This raspberry coffee cake features fluffy cake speckled with tangy, fresh raspberries. Perfect for your next brunch get-together paired with a cup of joe!
This raspberry coffee cake recipe is one of those treats that never get old. Loved by kids and adults alike, it’s packed with fresh, puckery raspberries (but to be honest, you can use any berry you love best) and the cake is melt in your mouth moist. If you’re a lover of crumbly topping, we’ve also included a bonus how-to on making a quick streusel.
Love berry desserts? If you’ve got a ton of blackberries to use up, try our blackberry cobbler!
Preparing this Simple Raspberry Coffee Cake
This raspberry coffee cake recipe doesn’t even require you to bust out your electric mixer. So easy, you can whip it up all in one bowl!
- Prepare the Butter & Dry Ingredients: First, allow the unsalted butter to soften at room temperature. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder.
- Cream the Butter: Next, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.
- Stir in the Vanilla & Eggs: Stir the vanilla extract and egg into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until smooth.
- Add in the Flour: In small portions, add in the flour mixture and milk.
- Assemble the Coffee Cake: Next, spread the cake batter into a greased 6-inch baking dish. Spread the raspberries on top and sprinkle on some sugar.
- Bake the Coffee Cake: Bake the cake in the oven at 350°F for about an hour, or until golden brown. Allow it to cool, slice it, and enjoy!
Tips for the Tastiest Raspberry Coffee Cake
This simple dessert or snack doesn’t take much technique at all, but a handful of tips will help you knock it out of the park.
- Sift the dry ingredients if necessary. If your flour or baking powder has been sitting in the pantry for a while, sift it through a fine-mesh sieve to rid it of any lumps and clumps.
- Swap in whatever berries you like best. You can use blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or any berry you like best!
- Add in your favorite ingredients. If you’d like, add a couple of tablespoons of poppy seeds, cinnamon, or sliced almonds to the batter. Get creative!
Sweet Glaze Hack: If you love a glaze, mix 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar with 4 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and drizzle over the cake after it cools.
Bonus! Add a Simple Streusel Topping
If you love the texture and added sweetness of streusel, check out our quick, 3-ingredient streusel. All you need? Brown sugar, frozen butter, and all-purpose flour.
- Grate the Butter: Using a cheese grater, grate the butter on the largest side into a medium bowl.
- Add in the Flour & Sugar: Next, add in the sugar and flour.
- Toss to Combine: Lastly, use your hands to toss the ingredients together in a rough crumble. Spread the mixture evenly across the batter before baking.
Storing & Reheating Tips
To keep the coffee cake fresh for 2-3 days, store it in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature to prevent it from drying out. If you want it to last for a week, store it in the fridge instead.
Reheating Tip: Reheat the coffee cake in the microwave for 30 seconds with a pat of butter to keep it hydrated.
FAQ
Can you use frozen raspberries in a raspberry coffee cake?
While fresh raspberries are best for raspberry coffee cake, you can use thawed frozen berries in a pinch. To do so, allow them to sit on the counter in a strainer with a bowl underneath to catch any excess liquid.
Does raspberry coffee cake taste like coffee?
No, coffee cake doesn’t taste like coffee (although there are probably some kinds out there that are coffee-flavored). The name simply references how well the cake pairs with a hot cup of coffee.
What ingredient makes the raspberry coffee cake moist and fluffy?
While many people attribute butter to making cakes moist, it’s the sugar that does most of the work. Sugar attracts and holds onto water, making it particularly important to help a cake retain moisture.
Can you use any kind of sugar for raspberry coffee cake?
White sugar works best for coffee cake. Other alternative sugars simply don’t work the same nor provide the same level of moisture.
More Tasty Breakfast Cakes
- Streusel Blueberry Coffee Cake – Blueberry coffee cake with a crumbly topping
- Farmer’s Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe – Slavic-style cheesecake
- Oatmeal Plum Cake Recipe – Hearty fruit and oatcake
- Farmer’s Cheese Cake with Raisins – Slavic-style cheesecake with golden raisins
Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup raspberries
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Allow the butter to sit at room temperature until it softens. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder together.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat it until well-combined and fluffy.
- Stir the vanilla extract and egg into the butter mixture. Beat until smooth.
- In small portions add in the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Repeat until you run out of flour and milk. Beat until well-combined.
