Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake
Enjoy this Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake anytime you need to slow down with a cup of coffee. Made with sourdough discard, Greek yogurt, and fresh cherries, it’s a lighter, German-inspired take on a cozy classic.
Coffee cake is a cultural bridge between American and German baking. A simple, buttery vanilla cake base gets swirled and topped with a cinnamon-spiced crumble topping — just like classic Streuselkuchen in Germany.
My take on sourdough cherry coffee cake blends the best of both traditions. I added juicy cherries (very German) and leaned heavily into the cinnamon (very American). The result is a cake that’s part Kirschstreusel, part coffee cake.
I went with a slightly leaner, vanilla-scented base and scaled back the sugar a bit. Come summer, I prefer sweet treats that are a little lighter and more balanced — and this one hits the spot!
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Sourdough Starter Sourdough discard adds a delicious tangy depth to the batter. Use active starter if you prefer a milder sourdough taste. Both can be used for fermenting the batter in the fridge overnight.
Greek Yogurt Traditionally, coffee cake is made with sour cream. Unexpectedly though, sour cream varies a lot across countries, so I opted for tangy Greek Yogurt (10% fat), which is a much more reliable ingredient.
Milk I use whole milk, but you could also use half-and-half or cream, for a little more richness.
Vanilla Sugar As always, I use vanilla sugar for an intense flavor and visible flecks of vanilla. You can rub the seeds from half a vanilla bean into the sugar or swap vanilla extract.
How to Make Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake
01
Prepare Crumb Topping and Cherries
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the cinnamon crumble topping. Rub together with your fingers until crumbly.
Sort, rinse and drain fresh cherries. Use a cherry pitter to remove the pits. Set aside.
02
Prepare Sourdough Batter
In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), cream together butter, sugar and vanilla sugar (if using) until pale and fluffy.
Meanwhile, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl, and mix well.
03
Add eggs, sourdough discard, Greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract (if using), and mix until smooth.
(It may look a little lumpy at this stage, especially if ingredients weren’t at room temperature. Don’t worry though, it’ll bake up just fine.)
04
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on a low speed, just until combined. Don’t overmix.
If you want to long ferment the cake batter, cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight or up to 12 hours.
05
Assemble the Cake
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Generously butter a (deep) 9×13 inch baking pan.
Toss the cherries with a teaspoon of flour.
06
Spoon half the batter into the baking dish, and top with the floured cherries. Sprinkle over a third of the cinnamon crumb topping.
07
Spread the remaining cake batter on top carefully and sprinkle with the rest of the crumb topping.
08
Bake The Cake
Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. A few, small lumps are better than risking a tough cake from overmixing. While adding the different layers to the cake pan, the batter will have a little rest time before it hits the oven. It’s usually enough to hydrate any remaining floury bits.
- If your baking pan is shallow, stick to 2 cups of pitted cherries. I tested this cake several times in a standard, shallow 9×13 baking pan. Sometimes it fit, sometimes it overflowed. If your pan is deeper, you can safely add 2 1/2 cups of pitted cherries.
How to Serve Sourdough Coffee Cake
Coffee cake, despite the name, doesn’t contain coffee. It’s meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee.
In the U.S., it’s perfectly normal to serve this kind of cake for breakfast, lunch or even as part of a meal.
In Germany, you’d enjoy it during Kaffee und Kuchen, a proper afternoon break dedicated solely to coffee and cake.
How to Store and Freeze
Coffee Cake can be stored in an airtight container for 2-4 days at room temperature. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week, but the crumb will firm up a little when cooled.
Leftovers can be frozen, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to three months. To reheat, let the cake thaw overnight first. To serve it warm, reheat in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
More from the Grains & Greens Kitchen
If you make this Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake…
I’d love to hear how it turned out!
P.S. If you’re into summery sourdough cakes, you might love these recipes too:
Happy Baking!
Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking pan (23×33 cm) - (deep pan, if you have it)
Ingredients
Crumb Mix
- 130 g all-purpose flour - 1 cup
- 130 g brown sugar - ⅔ cup
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 110 g melted butter - ½ cup
- ⅛ tsp salt
Coffee Cake
- 170 g butter, at room temperature - ¾ cup
- 175 g sugar - ¾ cup + 2 tbsp
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar - (or sub vanilla extract)
- 3 large eggs
- 180 g sourdough discard - ¾ cup
- 150 g Greek yogurt (10%) - ⅔ cup
- 210 ml milk - (or sub half-and-half or cream)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 390 g all-purpose flour - 3 cups
- ~350 g cherries, pitted - 2-2½ cups
- 1 tsp flour (for coating the cherries)
Instructions
Prepare Crumb Topping and Cherries
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the cinnamon crumb topping. Rub together with your fingers. Sort, rinse and drain fresh cherries. Pit cherries and set aside.
Prepare Sourdough Batter
- Combine flour, salt and baking powder, and mix well. Set aside.
- Cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar (if using) until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs, sourdough discard, Greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract (if using), and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on a low speed, just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter.
Ferment Batter (Optional)
- If you want to long ferment the cake batter, cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight or up to 12 hours.
Assemble the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Generously butter a (deep) 9×13 inch baking pan. Toss the cherries with a teaspoon of flour.
- Spoon half the batter into the baking dish, and top with the floured cherries. Sprinkle over a third of the cinnamon crumb topping evenly.
- Spread the remaining cake batter on top evenly and sprinkle with the rest of the crumb topping.
Bake
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter. A few, small lumps are better than risking a tough cake from overmixing.
- If your baking pan is shallow, stick to 2 cups of pitted cherries. If your pan is deeper, you can safely add 2 1/2 cups of pitted cherries.
- Store in an airtight container for 2-4 days at room temperature. Coffee cake can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, but the crumb will firm up a little.
- Leftovers can be frozen, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to three months. Let the cake thaw overnight. Reheat in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
I had to use damsons as I couldn’t get any nice cherries. People really liked it! The cake was nice and fluffy. I used starter as I didn’t have enough discard.
I will most probably try it with cherries but I am seriously thinking about tinkering with the crumb topping and making it chocolate instead of cinnamon flavored when using cherries….😊
Let me know how the chocolate crumb turns out 😏
Also, good call on the damsons,they’re a great match! 🤤