Amazing 1-Step Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

Forget those overly complicated brunch recipes, seriously. There is nothing better than slicing into a warm, brightly flavored cake first thing on a Saturday morning when the house is finally quiet. This recipe for Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake is truly the easiest, brightest bake you’ll ever need in your life. I kid you not, I made this last weekend with my coffee right when the sun came up, and that tangy lemon scent filled the whole kitchen immediately. It’s moist, it’s got that amazing buttery streusel crunch, and frankly, it tastes like sunshine.

Why This Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake is Your New Favorite Morning Bake

This isn’t just another cake; it’s your secret weapon for effortless weekend mornings. It’s shockingly simple to pull together, especially when you’re not quite awake yet. Trust me, you need this on your rotation.

• The flavor is pure brightness—that zingy lemon zest cuts through the sweetness perfectly.
• You get that beautiful textural contrast: the tender, moist crumb meets that crunchy, buttery streusel topping.
• It’s totally acceptable to eat it at 8 AM! It’s designed for breakfast or a lazy brunch spread.

If you love this bright, zesty profile, you really need to check out my recipe for extra fluffy lemon muffins too!

Gathering Ingredients for Your Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

Okay, let’s talk supplies! Don’t let the ingredient list scare you; most of this is standard pantry stuff. But like all my favorite recipes, the accuracy of the prep matters a ton here. You want everything measured out before you even touch the mixer, especially making sure your butter temperatures are right.

For the cake batter itself, grab your flour, baking powder, and salt first. Then, the starring roles: that 1 cup of sugar, two large eggs ready to go, milk, vanilla extract, the zest—and I mean *all* the zest—from one big lemon, and of course, those gorgeous raspberries. Use them fresh or frozen, trust me on that later!

The streusel topping is where that amazing crunch comes from. It’s super straightforward: a little flour, some packed brown sugar, about a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and key here—use very cold unsalted butter cut into little pieces. That cold butter is what makes the topping light and crumbly, not greasy.

And speaking of ingredients, if you ever find yourself needing heavy cream but are all out, I have a little trick for how to make heavy cream at home that works wonders!

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Perfect Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

This is where the magic happens, and trust me, it comes together faster than you think, especially since we want to get that streusel on top nice and quick before it bakes up! We need a clean flow here to make sure we don’t mess up the texture. Don’t worry about the raspberries right now; we deal with those last so they don’t bleed everywhere into the batter.

Preparing the Pan and Dry Mix for the Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

First things first: get that oven hot! Preheat it to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grab your 9-inch square pan—make sure you grease it well and dust it with flour so it doesn’t stick later. In a medium bowl, just give a quick whisk to your 1 3/4 cups of flour, along with the baking powder and the salt. Set that bowl aside; we’re holding off on adding wet stuff to it for now.

Creating the Cake Batter Base

Now for the big bowl! Cream that softened butter and the full cup of sugar. You really need to beat this until it looks light and kind of fluffy—that’s how you trap the air! After that, beat in your two eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then stir in your vanilla and all that wonderful lemon zest.

Here’s the critical part: mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by alternating them with the milk. Start and finish with the flour mixture. Mix it on low speed, or by hand, until it’s *just* combined. I mean it—stop stirring the second you don’t see white streaks anymore! Overmixing is the enemy of a tender crumb in this cake.

Folding in Fruit and Applying the Streusel Topping

Take your time here. Gently fold those raspberries into the batter. If you crush them, your whole Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake will have a pink swirl, which is fine, but gentle folding keeps their shape! Pour all that lovely batter into your prepared pan.

While that’s sitting there, quickly mix up the streusel: rub that cold butter into the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it looks like coarse crumbs—fingers work best for this! Sprinkle that crunchy blanket evenly right over the top of the batter. Bake it for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out totally clean from the center. If you’re looking for oat-based goodness later, check out my recipe for quick oat bread for a healthy breakfast option.

Tips for an Expert-Level Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

You’ve got the basic steps down, but if you really want this coffee cake to sing—especially for serving guests—we need to talk about the little details. Bakers who nail it every time obsess over these things. It’s not complicated, it just shows you respect the ingredients!