- Spread the cake batter into a buttered 6-inch baking dish. Spread the raspberries on top and sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Bake the cake at 350°F for about an hour, or until golden brown. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
This is the easiest and the best cake for last minute company or anytime! I used fresh cranberries the second time and it was fantastic. Any thoughts on baking time of I made into smaller loaves for gifts?
These would make lovely gifts! How small are you thinking to make them?
Perhaps split the batter in half? Hmmmm...a loaf pan?
It would probably still be around an hour of cooking time, depending on how much batter is in each loaf. You can check on it after about 35-40 minutes, and add more time as needed.
I made this in a Bundt pan, had to cook it more than an hour
Hey Lolo, Sometimes different pan sizes and different ovens will require more cooking time. I hope you enjoyed the cake!
Your list of ingredients says 1 egg. In the recipe instructions you say "add the eggs". A bit confusing.
Hey Susan, Thanks for bringing that to our attention. We will get that updated correctly.
I cannot even begin to describe how delicious this cake is. I finished mine with a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine also only needed 50 minutes. A truly amazing recipe I will cherish for years to come!
Oh Stacey, this is so great. Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback. I am so happy that you found your got to recipe. 🙂 I love it for those unexpected last minute quests or a quick dessert, its so good.
I have made this cake at least 30 times if not more! It has been my go-to for years. So simple and always have ingredients on hand. I like to use frozen triple berry mix berries from Sam’s, and it comes out perfect every time!
Hi Olya, I am thrilled that you love this recipe! Sounds like you're a pro at this! Thank you for sharing your process with me. Enjoy!!
It’s perfect and my best cake made ever. Thank you very much
Hi Liu, I am so glad to hear it! Thank you for the feedback! Enjoy!
I reduced the sugar a bit and used sparkling sugar on top instead and it was great! There’s no way this would have fit in a 6 inch pan for me though! I pulled out my 6 inch round cake pan at first and thought no way, so I put it in a 9 inch pan instead thinking it would just be thinner and I will reduce baking time. It still filled my pan once baked!
Hi Diana- using a 6 inch pan leads to a taller cake. That being said you can use a larger pan, the cake will just be a bit shorter! Either way works 🙂
This is such a pretty cake!! We love all berries! They add great texture & flavor! This is delicious!
Hi Kristyn, so glad you enjoyed it!
This was so easy and so delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
You're welcome, Allyson. It went fast in our house and I hope other love it as much as we did! 🙂
this is the perfect cake to make with tea time! thank you for sharing
Exactly! It's light enough to enjoy any time of day as well. Glad you enjoyed it, Jess.
So yummy and easy to make!! Your recipes are the BEST!!!! You are making me a better cook and baker!!!!
Hey Elana, thank you so much for sharing. I am so happy that you find the recipes useful. Keep me posted if you try other recipes. I would love to hear feedback!
Hi Natalya, do you recommend any other sugars to make
This? Maybe coconut sugar or honey somehow
To make this fluffy texture it would be hard to achieve with other sugars, honey wouldnt work same way. But, I havent tested with many different sugars, if you try something new and it works, please report back.
I baked this desert today for the first time, it turned out amazing! Not too sweet, moist, light and very tasty! It was EASY to make it too, so easy that I did it with one hand (lol) while another one was holding a 8 month old baby boy! Too bad it's not going to last until the next day, because it so good!
I used blackberries btw!
Thanks Natalya!!
Dina, thank you for sharing your photos. Looks like your cake turned out perfect. You are an amazing cook, btw!
question- you say spread berries on top of the batter but it look like your berries are at the bottom...
You spread them on top but they drop to the bottom as they cook. They do stay spread out nicely.
Would u have anu eggless recipes for desserts?
There are some eggless recipes on the blog, like http://momsdish.com/r536 or http://momsdish.com/r416
This coffee cake looks delicious and simple to make! Thanks Natasha for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Hi Valya, thank you so much! It is definitely a perfect quick treat!
Looks so yummy and easy! Can I use fresh berries instead of frozen?
Yes, if you have fresh berries on hand, that would work perfectly!
Looks and sound delish. Quick question so there is no baking powder in this recipe?
Thanks for keeping me on my toes, I dont know what I was thinking 🙂 I fixed the recipe 🙂