Brown Butter Sour Cherry Coffee Cake with Almond Crumble
If you ever find fresh sour cherries, don’t make jam first. Make this instead. Fresh sour cherries only stick around for a few short weeks each summer. They’re tart, bright, and absolutely made for coffee cake. So when my sweet neighbor gave me a whole bunch, I knew I needed to bake something with them.
I reworked and created this recipe using the base of one of my favorite coffee cakes from Smitten Kitchen. It starts with a tender, buttery cake, followed by a layer of fresh sour cherries tossed with lemon and almond, and then a very generous brown butter crumb.
The brown butter adds this deep, nutty flavor that is so good with the tart cherries, and sliced almonds on top add just the right amount of crunch. It’s sweet and tart, buttery and crumbly — and exactly the kind of thing I want alongside a cup of coffee the next morning.
Brown Butter Sour Cherry Coffee Cake with Almond Crumble
Makes: One 8×8-inch cake
Oven: 325°F
Sour Cherry Filling
2–2½ cups fresh sour cherries, pitted
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Brown Butter Almond Crumb
⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼–⅓ cup sliced almonds, for topping
Cake
⅓ cup sour cream or whole-milk yogurt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cherries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and lemon zest. Gently toss until evenly coated and set aside.
Place the stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, about 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool for 5–10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, kosher salt, and flour. Pour in the slightly cooled brown butter and stir with a fork until large, moist crumbs form. Use your fingers to make the crumbs whatever size you like. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the softened butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in the sour cream mixture and mix just until a smooth batter forms. Do not overmix.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Spoon the sour cherry filling evenly over the batter.
Sprinkle the brown butter crumb evenly over the cherries, breaking up any very large clumps if needed. Finish by scattering the sliced almonds over the top.
Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the crumb is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake — avoiding the fruit — comes out clean. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil during the last 10–15 minutes of baking.
Let the coffee cake cool in the pan for at least 20–30 minutes before lifting it out and slicing. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
The brown butter crumb, tart cherries, bright lemon zest, and hint of almond make this cake even better with a cup of coffee the next morning.