First up: the eggs. Pull those two large eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start mixing. Room temperature eggs blend into creamed butter much smoother than cold ones. This creates a tighter emulsion in the batter, which means a finer, more even crumb structure in your finished cake. No one wants tiny little pockets of unmixed egg white floating around!

Getting the Butter and Sugar Creamed Just Right

When I talk about creaming the butter and sugar, I mean it takes time—don’t rush this part just because you’re excited about the raspberries. You’re not just combining them; you’re whipping air into the mixture. It should go from looking heavy and sandy to pale yellow, light, and almost ribbon-like. That volume you create is what helps the cake rise evenly, working alongside the baking powder.

Testing Doneness Like a Pro

The recipe says to use a wooden pick, and that’s great, but let’s be honest, sometimes the pick hits a wet raspberry and lies to you! When you think the cake is done, look at the edges first. The cake should start pulling away slightly from the sides of that square pan. That’s a huge sign of readiness.

Then, gently press the very center with a clean fingertip, not too hard. If it springs back right away without leaving a major indentation, you’re there. If your finger sinks in and stays down, give it five more minutes and check again. We want ‘moist crumb,’ not ‘wet batter.’ You want that cake to feel sturdy when you slice it!

If you’re looking for more lemon deliciousness after this breakfast treat, you absolutely have to try my lemon cooler cookies recipe next time you’re baking. They are addictive!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Your Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

I always get questions about tweaking recipes, and that’s totally fine! With a bright, simple cake like this, flexibility is good, as long as you respect the cake structure. Don’t panic if your pantry looks a little different from mine; we can work with that.

First, let’s talk raspberries. The recipe note says you don’t need to thaw frozen ones, and that is absolutely correct. Toss them in frozen! If you thaw them first, they get mushy and release all their juice, which can make the batter weep underneath them. Keeping them frozen helps them stay put a bit longer while the cake bakes up around them.

If you feel like your lemons weren’t super zesty or you just crave that extra tartness, you can swap out about half the milk in the wet ingredients for fresh lemon juice. Just be mindful—acid reacts with the baking powder, so don’t go crazy adding too much, or your cake might bake up a little dense. A small splash is perfect for balancing that sweetness!

For the streusel, the cinnamon is mostly there for that cozy coffee cake aroma, but if you’re feeling adventurous or just don’t have any ground cinnamon on hand, you can swap it out for a tiny bit of ground cardamom. Cardamom has a lovely citrusy note that pairs beautifully with lemon and raspberry—just use about half the amount of cinnamon called for.

If you ever need an emergency fix for dairy, I’ve got a great guide on how to make heavy cream at home that might come in handy for other baking projects!

Serving Suggestions for This Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

This cake is fantastic all by itself, standing proud with its glorious buttery crumb and that sweet-tart fruit inside. But hey, if we’re making a special morning treat, we might as well dress it up a little, right? It’s all about creating that perfect little morning moment.

For a very simple presentation that lets the fruit shine, I think a light dusting of powdered sugar is just elegant. You just use a fine-mesh sieve and give it one light, even coat right before serving. It looks beautiful against the crunchy streusel pieces.

Perfect Coffee Pairings

Since this is a coffee cake, it goes without saying that a good cup of coffee is mandatory! The bright lemon flavor is honestly stunning when cut with a strong, slightly bitter black coffee—it just makes those citrus notes pop. If you take cream or sugar in your coffee, I highly recommend trying out my recipe for easy homemade coffee creamer to jazz up your morning cup!

Adding a Light Glaze Instead of Sugar

If you want something a bit sweeter than powdered sugar but don’t want the heavy texture of cream cheese frosting, a simple lemon drizzle is the way to go. Whisk together about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with just one or two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice until you get a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle it across the top while the cake is slightly warm, and watch it set into a lovely, slightly crunchy shell.

Brunch Spreads

If you’re serving this for a bigger brunch gathering, it pairs wonderfully with fresh, unsweetened whipped cream on the side. The cream acts like a cooling contrast to the zestiness of the lemon. A side of fresh sliced melon or even some lightly toasted sliced almonds sprinkled over the plate adds nice texture variance, too!

