Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Wow. This cake is good. I was a little worried throughout the recipe development and baking process that maybe it wasn’t going to turn out how I anticipated. To my surprise, it actually turned out better! I love cherry and almond extract together for that amaretto type flavor and it is perfect in this cherry cream cheese coffee cake. We have here a buttery, moist cake, loaded with dark sweet cherries and cream cheese filling. On top and throughout the middle of the cake we have a sweet almond streusel. It is the perfect combination of complementary flavors and textures. Now that I have sufficiently hyped it up for you, let me tell you how to make it. 

The coffee cake:

Knowing I wanted a moist texture for this cherry cream cheese coffee cake I used both butter and sour cream. I love the crumb they give to a recipe. You could substitute the sour cream for plain yogurt as well if you had that on hand instead. The cake is flavored with both vanilla extract and almond extract. I used a combination of both brown and granulated sugars, as well as unsalted butter and all purpose flour. 

For the cherries I used dark sweet cherries you find in a can in the baking aisle. They are typically near the pie fillings that are in a can (yuck). Make sure when looking for these canned cherries you don’t end up taking home a can of cherry pie filling. We want just the dark sweet cherries in syrup in a 15 oz can. We will drain off the syrup, but save it for later to make the glaze.

For the cream cheese layer we will use an 8 oz block of cream cheese and just a little bit of granulated sugar. You’ll dollop this throughout the middle of the cake and gently swirl using either a skewer or a butter knife. 

This cake is baked in either a 9 inch or a 10 inch springform pan. It could also be baked in a 9 inch or 10 inch cake pan IF it was at least 4 inches deep. A springform pan makes it super easy to get the cake out when it’s finished. This is a big, thick cake, and has quite a long bake time. In order to prevent the streusel on top from browning too much I tented it with aluminum foil after about 30 minutes. 

The streusel:

To complement the almond extract and cherry combination in the cake I added sliced almonds to the streusel. The streusel is pretty simple and contains a combination of salted butter, all purpose flour, brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon, and sliced almonds. Unlike the cake, I used cold butter in the streusel. I also prefer to use salted butter in the streusel because I love the flavor it gives. If using unsalted just add ¼ tsp of salt to the streusel. 

Then, add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Then, cut the butter into cubes and using your fingers or two forks work the butter into the dry ingredients. You are looking for a mixture that sticks together when you squeeze it, but still has pea sized chunks of butter. 

Glazing the cherry cream cheese coffee cake:

What could be a more perfect topping to a cherry cream cheese coffee cake than a cherry glaze? Absolutely nothing. I made the glaze with just three ingredients, cherry syrup we drained from the canned cherries earlier, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Not only does it taste great, but thanks to the cherry juice it also has a pretty pink hue. After you’ve finished baking the coffee cake and it has cooled completely, glaze to your heart’s desire. I used a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off, but you could also just drizzle it all over the entire thing using a spoon or a fork.

Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee cake

Cherry cream cheese coffee cake that is buttery and moist, spiked with almond extract, sweet dark cherries, and cream cheese. Topped with a naturally pink cherry glaze.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Cake

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup dark sweet cherries in a can, drained liquid reserved

Cream cheese layer

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Almond streusel

• 6 tbsp salted butter, cold
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cherry glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp cherry syrup removed from can earlier
• 1/8 tsp almond extract

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat oven to 400°. Prep a 9 or 10 inch springform pan by greasing with butter or oil and flouring.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer add the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix together on medium speed until creamed together and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape the edge of the bowl down occasionally. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and then add half of the milk, alternating between the two. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Once all the milk and dry ingredients are added and combined use a spatula to gently fold the cherries into the batter. Set aside and make the cream cheese layer.

Cream cheese layer

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer add the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar. Mix on medium until thoroughly combined, about a minute. Set aside and make the streusel.

Almond streusel

• Add the flour, brown sugar, sliced almonds, and cinnamon to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter cubed to the bowl. Using your fingers or two forks, break down the butter into small pea sized pieces. Mixture should stick together when pressed between two fingers. Set aside and begin assembly of the cake.

Assembly

• To the spring from pan add half of the cake batter. Then dollop all of the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls all over the top of the batter. Using a butter knife or a wood skewer swirl the cream cheese throughout batter. Crumble half of the streusel over the top. Next, add the remaining cake batter and gently smooth over in an even layer. Top with the remaining streusel.
• Bake on the middle oven rack in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes. At about 30 minutes tent the cake with foil to prevent over browning of the streusel if desired. Start checking the cake around 55 minutes. A wooden skewer or butter knife should come out clean when inserted into the center. The water content in the cherries may vary so add a few minutes to the cook time if at 65 minutes it is still not cooked completely.
• When finished baking allow the cake to cool in the springform pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes carefully remove from springform pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. When it has cooled make the glaze.

Cherry glaze

• Combine powdered sugar, reserved cherry syrup, and almond extract using a whisk. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Add more powdered sugar or syrup to reach desired consistency if needed. Once cake has cooled drizzle glaze over the top.

Notes

This cake tastes great warm and room temperature, so try both out and see what your preference is. 

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. May also freeze for up to 3 months. 

Keyword breakfast, Cake, Cherry, Cream cheese, desserts