Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

We are of the belief that cherries and almonds are an elite combination. There is something about the nuttiness of almonds that goes so well with fresh, juicy cherries. This coffee cake is no exception to the rule when it comes to the delicious combination of cherries and almonds. The cherry almond coffee cake is a fluffy buttermilk coffee cake that first gets topped with a layer of fresh cherries and is finished with an almond brown sugar crumble. 

Components of the cherry almond coffee cake:

• Soft, golden coffee cake: We have a couple of secrets to ensure the coffee cake is perfectly tender and moist. First and foremost, like with most of our cakes, we use buttermilk. Often in coffee cakes you will see sour cream or milk, but we prefer buttermilk. The buttermilk is more acidic than milk, so when it is added to baked goods it helps break down the gluten in baked goods resulting in a more tender coffee cake. We also alternate the wet and the dry ingredients which helps to ensure the batter is well combined without over mixing. This results in the most tender cake possible.
• Cherry Layer: The cherry layer is made of fresh, pitted cherries, lemon juice, sugar, almond extract, flour, and salt. This layer is spooned over the coffee cake batter and melts into it while baking. It adds juicy fresh cherries in every bite.
• Crumbs: We will add brown sugar crumble to just about anything because we have yet to find something we think brown sugar crumble does not make incredibly delicious. From our blueberry muffins to our banana crumb muffins we think that crumble topping is always a good idea and this cherry almond coffee cake is no exception.

Tips for the best cherry almond coffee cake:

• Buttermilk: The buttermilk is more acidic than milk, when it is added to baked goods it helps break down the gluten in baked goods. This process of the buttermilk helping break down the gluten in baked goods creates a more tender (and delicious) cake. These muffins are no exception to this process. The buttermilk makes a tender muffin that has more of a fluffy cake like texture. 
• Brown sugar crumble:  We have talked about our love of brown sugar crumble many times before and this coffee cake is no exception. We absolutely love the brown sugar crumble topping on top of the cake. It adds texture and flavor to the coffee cake. The crumbs are a little crunchy and packed with brown sugar flavor that pairs perfectly with the buttermilk cake and juicy cherries.
• Almond extract: We are big almond extract fans. We think that this flavor adds bakery style flavor to baked goods. It is our secret ingredient in so many baked goods, like our blueberry crumb muffins. It is sweet, slightly nutty and one of our favorite flavors on the planet. If you are not an almond extract fan, this can be left out. 
• 9×9 inch glass pan: We like to use a 9×9 inch glass pan for two main reasons: 1. We like a tall coffee cake so instead of using a 9×13 inch pan, we prefer the 9×9 inch so the coffee cake is in a little smaller pan and the pieces are a little bit higher. 2. Glass pans allow the cake to bake more evenly. Unlike brownies or other baked goods where we prefer crispy edges and metal pans, we prefer to bake the coffee cakes in a glass pan so the edges cook more consistently with the rest of the cake resulting in a golden color with less crispiness than if it were baked in a metal pan.

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake FAQs

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake Recipe

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Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 10 g
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 g
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
• 1 stick salted butter room temperature 113 g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup buttermilk 240 ml

Cherry layer:

• 2 cups fresh pitted cherries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon flour 8 g
• 2 tablespoons sugar 25 g

Crumble:

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 180 grams
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 100 grams
• 1/4 cup white sugar 50 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
• 1 stick butter 113 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup slivered almonds 60 g

Instructions

Brown sugar crumb:

• Add the flour, brown sugar, sugar, and salt to a medium bowl. Stir to combine
• Pour in the melted butter and almond extract. Mix together until large crumbs form. Add in the almonds and mix. Set aside
  

Cherry Layer:

• In a medium bowl, mix together all the cherry layer ingredients until evenly combined. Set aside
  

Coffee Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to combine and set aside
• In the base of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy
  
• Add in the egg and extracts and cream for 2 more minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the buttermilk and flour mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. To do this, our preferred method is as follows: ⅓ of the dry ingredients, ½ of the buttermilk, ⅓ of the dry ingredients, ½ of the buttermilk, ⅓ of the dry ingredients (pulse after each addition). Note: do not over mix at this stage and just barely mix at each step to evenly combine the ingredients
  
• Place the batter in a 9×9 inch glass pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Spread the batter into an even layer
• Top the batter with the cherry layer followed by the brown sugar crumble and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean