Cream Cheese Swirl Blackberry Coffee Cake

July 3, 2015 by Denise Bustard 33 Comments

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I’m just going to say it: this is the absolute BEST blackberry coffee cake out there! Tender and soft, with juicy blackberries, a tangy cream cheese swirl, and crumb topping. Perfect to serve after dinner or with a cup of tea (or coffee).

I don’t like to play favorites, but when it comes to cake, I have to go for a coffee cake. It’s sweet (but not too sweet), and that crumb topping is my weakness in life. We love a good rhubarb coffee cake, or an apple coffee cake muffin, but really…this cream cheese swirl coffee cake is pretty much impossible to beat.

Classic coffee cake is good, but this blackberry coffee cake has a few bells and whistles that take it over the top: a cream cheese swirl, tons of blackberries, and a hint of lime zest. And (like all good coffee cake recipes) a cinnamon crumb topping.

Cinnamon, blackberries, cream cheese and lime zest might sound a little strange, but I promise: it all works together oh so well! This is the perfect cake if you want to try something a little bit creative.

Reasons you’ll ♡ cream cheese swirl blackberry coffee cake

it’s the absolute best coffee cake with a cream cheese swirl, juicy blackberries and a brown sugar crumb topping
it’s simple to bake with just one layer
it’s fun and creative and will wow your guests

The three components

1. The Coffee Cake

Our coffee cake bakes up in a 9 inch springform pan, and we need to butter and flour it to make sure that it doesn’t stick. Here’s a great tutorial to show you how to do this if you are unsure.

To prepare the coffee cake, we stir together our dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then whisk our dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until just combined, and fold in the blackberries last.

2. The Cream Cheese Swirl

There is one important thing that you’re going to have to remember before prepping this cake: bring the cream cheese to room temperature. If the cream cheese is even slightly cool, the cream cheese swirl will be lumpy rather than creamy and smooth.

To our cream cheese we are adding 1 egg and some granulated sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth.

3. The Cinnamon Crumb Topping

The crowning glory of this cake is the buttery cinnamon crumb topping. To make the crumb topping, we first mix together the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Next, we cut in the butter using a pastry tool or a fork. Work your fork or pastry tool against the butter, cutting it into small pieces. We want the butter evenly mixed in, but for it to be small lumps.

Assembling the cake

Once your three components are ready, assembling the cake is easy peasy!

Scrape the cake batter into the prepared springform pan, smoothing it out into an even layer
Spread the cream cheese layer over the cake batter as evenly as possible
Sprinkle the cake with the cinnamon crumb topping
Get baking

Recipe tips

make sure you take the cream cheese out of the fridge (and box) at least 2 hours before baking the cake
be careful not to over-measure your flour; for this recipe you will need to spoon the flour into the measuring cup before levelling. You can also weigh the flour using a kitchen scale. DO NOT scoop the flour as you can end up with almost twice as much as the recipe calls for
feel free to swap the blackberries with similar sized (or smaller) berries: raspberries, blueberries and chopped strawberries may all work well
this recipe has only been tested with all purpose flour. I cannot guarantee that it will work if you sub other flour types.
this recipe *may* work in a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish. Line with parchment paper, and bake for the same amount of time

Prep ahead and storage tips

This cake may be prepared ahead and enjoyed through the week. Here are some storage tips:

store this cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. I do not recommend storing at room temperature due to the cream cheese.
for optimal freshness, store in an air tight container
to freeze, wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap before placing in a large freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
individual slices can also be wrapped in plastic or parchment before storing in a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

More dessert recipes

About Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

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