This Easy Blackberry Peach Coffee Cake is my new favorite go-to recipe for a lazy weekend or holiday brunch. A layer of peach and blackberry filling is sandwiched between two layers of buttermilk cake batter. The cake is then finished with a delicious crumb topping and baked for approximately 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
This homemade coffee cake recipe is quick, easy, and holds up well over a few days, but trust me when I say it won’t last that long.
If lazy Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee or tea and a warm slice of a fruit-filled cake sounds like your vibe, read on.
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There’s Not a Lot to Say About this Easy Blackberry Peach Coffee Cake
Perhaps not the most engaging heading title, but it’s true. There’s something elegantly simply about this homemade coffee cake recipe. There’s a time and place for fussy, highly stylized bakes – weddings, showers, special events of any sort. But there’s also something to be said for a simple bake that looks effortlessly beautiful and tastes amazing. That’s exactly how I would describe this coffee cake.
Instead of a lot of specialized ingredients, this recipe calls for a few simple kitchen staples like sugar, A.P. flour, a little butter, buttermilk, one large egg, a touch of almond extract, a little salt, baking powder and baking soda, and 2 1/2 cups of fruit. That’s it! Just a few simple ingredients brought together to make a lovely breakfast bake.
The Process
This bake may seem complicated at first, but my process for writing out a recipe has always been to break it down into manageable steps – Mise en Place (putting into place). The French culinary term essentially refers to having everything you need from ingredients to cookware staged and ready to go before beginning to prepare a recipe. I find it helps the process in every way. It ensures ingredients are measured properly, that steps aren’t skipped or completed out of order, it helps manage time in the kitchen, and results in a better, more consistent baking experience every time. So without further ado, here’s the process:
- Start by preparing the peach filling. Combine the peaches, water, sugar, and cornstarch together in a small sauce pan. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil and the mixture thickens. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can use either fresh peaches or frozen peach slices that have been thawed to room temperature. Set the peach filling aside to cool while you prep the other coffee cake components.
- Prepare an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and then set it aside until you’re ready to use it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is heating:
- Make the crumb topping. In a small mixing bowl, combine the crumb topping ingredients (sugar, flour, pinch of salt, and room-temperature butter) and work it with the back of a fork until it forms a crumble that is similar in appearance and texture to wet sand. Set aside.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients. In a small cup, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and almond extract. Set aside.
- Prepare the base batter. Now you’re ready to make the base for this coffee cake.
- Using a stand- or hand-held mixer, combine the flour, sugar, leavening agents, salt, and cold butter. If working with a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cut in the butter. You can also use a pastry cutter if you have one. As you work in the butter, you are looking for a similar consistency to coarsely grated parmesan cheese.
- Once the dry ingredients are combined, add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined. You may have some pea-sized butter cubes still, and that’s OK.
- Assemble and bake. Spread 2/3 of the base batter on the bottom of the baking pan. Reserve the remaining 1/3 of batter. Spread the peach filling over the top of the base layer. Place the blackberries evenly over the top of the peach filling. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the cake batter over the top of the fruit layer. It’s OK if it doesn’t cover the entire top. It’s good to have some fruit peeking through. Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping over the surface of the cake and place it in the oven to bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 35-40 minutes.
Every oven is different, so I provide a bake-time range of 35-40 minutes. Because of the fruit filling, the “clean toothpick” test doesn’t really work well for this recipe. If after 35 minutes the batter still looks a little wet in spots, give it another 2-3 minutes.
Alternative Fruit Options
I love the flavor combination of peaches and blackberries, which is why I chose them for this coffee cake recipe. If you love the flavor of blackberries, but can’t tolerate the seeds, you can leave them out completely. The two cups of peaches are sufficient to fill the middle layer of this coffee cake.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind the extra work, you can substitute 2 1/2 cups of raspberries for the peaches. However, you will need to put the filling through a strainer to remove all the seeds before spreading the fruit mixture over the batter. Although raspberries yield a nice flavor and visually stunning bake, you must put in the extra work to strain out the seeds. It’s not worth breaking a tooth.
At the end of the day, all recipes are a starting point, not the end of a conversation, so if you have a favorite fruit, experiment with it and see how you might choose to make this recipe your own. Just stick to the fruit, water, sugar and cornstarch ratios in this recipe and you’ll be fine.
Thank You for Reading!
Thank you for visiting the MOstly Bakes website. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this recipe for my homemade Blackberry Peach Coffee Cake. If you’re a coffee cake connoisseur, you may also enjoy this recipe for Lemon Cardamom Bundt Cake. It’s one worth adding to your baking rotation.
If you’re interested in learning more about where I find inspiration for developing my recipes, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to our newsletter and follow along on social media via Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you, again, for visiting the blog, and I hope to connect with you there!
Easy Blackberry Peach Coffee Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy9
servings30
minutes35
minutesPeach blackberry filling is sandwiched between two layers of buttermilk cake batter and topped with a delicious crumb.
Ingredients
- For the fruit filling
2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced (you can use fresh or frozen peaches that have been thawed)
1/4 cup white, granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
- For the crumb topping
1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup white, granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt
- For the cake batter
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 cup white, granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed into 1/4-inch pieces.
Directions
- Prepare an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the fruit filling
- In a small sauce pot, combine the peaches, water, sugar and cornstarch together in a small sauce pan. Cook the mixture over medium head until it comes to a boil and the mixture thickens – approximately 5 minutes. Set the peach filling aside to cool while you prep the other coffee cake components.
- Prepare the crumb topping
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the crumb topping ingredients and work with the back of a fork until it forms a crumble that is similar in appearance and texture of wet sand. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake batter
- In a small cup, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and almond extract. Set aside.
- Using a stand- or hand-held mixer, combine the flour, sugar, leavening agents, salt, and cold butter. If working with a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cut in the butter. You can also use your fingers or a pastry cutter if you have one. Work in the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles the consistency of grated parmesan cheese – approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the base batter on the bottom of the baking pan. Reserve the remaining 1/3 of batter.
- Spread the peach filling over the top of the base layer. Place the blackberries evenly over the top of the fruit layer.
- Spread the remaining 1/3 of the cake batter over the top of the fruit layer.
- Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping over the surface of the cake.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 35-40 minutes. Because of the fruit filling, the “clean toothpick” test doesn’t really work well for this recipe. If after 35 minutes the batter still looks a little wet in spots, give it another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the finished coffee cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 1 hour before cutting and serving.
