for raspberry coffee cake
- If you happen to have other berries or summer fruit on hand, try those, too. I think chopped nectarines and blueberries would be a nice combo. Use cranberries or pears in fall. Use rhubarb in spring.
- Throw a handful of finely chopped nuts or rolled oats into the streusel mixture.
- Spice the batter or streusel (or both!) with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or all three.
- Substitute almond extract for the vanilla; use 1 tsp. Add sliced almonds to the streusel.
- Make this a raspberry lemon coffee cake by adding the zest of one lemon to the batter.
- Bake in a 9 inch square baking pan.
featured comment:
“This cake is amazing! I have made it now 3 times within the month of August! It receives rave reviews from my friends and family.” ~Susan
Raspberry Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch spring form pan (or other 9 inch round or square baking pan)
Ingredients
crumb topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
coffee cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk,
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups frozen raspberries (don't thaw)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F Grease a 9 inch spring form pan. I like to wrap the bottom half of the pan tightly in foil to prevent any leaks. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
- Mix the streusel together in a small bowl, using your fingertips to work the butter in to the flour and sugar until the butter is evenly dispersed and the mixture is crumbly. You can also do this in your food processor, using the pulse button. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy either in a stand mixer or by hand in a large bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the egg until completely incorporated, scraping down the bowl again. Then beat in the buttermilk and extract. The mixture may look curdled, that's fine.
- Blend in the baking powder and salt, then fold in the flour. Finally fold in the frozen raspberries, stirring just enough to get them evenly distributed. Turn the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel over the top.
- Bake for about 55-60 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it (moist crumbs are fine.) Cover loosely with foil if it seems to be browning too quickly.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then gently loosen and remove the sides. The cake can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Tell me, what exactly is coffee doing in the description? There’s no coffee in it! Am I missing something?
I understand your confusion ~ it’s a common question! The term “coffee cake” refers to a cake intended to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee, rather than one that contains coffee as an ingredient. So, rest assured, you’re not missing anything!
Just took this out of the oven, waited for it to cool a bit and had a sample taste. OMG this is so good. It is a keeper recipe for sure, thank you.
This was a wonderful coffee cake. I followed the recipe exactly, except exchanged almond extract for the vanilla, as another reviewer suggested. It was truly delicious! I’m glad you mentioned in the recipe about the curdling, as I probably would have tossed the batter and the batter and the recipe in the trash! 5 star recipe for sure
This cake was delicious. Loved the crunchy top with the spongy raspberry cake. Easy to make. Only problem I had was with the baking time. I found it took a good 30mins longer to cook through so sponge not raw. Could this be because raspberries were frozen so the batter took longer to reach the temperature to start cooking?
Glad you loved this cake! Yes, the frozen raspberries would chill the batter and then could make the baking time longer.
I love your recipe! Really good, easy and quick to make. I used whole grain soft white flour because I only use whole grains in my baking… I added 1/2 cup more approximately, because we have to do it when substituting for all-purpose flour. I sprinkled maple sugar on top before baking… and added a little more to serve…and I used soft vegan margarine… nonproblem with it, less saturated fat… thank you! Perfect recipe!
So glad it worked for you Danielle, the whole grain white flour sounds amazing!
OMG, made this morning.
Almost half of the cake is gone….it’s so freaking amazing.
I will definitely be making this again.
This recipe is amazing. So moist and delicious. I did tweak it a bit. With the vanilla I added a half teaspoon of almond extract n in the crumble I added a half cup sliced almonds. Took it up a notch. Definitely will make again. Side note I love coffee cakes because it reminds me of my grandma. She baked a lot of coffee cakes ❤️
My raspberry bush is getting ready to ripen soon, and I’ll definitely be making this again. I love the almond addition.