Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe with Fresh Berries

This raspberry coffee cake is incredibly moist with a buttery vanilla flavor, sweet berries and cinnamon streusel on top. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon treat.

Updated July 5th, 2021 with new photos and recipe tips

Perfect Raspberry Coffee Cake

This raspberry coffee cake is a lovely variation on classic coffee cake. The cake itself is moist, tender and buttery, with a subtle vanilla flavor. A layer of fresh raspberries adds bright sweetness, and a generous cinnamon-brown sugar streusel tops the cake for a crunchy finish. The crumb is denser than a sponge cake, but very tender and satisfying.

The cake is not overly sweet; the fresh berries add balance and make the cake feel special.

Baking Tips

The recipe has two components: a crumbly streusel topping and the vanilla cake batter. Use cold, cubed butter for the streusel and softened room-temperature butter for the cake batter—this difference matters for texture.
To make the streusel, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender. If you don’t have one, two forks or a food processor work. The final mixture should be dry and crumbly with pea-sized (or smaller) bits of butter dispersed throughout.
Make sure eggs, sour cream and buttermilk (or milk) are at room temperature before mixing the batter. Cold ingredients make the batter harder to combine and increase the risk of overmixing.
Mix the batter only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Overmixing creates a tough crumb.
Use fresh raspberries rather than frozen. Frozen berries release extra moisture that can make the streusel soggy.
It may look like a lot of streusel before baking, but the topping compresses as the cake bakes and becomes just the right amount.

A Note About Cake Pans

The cake is baked in a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan because the streusel on top prevents inverting the cake after baking. Some springform pans leak as batter bakes and butter melts, which can cause smoke or burning in the oven. To prevent leaks, wrap the outside of the pan with tin foil. Note: this batter is too much for an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Moist, tender buttery vanilla cake
Bright, sweet fresh raspberries
Crunchy cinnamon-brown sugar streusel
An optional vanilla glaze for a finishing touch
Perfect for breakfast, brunch or any time you have fresh berries

Raspberry Coffee Cake

This raspberry coffee cake is incredibly moist with a buttery vanilla flavor, sweet berries and cinnamon streusel on top. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon treat.

Prep: 35 mins

Cook: 55 mins

Total: 1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 10 slices

Equipment

9-inch (23 cm) springform pan

Ingredients

For the Streusel

1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams), spooned & leveled
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar (66 grams), light or dark
1/3 cup granulated sugar (66 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), cold & cut into small cubes

For the Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (187.5 grams), spooned & leveled
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85 grams), softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream (60 ml), room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk (120 ml), room temperature
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (about 312.5 grams) — do not use frozen

For the Glaze

2–3 tablespoons milk or cream (30–45 ml)
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with butter or nonstick spray and dust with flour. Wrap the outside of the pan in tin foil to prevent leaks, and set aside.

Streusel Topping

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.
Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are no larger than a pea. Chill while you prepare the batter.

Coffee Cake Batter

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and sour cream.
With the mixer on low, add about half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix only until combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Arrange the raspberries in an even layer over the batter, pressing them down slightly. Crumble the chilled streusel over the raspberries until they are evenly covered.
Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, run a thin knife around the pan edge, and allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.

Glaze and Serving

Whisk 2 tablespoons of milk or cream with the powdered sugar. Add a little more milk or sugar to reach a drizzling consistency.
Once the cake is fully cooled and the pan feels room temperature, unclamp the springform ring.
Drizzle the glaze over the cake, then slice with a sharp knife, cutting all the way through to the bottom of the cake.

Notes

For best results, bring the butter, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk (or milk) to room temperature before starting.
Plain Greek yogurt can substitute for sour cream if needed.
If you don’t have buttermilk, regular milk (1% or 2%) can be used in a pinch.
Avoid substituting both sour cream and buttermilk at the same time.
Store the cake covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. The cake freezes well for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight and then bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate per slice, assuming 10 equal slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 468 kcal,
Carbohydrates: 70 g,
Protein: 6 g,
Fat: 19 g,
Saturated Fat: 11 g,
Cholesterol: 84 mg,
Sodium: 97 mg,
Fiber: 3 g,
Sugar: 43 g