Storing Leftovers of Your Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

You probably won’t have much left, because seriously, this cake disappears fast. But if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers of your Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake, storage is easy peasy. We want to keep that beautiful streusel crunchy as long as possible, which means keeping moisture out!

For the best results, especially if you baked it earlier in the day, leave it right on the counter. Cover the cooling rack where the cake is sitting tightly with plastic wrap. Don’t let it breathe too much!

Room Temperature Storage

If you plan on eating the rest of the cake within two days, room temperature storage is actually preferred. The butter in the cake and the streusel topping prefer to stay soft, and the texture just stays lovely. Make sure you let the cake cool completely before you wrap it, though. If you wrap it while it’s even slightly warm, all that steam gets trapped, and your crunchy topping gets soggy almost instantly. Nobody wants a soggy streusel!

Refrigeration for Longer Life

If you’re looking to keep your cake around for closer to four or five days, move it into the fridge. I highly recommend cutting the remaining cake into individual servings first. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, maybe even foil over the plastic wrap for an extra seal. This prevents the cake from drying out in the colder air, and it stops it from absorbing any weird smells from your fridge shelf.

When you pull a slice out of the fridge, don’t eat it cold! It tastes totally different. Pop that wrapped slice into the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. That little bit of heat wakes up the fats and the lemon oils again. You’ll be shocked how close it tastes to when it first came out of the oven!

Frequently Asked Questions About Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

I’ve gathered up some of the questions I always get asked about this particular recipe! It’s natural to have questions when you’re baking something new, especially when you rely on that perfect streusel crunch. Don’t worry, making a great breakfast cake isn’t nearly as hard as people make it out to be.

Can I use frozen raspberries in the Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake?

Yes, absolutely! Seriously, this is one of the best parts about this recipe, making it perfect for when you want a great crumb cake but only have frozen fruit on hand. You do not need to thaw them at all! Just grab them straight from the freezer and gently fold them into the batter along with everything else. When you bake them frozen, they keep their shape much better and don’t bleed all their juice into the batter before the cake has a chance to set up properly. It saves you time and keeps your batter looking prettier!

How do I keep the crumb topping crunchy?

Ah, the eternal battle against soggy topping! The key here is twofold, friend. First, make sure your streusel topping uses super cold butter when you mix it. If the butter melts even a little bit while you are rubbing it in, you’ll end up with a greasy, hard topping instead of a crunchy one. Second, and this is important, make sure the cake has cooled completely before you wrap it up for storage! Trapped steam is the enemy number one of crispness. If you keep it loosely covered on the counter, you usually get two days of perfect crunch.

For more recipe help and ideas, occasionally I post things that don’t fit the baking mold, like my recipe for easy Tennessee onions—you never know what you’ll find!

Estimated Nutrition for This Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake

Now, I know some of you look at a glorious, buttery slice of Breakfast Lemon Raspberry Coffee Cake and think, ‘Oh dear, this is pure indulgence!’ And honestly? Yes, it is! But it’s good to have a general idea of what’s in that perfect slice.

Remember, these numbers are just my best estimate based on the ingredients I listed. If you use a different kind of sugar or add a huge drizzle of glaze, the counts will shift! Treat this like a fun guideline for your weekend treat, not a strict health regimen, okay?

Here’s a breakdown per serving, based on 9 slices from the whole pan:

• Calories: Around 300 calories. That’s a great number for a slice of crumb cake this rich!
• Fat: About 15g total fat. This comes mostly from that scrumptious butter in the cake and the streusel topping, so it’s deserved fat!
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 38g. This includes the natural sugars from the fruit and the granulated sugar we used.
• Protein: Around 4g. That comes from the eggs and the flour providing a nice little lift to the macros.
• Sugar: This lands near 25g. A good amount, but remember that’s balanced out by the tartness of the lemon and raspberries!
• Fiber: We get about 2g of fiber, thanks to those lovely fresh berries we folded in.

So go ahead, pour that second cup of coffee, and enjoy your morning! You earned it after making such a beautiful bake.

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