Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake
Submitted by xenaBMW
Cherry cheese coffee cake on a yeasted bread base with cream cheese filling, cherry pie filling, raisins, and a brown sugar streusel top. Uses frozen bread dough for the shortcut.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
40 minREADY
55 minThis is the kind of brunch bake that looks like you spent the morning at it but only takes 15 active minutes. Frozen bread dough does the heavy yeast work, so you skip mixing, kneading, and the first rise. Just thaw, roll, and fill.
The layers stack a complete dessert: a soft yeasted bread base, a layer of cherry pie filling studded with raisins for chewy bursts, a tangy cream cheese custard with almond extract for that bakery-perfect aroma, and a brown sugar streusel that bakes into a crackly golden top. Each bite hits all four textures at once.
The almond extract is what makes this taste like a proper Eastern European-style cherry cheese pastry rather than a generic sheet cake. Just ¼ teaspoon transforms the entire flavor profile to mirror traditional cherry-and-marzipan pairings. Don’t skip it.
Pro Tips
- Let the dough rise to truly double in volume in a warm spot. Underrisen dough produces dense, gummy coffee cake.
- Use full-fat cream cheese for the best texture; nonfat works but tends to weep more during baking.
- Spread the cherry filling evenly to the edges. Bare spots become tough crusty patches.
- Let the cake cool 15 minutes before slicing. Cutting hot causes the cream cheese layer to slide and tear.
Variations
- Substitute blueberry pie filling, apple, or peach for cherry to match the season.
- Drizzle a powdered sugar glaze (made with milk and almond extract) over the cooled cake for extra sweetness and shine.
- Skip raisins and add chopped almonds to the streusel for a crunchier, cherry-almond combination.
Ingredients
Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 13 x 9 inch rectangle.
Place in prepared 13 x 9 inch pan.
Cover and let rise until double in size, 1 hour.
In a mixing bowl, combine cherry pie filling and raisins.
Spread evenly over dough.
In a another mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons flour, and almond extract.
Pour mixture over cherry mixture.
In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining flour, and brown sugar.
Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle mixture over cream cheese layer.
Bake in a 350℉ (180℃) oven for 40 minutes.
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