Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake will be a hit with your friends and family. With flavors of raspberries and orange and a luscious cream cheese filling, it’s a delicious way to start the day! Serve this as part of a Holiday Brunch on a Budget or tuck it into Meal Prep Breakfast boxes.

This Cream Cheese Coffee Cake recipe is super versatile, as you can swap out the raspberries for a number of different flavor combinations, including blueberry, strawberry, or chocolate chip.

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If you’ve ever enjoyed Entenmann’s Cheese Danish Twist, then you’re going to love this Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, with its cream cheese layer and streusel topping dotted with fresh raspberries. Similar to a Polish Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, it’s the ultimate breakfast or brunch treat!

Why Make This

It’s easy to make at home. If you love cheese danishes, you will be a quick fan of this easy-to-bake coffee cake. You can mix the streusel topping, the cake batter, and the cream cheese mixture in one bowl or food processor.

It’s super versatile. This basic cream coffee cake can be adjusted to suit whatever fruit or flavorings you have on hand. I tested frozen blueberries, chocolate chips, and fresh raspberries, but the sky’s the limit in how you want to jazz it up.

Everyone loves it! This is a must-make for holiday brunches, lazy weekends, and after school pick-me-ups. Seriously, my kids inhale a full pan of this crumb cake in about fifteen minutes. So easy, and so good! You’ll love serving this at holidays all year round.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake:

flour – I typically use unbleached, all-purpose flour in baking, but you can use whatever you normally use for quick breads. If you’d like a whole grain option, consider using whole wheat pastry flour.

sugar – Granulated sugar works well here, as does brown sugar. You’ll use it in three of the four layers: the streusel, the cake batter, and the cheese filling.

butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. You can also use a plant-based butter or a neutral cooking oil.

leavening (baking powder, baking soda, salt) – These are non-negotiable ingredients. Don’t omit them.

milk – Whatever milk you typically keep on hand is fine for this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. If you are out of milk, you can substitute buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt, though you might need to add a little water to help the texture.

eggs – You’ll need two eggs for the cake layer. If you prefer, use Flaxseed Meal Egg Substitute if you want to bake without eggs.

orange zest – Freshly zested orange zest adds amazing flavor to this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, but you can use another type of zest, such as lime, lemon, or grapefruit. To go in another direction, you can also use ground cinnamon.

cream cheese – For best texture, make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature. You can use full fat or neufchâtel cheese is fine, too.

vanilla extract – Vanilla adds great flavor to the cream cheese filling, but feel free to try a different extract like almond or lemon. Homemade vanilla extract is the most economical.

raspberries – I tested this with chocolate chips and blueberries as well as raspberries. My testers preferred the raspberry, but the beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever fruit you have on hand.

Variations

This recipe lends itself to experimentation. You can substitute the raspberries with whatever type of fruit you prefer, including blueberries, chopped peaches, sliced strawberries or cherries, cranberries, chopped apples or pears, or chopped plums or apricots. You can also substitute the raspberries with chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruits.

Step-by-Step Instructions

One of the things that I love about this recipe is that despite its four layers, it’s a one-bowl or one-food processor recipe. You can mix it by hand with a whisk, but I found that the electric mixer or food processor got better texture than by hand. Using the food processor is, of course, the easiest.

Here’s how to pull together this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and the butter. Pulse until coarse crumbs are formed.

2. Remove ½ cup of the crumb mixture from the bowl and set aside.

(Alternatively, you can do this without a food processor. Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and cut the butter into the flour and sugar with a pastry blender.)

3. Add to the mixture in the food processor: the baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk, 1 egg, and the orange zest.

4. Pulse until a smooth batter is formed.

(If you’re not using a food processor, use a hand mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients until well combined.)

5. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

6. Spread this batter along the bottom of the prepared pan.

7. Add the cream cheese and remaining ½ cup sugar to the empty processor bowl. No need to wash it. Blend until smooth.

8. Add the remaining egg and the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and blend until smooth.

If you’re not using a food processor, use the mixing bowl and hand mixer from previously.

9. Pour this mixture over the cake batter in ribbons, allowing spaces for cake batter to show. Sprinkle the berries over the batter. Sprinkle the streusel over the berries.

10. Bake the coffee cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheesecake areas are set and a tester inserted into a cake area has a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate the coffee cake prior to serving for more a cheesecake-like texture.

Store any leftover cake in the fridge and consume within 4 days.

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Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake will be a hit with your guests this season just as much as it will please the regulars around your coffee table. With flavors of raspberries, orange, and luscious cream cheese, it's a delicious way to start the day!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 16

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  food processor
• ▢
  large mixing bowl
• ▢
  pastry blender
• ▢
  hand mixer
• ▢
  rubber spatula
• ▢
  9×13-inch baking dish
• ▢
  parchment paper

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar divided usage
• ▢ ½ cup butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup milk
• ▢ 2 egg divided usage
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened, neufchatel cheese is fine, too.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 6-ounce package raspberries frozen berries can also be used, do not thaw

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and the butter. Pulse until coarse crumbs are formed. Remove ½ cup of the crumb mixture from the bowl and set aside. Alternatively, you can do this without a food processor. Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and cut the butter into the flour and sugar with a pastry blender.
• Add to the mixture in the food processor: the baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk, 1 egg, and the orange zest. Pulse until a smooth batter is formed. If you’re not using a food processor, use a hand mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients until well combined.
• Spread this batter along the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Add the cream cheese and remaining ½ cup sugar to the empty processor bowl. No need to wash it. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining egg and the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture over the cake batter in ribbons, allowing spaces for cake batter to show.
• Sprinkle the berries over the batter. Sprinkle the streusel over the berries.
• Bake the coffee cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheesecake areas are set and a tester inserted into a cake area has a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack. Can be refrigerated for more cheesecake-like texture.

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate and are based on 1/16 of the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.

Variations: You can substitute the raspberries with whatever type of fruit you prefer, including blueberries, chopped peaches, sliced strawberries or cherries, cranberries, chopped apples or pears, or chopped plums or apricots. You can also substitute the raspberries with chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruits.

If using frozen berries, do not thaw them, but be ready to increase the baking time, by about five minutes.

For a whole grain option: Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post was originally published on November 8, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.