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I grew up making Bisquick coffee cakes from a mix, and being extremely pleased with myself each time I turned out one of those moist, crumb-topped treats. They definitely made an appearance on random weekend mornings, but they were absolutely my go-to recipe during the colder months, and especially around the holidays. So cheerful and festive, and slightly decadent.
Seriously, cake for breakfast? Yes, when it was coffee cake. The word coffee preceding the word cake made it all ok.
Fast forward to now, when I am drawn towards more from-scratch baking, though no less drawn to cake for breakfast. Combine that with the fact that my husband spent not only his childhood but most of his adulthood ripping open a package of store-bought crumb cakes for breakfast on the way to school/work.
And top all of that with the notion that raspberries are my kids’ most lusted after member of the berry family, and this recipe practically willed itself into creation. I like the idea of mixing some of the berries fully into the cake batter, but sprinkling some directly on top as a bright juicy layer right underneath the topping, with little pops of color peeking through the crumbs. Skip the drizzle if it’s just that one extra step, but it does add a bakery finish to the whole thing.
Most often berries in our house are eaten by the fistful, and I have to stash some away if I have other plans for them. Raspberries to me are the most holiday-ish of all the berries. The glowing color, the delicate texture, the luxuriousness of them….they just trumpet “holiday”, “celebration,” or “special occasion.”
So, this is the cake, um, coffee cake, we will be eating for breakfast on the luckiest of weekends as we tumble towards the holidays. And this is the cake I will be bringing to friends’ houses this year when I’m looking to spread some holiday cheer.
Now that I’ve said that aloud, I feel certain our invite quota is going to skyrocket.
Other Cake Recipes for Breakfast:
- Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger
- Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Mini Banana Bread Loaves
- Chocolate Banana Cake
Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake with Sweet Vanilla Drizzle
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons butter chilled, cut into small pieces
For the Coffee Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick, at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 cups raspberries
For the Sweet Vanilla Drizzle (optional)
- ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform baking pan (see Note)
- Make the Topping: In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and using your fingers or a pastry cutter or two knives combine everything until the butter is cut into the dry mixture, and the whole thing is quite crumbly (it should not be a paste; there should be little pieces of butter throughout).
- Make the Cake: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a large bowl , beat the butter and the sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, then beat in the vanilla. Add half the flour mixture, and beat just until almost incorporated, then beat in the milk just until blended, then repeat with the rest of the flour, beating just until everything is combined, but not any more than that. Gently fold in 2 cups raspberries, then spread the batter into the prepared pan (it will be thick). Sprinkle the remaining cup of raspberries on top, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the raspberries.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown. A wooden skewer inserted into the middle might have some berry stuck to it when you pull it out, but there should not be any uncooked batter.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then release it from the pan and continue to cool it on the bottom part of the pan on the wire rack.
- If you are making the vanilla drizzle, combine the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and water in a cup or small bowl. Use a teaspooon to drizzle the icing over the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I also want to try it with blueberries and blackberries actually!
Oh! Oh! I think both sound luscious! A combination of the two is great, also. My step-mother once started to make a blueberry pie, but found she didn’t have enough blueberries, so she added blackberries to make up the difference. Her “mistake” pie was my favorite and I asked for it often.
I’ve made my fair share of those Bisquick coffee cakes, too. I also now prefer one made from scratch. This sounds delicious and I think I’m likely to make it both with and without raspberries.