Fruit Coffee Cake (Raspberry Version)

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The weekend is upon us and for me, that means brunch is on the brain.  And when there is brunch in my house, there is usually coffee cake.  

I made this coffee cake few weeks ago for the first time and it is definitely a keeper!  The beauty of this recipe  is that you can use almost any fruit (hence the name fruit coffee cake), but I chose to go with one of my favorites; raspberries. (Other fruit fillings will follow in the future😉.)

It is a pretty straight forward recipe with two options for preparation. What in the world do you mean, Nicole? You see, the original recipe called for "cutting" the butter into the dry ingredients, but I wanted to speed up the process first thing in the am, so I pulled out both my mini and my large food processor.  The only down side to my method is the number of dishes that I had to clean, but I am no stranger to that in my kitchen.  So please, use whichever method works best for you.

You can serve this cake warm or at room temperature, but I found that it is best if devoured within the day so that the bottom layer doesn't get too soggy from the filling. And my dear readers, that is what makes coffee cakes so wonderful. It is acceptable to eat them any time of day! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Fruit Coffee Cake (Raspberry Version)

serves 9

For the Filling

1 1/2 -2 cups red raspberries

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

For the Topping

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons (1-ounce) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 (2-ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling

In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch; stir into the raspberries. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it is thick and bubbling. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Transfer filling to shallow bowl to cool.

For the Topping

In the bowl of a mini-food processor, pulse together the sugar and flour until combines.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives.) Keep the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In the bowl of a larger food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened.  Using an off-set spatula, spread half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Gently and evenly spread the cooled filling over the batter.  Drop the remaining batter in small mounds onto the filling (DO NOT SPREAD).  Sprinkle the chilled topping over the batter and filling.  Bake until topping is golden brown, 40-50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: Cook's Secrets, August 2013