Easy Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake

This Strawberry Coffee Cake is a tender breakfast cake loaded with fresh strawberries and topped with a buttery cinnamon sugar streusel topping  — the perfect pairing with a cup of coffee!

This easy recipe is adapted from my super popular Strawberry Coffee Cake Muffins. They’re as delicious as this Strawberry Coffee Cake, but without the need for utensils!

Looking for a way to use those fresh-picked strawberries? This delicious Strawberry Crumb Cake is your answer! This recipe will impress friends and family, but it’s simple enough to make on any weekend morning. 

Served at room temperature with tea or coffee, your day will be off to a great start! So next time you’re craving a sweet breakfast treat, there’s no need to buy one — make this instead! 

This Cake Is

• Flavored with vanilla, strawberries, and cinnamon.
• Tender, moist, and soft.
• Loaded with fresh juicy strawberries.
• Sweetened with strawberry juice and sugar.
• Topped with a sweet and spicy crumble.
• Extremely delicious and perfect for spring and summer!

In addition to the berries and buttermilk, you will need pantry staples like flour, sugar, and butter. You’ll also need a rubber spatula, mixing bowls, and a 9×9-inch baking pan. 

Ingredients

• Butter – This adds fat and flavor. Make sure it’s softened (not melted) before mixing!
• Granulated sugar – For sweetness, of course!
• Egg – This helps bind everything together.
• All-purpose flour – This works best, as opposed to cake flour, bread flour, etc. 
• Baking powder – A leavening agent. (It’s weaker than baking soda but just enough for this recipe!)
• Vanilla extract and kosher salt – For flavor.
• Buttermilk – This makes the cake extra moist and tender. If you don’t have any on hand you can make an easy substitute in a pinch – see recipe notes for how. 
• Fresh strawberries – For the best taste. However, you can use frozen, too.
• Topping – A simple blend of flour, cinnamon, butter, and sugar make up the scrumptious streusel topping!

How To Make Coffee Cake From Scratch: 

This coffee cake is really easy to make and includes step-by-step photos to guide you along in the recipe. For the full printable recipe, scroll to the bottom of the post!

1. Preheat oven and prepare baking pan. Then cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a large bowl.

2. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat just until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until fully combined.

5. Fold chopped strawberries into the cake batter and transfer the mixture into the prepared pan.

6. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the top of the cake batter. Then bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick comes clean from the center of the cake.

Expert Tip: Allow the coffee cake to cool in the pan for about 1 hour before cutting. This gives the coffee cake time to finish setting up.

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute

1. Pour 1 cup of milk (whole or 2%) or heavy cream into a large bowl or 4 cup measuring cup.
2. Use a small fresh lemon or white vinegar. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR vinegar into the bowl with the milk and whisk to combine. Viola! You have buttermilk!

Variations & Add Ins

• Brown sugar: You can use this instead of granulated sugar in the crumb topping. It would be especially tasty for fall! 
• Rhubarb: Make a Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake by replacing ¼ cup of fresh strawberry with finely chopped rhubarb!
• Nuts: Feel free to add chopped nuts to the topping mixture for a crunchy texture.

Frequently Asked Questions 

More Coffee Cake Recipes:

• Blackberry Brown Sugar – You’ll love the rich flavor of this mouthwatering treat!
• Vanilla Pumpkin – This is especially warm and cozy in fall and winter!
• Strawberry & Peach – Bright, juicy, and full of ripe fruit.
• Triple Berry Coffee Cake – Topped with icing and pecans, this one is especially decadent.

Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!

5 from 19 votes

Strawberry Coffee Cake

Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 9 people

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Strawberry Coffee Cake is a tender breakfast cake loaded with fresh strawberries and topped with a buttery cinnamon sugar streusel topping  — the perfect pairing with a cup of coffee!

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Ingredients

  

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Cake

• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• ▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1 cup fresh strawberries quartered

Topping

• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 3 tablespoons salted butter melted

Instructions

• Preheat over to 350°F and line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla. The mixture may be a bit lumpy, that’s okay.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
• Slowly add buttermilk and flour mix, alternating between until incorporated in the butter mix.
• Gently fold in the strawberries with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
• In a mixing bowl, beat topping ingredients until fully combined.
• Sprinkle the topping over the top of the batter and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes clean from the center of the cake.
• Allow the coffee cake to cool in the pan for about 1 hour before cutting. This gives the coffee cake time to finish setting up.

Notes

• How To Make Buttermilk Substitute:
  1. Pour 1 cup of milk (whole or 2%) or heavy cream into a large bowl or 4 cup measuring cup.
  2. Use a small fresh lemon or white vinegar. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR vinegar into the bowl with the milk and whisk to combine. Viola! You have buttermilk!
• Substitutions & Variations
  • Brown sugar: You can use this instead of granulated sugar in the crumb topping. It would be especially tasty for fall! 
  • Rhubarb: Make a Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake by replacing ¼ cup of fresh strawberry with finely chopped rhubarb!
• How To Freeze: Once cooled, simply wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag to help prevent freezer burn. It’ll keep for 2 to 3 months. To thaw, let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour.
• Using Frozen Berries: While I think fresh berries work best in this recipe, you can use frozen strawberries instead. Make sure to use unsweetened frozen berries and use slices, not whole berries. I recommend rinsing them off under cool water and patting dry before adding to the patter to start the thawing process and reduce the amount of color bleeding that will occur.
• Shelf Life: Room temperature in an airtight container for 1 day. In the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

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