Indulge in a moist cream cheese coffee cake topped with a heavenly streusel made with the zesty essence of lemon and the rich nuttiness of almonds. This irresistible coffee cake is an ideal treat for a leisurely morning or as a sweet ending to brunch. Made in a bundt pan for a beautiful presentation.
This cream cheese coffee cake recipe is absolutely heavenly. Moist, decadent cake surrounds a sweet and creamy layer of cream cheese. It’s topped with sugared sliced almonds flavored with lemon zest for the perfect mix of soft and crunchy.
If you don’t think it’s possible to improve on a coffee cake with peaches and streusel or a traditonal streusel coffee cake with as much streusel as cake, you’ll be surprised at how much the cream cheese layer and the light lemony almond streusel add to this scrumptious breakfast cake.
Even with the extra step of adding the cheesecake layer, it comes together quickly. It tastes even better than it looks, making this an excellent choice for a brunch spread, great for serving guests, or simply enjoying with a cup of coffee for an afternoon treat. It has a completely different flavor profile from a traditional brown sugar streusel coffee cake.
Cheesecake layers are always a big hit whether swirled in cream cheese banana bread or as a layer mixed with strawberries in a strawberry cream cheese coffee cake. So it’s no surprise that adding a layer to this sourcream cake would make it so moist.
Easy Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe
Say goodbye to dry, crumbly cake. This coffee cake is incredibly moist from the inclusion of sour cream and the cream cheese filling. A lemony streusel gives it a light and fresh taste. Caramelized, lemony sliced almonds are nutty, sweet, and a little tart. They get toasty and crunchy in the oven for the perfect topping.
I didn’t think there was anyway to improve on the texture of this cake with the cheesecake like filling, but adding lemony almonds instead of a traditional brown sugar streusel may be my favorite part of this amazing coffee cake.
Why you’ll love this Dreamy Coffee Cake
- The Texture: Crunchy almond topping, tender and moist cake, and a smooth cream cheese filling make this cake a wonderland of textures and flavors
- Great for Company: Easy to make for a crowd and perfect for sharing
- The Topping: The almond topping really makes this cake special and makes it feel fancy
- The Incredible Flavor: The lemon flavor is pronounced but not overpowering and is just plain tasty
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Sour Cream – Sour cream brings lots of moistness to the cake. Its fat and water content both give this cake its incredibly soft texture. If needed, you can substitute the sour cream with an equal quantity of Greek yogurt.
- Butter – Butter brings a richness to the coffee cake that you can’t get using oil. Creaming the butter also gives the cake lift and makes it perfectly light and airy.
- Cream Cheese – Filling this coffee cake with a cream cheese filling really brings it to the next level. Learn some tips for how to soften cream cheese quickly.
- Almonds – Sliced almonds are bound together in a crackly, caramelized coating of sugar to form the crunchy topping.
- Lemon juice and zest – The acidity of the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to create a light, airy dessert. The zest provides a delicious lemon flavor in both the cake and the topping.
- Pantry Staples – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, vanilla
Pro Tip: did you forget to set out the butter, learn how to soften butter quickly so you don’t have to wait to make this amazing coffee cake.
It’s Simple to Make
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients.
In a bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
Step 3: Combine.
Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat to combine; then, add half of the sour cream. Alternate adding flour and sour cream, mixing thoroughly in between each addition until the batter is fully combined.
Step 4: Make the cream cheese layer.
Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until light and fluffy. Add some of the cake batter to the cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
Step 5: Make the almond streusel topping.
In a small bowl, combine sliced almonds with sugar and lemon zest and stir to coat.
Step 6: Assemble and bake the cake.
To assemble the cake, grease a bundt pan. Then, add in most of the cake batter to the prepared pan. Spoon in the cream cheese mixture around the center of the pan, keeping it away from the edges. Pour the remaining batter over the top and use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the batter and the cream cheese.
Sprinkle the almond topping over the top and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Step 7: Cool the cake and serve.
Place the cake pan onto a wire rack and cool the cake in the pan for an hour. After an hour, carefully invert the cake onto a rimmed baking sheet. Then, place the wire rack over the top of the cake and invert once again so that the almond layer is facing up.
Cool for at least 90 minutes before slicing and serving with your favorite hot beverage.
How to Serve Cream Cheese Filled Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is beautifully served with the obvious: coffee! And, of course my favorite, tea.
This looks so elegant it would be perfect for a baby shower or Mother’s day brunch, but it’s too good to save for special occasions, so enjoy on a lazy weekend or take to your next breakfast meeting.
Storing Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese
You can store your coffee cake at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer. Here’s how:
At room temperature: At room temperature, this cake can be stored in an airtight container for a day or to but is better off refrigerated due to the cream cheese layer.
In the freezer: This cake can be kept for up to three months in an airtight container. Thaw on the counter for at least two hours before serving. Try slicing it before freezing so that you can take out the number of slice you’ll need.
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Cream Cheese Filled Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup sugar plus 7 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice 2 lemons
- 4 eggs
- 5 teaspoons vanilla Divided
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest 1 lemon
- ½ cup almonds sliced
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a bundt pain with cooking spray.
Cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add 4 teaspoons of vanilla and mix.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture followed by half of the sour cream and repeat ending with the flour. Mix at low speed until combined. Add all but 1 ½ cups of the batter to the prepared bundt pan.
Cream Cheese Layer:
- Add cream cheese to a clean bowl and beat with 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add ¼ cup of the reserved batter to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture down the center of the batter, keeping it away from the edges. Spread the remaining batter over the cream cheese layer. Take a knife and swirl the batter with the cream cheese, keeping it away from the edges of the pan.
Topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle over the cake and press lightly into the batter.
- Bake until a skewer comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove and firmly tap the pan on the counter. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour and carefully invert onto a rimmed baking sheet then immediately place a wire rack on top and invert it so that the topping is on the top. Let cool for 1 ½ hours.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature before you begin making the cake.
- Don’t try to remove the cake before it has cooled for at least an hour. The cooling time is essential for making sure the cake doesn’t fall apart as you remove it from the pan.
Nutrition
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