Blackberry Coffee Cake {with Almond Flour}

Cake for breakfast? This moist, fluffy, and tangy almond flour blackberry coffee cake is the perfect pairing for your morning coffee. It tastes nutty and buttery while every bite is filled with juicy and sweet blackberries.

Coffee cake is one of my family’s favorite desserts – it’s always Tom’s top request.

The soft, fluffy base combined with the crispy streusel topping is incredibly satisfying.

Mid-June to early October is prime blackberry season – they’re the perfect balance of tart and sweet and really bring out the flavors of the coffee cake.

It’s so fun to experiment with fresh fruits in my dessert recipes these days.

If you like this berry-inspired recipe, you’ll love my Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake.

What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake?

Most people are surprised to find out that coffee cake does not usually have real coffee in it. The name comes from the fact that this cake is meant to be served with a cup of joe.

Coffee cake is usually defined as a tender, single-layer cake with a sweet streusel topping. Sometimes the streusel is also added as a middle layer in the cake for added flavor. They are typically baked with fruit, spices, or nuts as added toppings.

The coffee cake also differentiates itself from other cakes because it does not have frosting. This means it’s ready to serve straight out of the oven.

Who doesn’t love that?

What Makes a Coffee Cake dry?

One of the biggest complaints when making coffee cake is that it turns out dry.

Coffee cake is meant to be moist and fluffy!

If your coffee cake turns out dry it usually means that you didn’t measure your ingredients properly, you over-mixed, or baked for way too long.

I tested out this recipe to ensure the right balance of eggs, flour, sugar for the perfect texture combination.

So here are a couple of tips for making sure your Blackberry Coffee Cake turns out nice and moist:

1. Measure out your ingredients – precision is key when baking
2. Make sure your oven temperature is right using an oven thermometer! You would be surprised to know how often the actual temperature differs from what is displayed.
3. Don’t skip the coconut oil – it’s vital for cake moisture
4. Mix the ingredients just until they are combined  
5. Use room temperature eggs
6. Check the blackberry coffee cake with a toothpick around 30 – 32 minutes or once the top/edges start to brown. You don’t want to risk over-baking since it could result in a hard outside and a dry inside. 

Streusel vs. Crumble vs Crumb topping

I feel like there’s usually some confusion between a crumble, streusel, and crumb topping – they’re essentially the same.

They are toppings usually made from butter, flour, and sugar. You can use them to top muffins, cakes, pies, and many sweet desserts.

The only major difference between the 3 is that you typically also add oats to a crisp.

I make my streusel topping with almond flour, coconut oil, and coconut sugar.

What to do with excess blackberries?

Want to make the most of blackberry season?

Have some extra blackberries after making this blackberry coffee cake?

It’s a great problem to have.

Here are some fun ways to use up your extra blackberries:

• Add them to you summer cocktail/mocktail
• Mash them up and use them as your jelly in your peanut butter sandwiches
• Add them on top of Greek yoghurt or ice cream
• Freeze them and add to your favorite smoothie
• Add to your morning pancakes or waffles.

The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients for Blackberry Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake Base

Eggs, room temperature

Maple syrup

Coconut oil, melted

Apple cider vinegar is used for an extract lift for this almond flour coffee cake. You can omit it if this ingredient is not available to you.

Almond flour

Tapioca flour

Vanilla extract

Lemon, zested

Blackberries

Almond Flour Streusel Topping

Almond flour, packed

Coconut oil, melted

Coconut sugar

Cinnamon

How to make Blackberry Coffee Cake

Start by making the crumble topping for the Blackberry Coffee Cake so it can chill in the fridge while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Also, here is your reminder to take out your eggs from the fridge if you haven’t already. 

First, wash and dry the lemons. then you will need to zest them. Be careful not to get any of the white bitter parts of the peal.

Then, in a small bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and lemon zest for the crumble topping.

Store the crumble mixture in the fridge while you’re preparing the cake batter.

Then, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, brown sugar, melted and cooled coconut oil, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour, and baking soda.

Whisk until there are no clumps left and everything is evenly distributed.  

Then, gently add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and carefully combine with a spatula.  

In a separate bowl, toss blackberries with 1 – 2 tbsp tapioca flour (add more or less depending on how watery/juicy the blackberries are). You can roughly cut some blackberries in half if they are on the larger side.

Then, fold in the blackberries and lemon zest into the cake batter. Be careful not to over-mix.

Pour the cake batter into an 8×8 parchment-paper-lined baking dish.

Spread an even layer of the lemon sugar crumble on top.

The crumble mixture should have hardened slightly while in the fridge. Use your hands to combine smaller crumbles together to create larger pieces.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 350 F for about 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Additional Q&A and tips

Can I use frozen blackberries?

Absolutely!. You will need to thaw and drain them before using them.

Can I use different berries?

Yes, this coffee cake recipe can be made using blueberries, raspberries, or even mixed berries.

Check out my Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe here.

How to serve Blackberry Coffee Cake

Blackberry Coffee Cake is best enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea.

But there are so many additional toppings to make it even better:

• Icing
• Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese Icing
• Vanilla ice cream
• Vanilla yogurt
• Nut butter

When in doubt, simply enjoy as is!

How to store Blackberry Coffee Cake

If for some reason, won’t finish the whole Blackberry Coffee Cake in one sitting, don’t worry! It keeps well for a while. 

You can keep it on the countertop, wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. Or keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

And yes, it freezes very well!

I would recommend slicing and wrapping each piece individually before freezing. This will allow you to grab one piece at a time from the freezer, instead of having to defrost the whole thing.

This is an awesome hack for a quick and easy breakfast or late-night dessert. To reheat, warm in the microwave for 15 seconds. 

What other coffee cake recipes would you like to see? Leave a comment below!

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