Waking up craving cheesecake but lacking the dignity to eat an actual slice for breakfast is exactly what led to this cherry crumb coffee cake at eight on a Tuesday morning. Calling it coffee cake instead of cheesecake successfully tricked the brain into thinking it counted as a reasonable morning meal. A previous attempt at a fancy layered pastry once ended in a complete meltdown when the dough refused to rise for a visit from the in-laws.
This cherry coffee cake recipe rescues that ego entirely, using canned pie filling and a crust that gets pressed into the pan by hand. Here is exactly how I do it.
reader review
★★★★★
“Moist Moist and Moist. I pressed the sticky dough into the springform pan with gloves exactly like the recipe suggests and got the cleanest crust I have ever made at home. My in-laws asked for the recipe before they even finished their first slice at brunch.” – Ottoline R.
Loved this too? Add your reviewWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
- Socially acceptable cheesecake. This justifies eating what is essentially dessert before noon.
- One-bowl dough. The crust and topping come from the exact same bowl, saving extra dishes.
- Shortcut friendly. Canned cherry pie filling turns into a massive time-saver.
- Crowd pleaser. This feeds a whole table, making it a reliable hero for holiday mornings or desperate weekend brunches.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- 9 inch springform pan – Because trying to pry this out of a regular cake pan will end in tears and a pile of crumbs.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer. This handles the cream cheese far more easily than mixing by hand.
- Latex gloves. Optional, though the dough is incredibly sticky and pressing it into the pan bare-handed feels like a sensory nightmare.
Ingredients
For the Crust and Crumb Topping
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour – The foundation of our cherry coffee cake with crumb topping.
- 3/4 cup sugar – For sweetness, obviously.
- 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed – Keep it cold! If it gets warm, your crumb topping will just melt into a sad puddle.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder – For a little lift.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda – For tenderness.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt – Do not skip this, it balances the sugar.
- 1 egg, lightly beaten – The binder.
- 3/4 cup sour cream – This is the secret to a moist cake.
- 1 teaspoon almond extract – Almond and cherry are best friends, trust me.
For the Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened – Leave it out for an hour before you start, or you will have lumpy filling.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar – To sweeten the cream cheese layer.
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten – Holds the cheesecake layer together.
- 21 ounces cherry pie filling – Canned is totally fine. If you want a sour cherry coffee cake vibe, use tart cherry filling instead.
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds – For crunch on top.
How To Make Cherry Crumb Coffee Cake
Do not let the multiple layers intimidate you; most of this is just dumping things into a bowl and aggressively pressing dough into a pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients and butter: In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup crumb mixture. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the remaining crumb mixture. Stir in the egg, sour cream and almond extract until blended. If your arms start aching while cutting in the butter, just consider it your workout for the day.
- Form the crust: Press the mixture onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of an un-greased 9 inch springform pan with removable bottom. The batter is aggressively sticky—I highly recommend wearing food-safe gloves or slightly dampening your hands so you do not end up looking like a dough monster.
- Flatten the crust: TIP – The crust on this cake is quite thick. Press the crumb mixture down well into the pan to flatten it for a slightly less thick crust. If it is lopsided, literally no one will care once it is covered in cream cheese.
- Make the cream cheese layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar for 1 minute. (you can use a hand mixer as well). Add egg, beating just until combined. Do not over-beat the egg, or your cheesecake layer will puff up weirdly in the oven.
- Assemble the layers: Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Carefully top with pie filling. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumb mixture. This is where it transforms into a beautiful cherry streusel coffee cake—if you eat some of the reserved crumb mixture right now, I will not tell.
- Bake and cool: Bake at 350° F for 50-60 minutes or until the center is set. Cool on a wire rack. Do not try to remove the pan sides while it is hot unless you want a volcanic eruption of hot cherry lava on your counter.
- Release and chill: Once cooled, carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen it then remove the sides of the pan. Store in the refrigerator. Patience is a virtue I do not possess, but chilling it actually makes it hold together.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Do not rush the softening I once tried to beat cold cream cheese because I forgot to take it out of the fridge. I ended up with a chunky, unappetizing mess that looked like cottage cheese. Let it sit on the counter for at least an hour.
- The sticky dough situation This dough is basically glue. I learned the hard way that trying to press it into the pan with dry, bare hands is a disaster. Put on some latex gloves, or at least spray your hands with a little cooking spray first.
- Pie filling flexibility While a classic cherry coffee cake recipe uses sweet cherries, you can absolutely swap it out. I have used blueberry, and it is fantastic. If you want to make it from scratch, you can always check out how to properly thicken fruit fillings on a trusted site like King Arthur Baking.
Make it yours
- Almond crunch version. You add extra slivered almonds to both the crust and the topping for more crunch throughout.
- Lemon zest version. You add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the cream cheese layer for a bright contrast against the cherry.
Perfect Pairings
This cherry streusel coffee cake suits two specific pairings particularly well.
- A massive, steaming mug of black coffee cuts through the sweetness.
- A lazy Sunday morning with company calls for exactly this kind of impressive, low-effort bake.
How to Store
❤
- Fridge. Up to five days in an airtight container, though the crumb topping softens slightly.
- Freezer. Up to three months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil.
- Reheat. Eating this cold or microwaving a slice for 15 seconds takes the chill off nicely.
- Storage note. This must stay refrigerated because of the cream cheese, never sitting out on the counter for days.
Cherry Crumb Coffee Cake
This cherry crumb coffee cake proves that a genuinely impressive dessert can come from canned pie filling and a crust pressed in by hand. This cherry coffee cake recipe layers a tangy cream cheese filling and sweet cherries under a buttery crumb topping, delivering a bakery-style treat without any advanced pastry skills. Whether served for a lazy Sunday brunch or dressed up as a sour cherry coffee cake with tart filling, this recipe earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup crumb mixture. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the remaining crumb mixture. Stir in the egg, sour cream and almond extract until blended.
- Press the mixture onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of an un-greased 9 inch springform pan with removable bottom.
- TIP – The crust on this cake is quite thick. Press the crumb mixture down well into the pan to flatten it for a slightly less thick crust.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar for 1 minute. (you can use a hand mixer as well). Add egg, beating just until combined.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Carefully top with pie filling. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumb mixture.
- Bake at 350° F for 50-60 minutes or until the center is set. Cool on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen it then remove the sides of the pan. Store in the refrigerator.