Looking for something delicious to go with your morning coffee? This Mini Cherry Coffee Cake is the best accompaniment to your cafe. The moist and buttery cake has a layer of cinnamon, cardamom, and cherry streusel – then topped with even more for a delicious bite!
Small Batch Coffee Cake
I figure if I’m going to have 3 cups of coffee a day, I should have something to go with it. And coffee cake makes it a balanced meal, right?! Probably not, but at least this is a small batch cake, so if I happen to eat two slices, then I’m just fulfilling my serving size.
Kidding, on all of that, of course.
Another plug for small batch baking: cakes dry out after a few days (maybe less), and coffee cake is no exception. So, depending on how many you are serving, chances are when the last piece is served the second day, it will still be moist.
And even though this is a mini cake, it packs a big flavor. Everything you love about a coffee cake:
- Tender, moist cake – Thanks to the sour cream and butter in the cake.
- Crumbly streusel topping – That is good enough to be jarred. Cinnamon and cardamom both complement and highlight the cherries.
- Perfect with your favorite cup of ‘joe’
Plus, a little more. Thanks to the fresh cherries.
Cherry Coffee Cake
It’s summer and as a food blogger, it is fair to assume there is a lot of summer fruit in the house right now. I see the bright fruit in the grocery and it is like a beacon of light is shining on it and telling me to bring it home.
The bright fruit also serves as inspiration for new recipes. Which is how the Mini Cherry Coffee Cake was born.
Now, behind the scenes it looks more like this – I’ve already made Cherry Ice Cream, and Black Forest Cupcakes, and I had a couple of handfuls of cherries left. I needed a new recipe to use them in, rather than throw them out.
What Does Cherry Coffee Cake Taste Like
First, there is no coffee flavor in this coffee cake. Actually, coffee cake originated from the idea of something sweet to go with a cup of coffee. There are some versions of coffee cake that do have coffee flavor in it, but I’ve yet to try that …
The flavor in this Mini Cherry Coffee Cake is pretty straightforward:
- Lightly sweetened vanilla cake – The sugar ratio in this cake is optimal. Especially since there is another layer of sweetness in the streusel.
- Buttery – A good butter cake is a thing of beauty. In addition to the moist-makers in this cake (milk + sour cream), the butter adds a richness that is delightful in a breakfast treat! 🙂
- Floral and spicy – The streusel topping adds a vivid layer of flavor with the cinnamon and cardamom. Cardamom is a unique spice in that it can be sweet, spicy, with citrus notes. And it goes in sweet or savory dishes.
Tips For Making The Cherry Coffee Cake
- Bring all of the cake ingredients to room temperature – with each bake, I cannot stress this enough. It makes mixing everything easier. And there is baking science behind all ingredients starting at the same temp.
- Use fresh cherries – while I’m sure frozen cherries would still taste great, they may impart too much moisture. I would say if you are using frozen fruit, let it defrost before using.
- Flavor the streusel crumb topping – even though the recipe calls for cinnamon and cardamom, feel free to add different spices you like. The streusel adds a great flavor dimension in the cake and you can use it as a vehicle to make different cake flavors.
- Make a parchment paper sling to line the cake pan – cut your piece of parchment long enough so it hangs over the sides of the pan. This makes lifting the cake out of the pan 1000% easier.
More Breakfast Treats Recipes
- Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Almond Croissants
- Chocolate Chip Banana Coffee Cake
- Puff Pastry Cherry Turnovers
- Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls
Mini Cherry Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Cake
- 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons full fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line the cake pan with a strip of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides. Lightly grease the pan.
Streusel Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients for the Streusel Topping. Mix with a fork until well combined. You will have small lumps of butter, which is fine. Set the topping aside.
Cake
- In a liquid measuring cup, add the milk, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use a hand-held mixer to cream the butter and sugar on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add half of the milk mixture and mix until combined – the batter will look a little curdled, which is fine.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the top of the wet batter. Mix on low speed until no streaks of flour remain. Pour in the remaining milk mixture and continue to beat on low speed until mixed thouroughly and smooth. Do not over mix.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel topping on top of the batter. Then sprinkle half of the cherries on top of the streusel. Pour the remaining batter on top, then repeat with the remaining streusel topping and cherries.
- Bake for 28-34 minutes until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, and cool completely on the wire rack before serving.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
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