Make the morning feel special with the perfect sweet cake for breakfast or brunch! Strawberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel has an incredibly moist buttermilk cake layered with a juicy strawberry compote, and topped with a buttery pecan streusel. A drizzle of buttermilk glaze adds a sweet, tangy flavor - delicious with the syrupy fruit and crunchy topping.
Every bite of this cake delivers a balance of flavors and textures. Buttery, moist cake meets bright fruity flavor meets crunchy, nutty topping. This is an irresistible recipe, great for a breakfast treat, holiday brunch, dessert, or a sweet bite. Perfect with a cup of coffee.
What Makes This Cake So Delicious
- Strawberries The strawberries add sweet pockets of fruit on the top of the cake. I use frozen strawberries for ease of preparation when making the compote.
- Buttermilk The buttermilk provides a tangy flavor to the cake, but also works with the baking powder to give the cake rise. Also, the acidity of buttermilk helps to tenderize the cake's texture.
- Streusel The nutty flavor from the pecans works well with the other components of the cakes.
- Buttermilk Glaze The sweet, tangy flavor of the buttermilk and powdered sugar glaze makes a delicious garnish. Also, the cake looks beautiful and craveable.
Are you a fan of homemade coffee cake? Here is another delicious recipe to try - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/sweet-cherry-almond-coffee-cake-with-brown-butter-streusel/
Ingredients
The recipe is divided into 4 easy components. No need for an electric mixer. The cake batter comes together in a mixing bowl with a spatula and a whisk.
Strawberry Compote
- 16 ounces of strawberries. I use frozen fruit - it keeps its shape better. However, I thaw it for about 45 minutes so the berries aren't rock hard.
- granulated sugar
- vanilla bean - you can use extract if you prefer, though the bean adds depth of flavor to the compote.
Pecan Strusel
- dry ingredients - all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, oats, pecan chips, cinnamon, and kosher salt
- unsalted butter
Cake Batter
dry Ingredients - all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt
wet ingredients - unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and eggs
Buttermilk Glaze
powder sugar and buttermilk
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
Spread a pat of butter all over the sides and bottom of baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Strawberry Compote
- Add the strawberries and sugar to a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the pod and the seeds to the saucepan.
- After the strawberries thaw, they will come to a boil over medium-high heat. . Occasionally stir to prevent sticking.
- Reduce the heat to medium and contunue to cook. You should still see bubbles and the juice should start to thicken.
- After 10-12 minutes, the strawberries should be soft and a syrup has formed.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the compote cool as you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Pecan Streusel
- Combine the dry ingredients - all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, oats, pecan chips, cinnamon, and kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Add melted butter, stirring to coat everything. The steusel should start to clump togther in 2-3 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
Cake Batter
- Whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and kosher salt - in a small bowl.
- Combine bother sugars in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until everything is combined.
- Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.
- Pour in the buttermilk and the vanilla extract and mix until the wet ingredients are completely combined.
- Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Only mix until all the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick.
Assemble the Cake
- Add the batter to the prepared pan, using a small spatula to smooth the top into an even layer.
- Add the strawberry compote and spread to cover the top of the batter.
- Sprinkle the pecan streusel over the strawberries.
- Place the cake on a sheet pan to to catch any drips while baking. Put the cake on the middle rack.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes.
- Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. Continue baking for 20-25 minutes.
- Using a toothpick or cake tester, insert it in the center of the cake. If there is batter on the toothpick when you take it out of the cake, continue baking for another 4-5 minutes. There will be strawberry syrup on the toothpick, which is okay.
- When the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 25-30 minutes.
Buttermilk Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar and the buttermilk until smooth without any lumps. You want the consistency to be drippy.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake. Delicious with a dollop of whipped cream.
Pro Tips
- Let the ingredients come to room temperature before preparing the recipe. The cake batter will be smoother without any lumps. Let the strawberries thaw for 45 minutes before cooking the compote.
- Fresh sweet strawberries can be used. You may need to add ¼ cup of water to the saucepan when you add the sugar.
- You can use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in the strawberry compote as a substitute for the vanilla bean.
- Use almond extract as a substitute for the vanilla in the cake batter for a more forward nut flavor.
- For the best flavor, serve the cake at room temperature.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Perfect Balance of Sweet, Tangy, and Nutty Flavors
This Strawberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel is a standout. Its combines the tender crumb of a buttermilk cake with a layer of juicy strawberries with a buttery, crunchy, and nutty streusel topping.
This is an easy, from-scratch strawberry coffee cake recipe checks all the boxes - moist, tender, juicy, and buttery. Give it a try and don't forget to leave a comment and rating below-I'd love to hear how it turns out in your kitchen! 🍓
Recipe
Strawberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 313kcal
Strawberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel has an incredibly moist buttermilk cake layered with a juicy strawberry compote and topped with a buttery pecan streusel.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking pan, 8 cup (7 x 11 or 8 x 8)
- 1 sheet pan Your baking pan should fit on it.
- 1 medium saucepan
- 3 small bowls
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 small offset spatula optional
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
- 16 ounces strawberries, frozen (454 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (3.6 ounces/102 grams)
- 1 vanilla bean
Pecan Streusel
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (1.2 ounces/32 grams)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (1.8 ounces/50 grams)
- ¼ cup oats (.9 ounces/24 grams)
- ¼ cup pecan chips (1 ounce/28 grams)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ ounces/39 grams)
Buttermilk Cake Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (9.3 ounces/264 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (3.6 ounces/102 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (3.6 ounces/102 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (4 ounces/112 grams)
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup buttermilk (160 ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (3 ounces/83 grams)
- 1½ tablespoons buttermilk
Instructions
Strawberry Compote
- Let the strawberries thaw for 45 minutes before making the compote.
- Add the strawberries and sugar to a medium saucepan.
- Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the bean and the seeds to the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Occasionally stir to prevent the strawberries from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the strawberries come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. They should still be bubbling and reducing.
- After 10 - 12 minutes, the berries and the syrup should start to thicken.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the strawberries cool as you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Pecan Streusel
- Combine the dry ingredients - flour, brown sugar, oats, pecan chips, cinnamon, and kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Add melted butter to the bowl and stir until all the ingredients are coated. Set aside while preparing the cake batter.
Buttermilk Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Using 2 teaspoons of softened butter, coat both the bottom and sides of your baking pan.
- Whisk the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and kosher salt - in a small bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until combined.
- Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and whisk together.
- Pour in the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, whisking to combine.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients. Once they are combined, stop mixing. The batter will be thick.
Assemble the Cake
- Add the cake batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter into an even layer. A small offset spatula is very helpful for this step.
- Spread the strawberry compote over the batter.
- Sprinkle the pecan streusel on top of the strawberry compote.
- Place the cake on a sheet pan to catch any drips from the compote. Put the cake in the oven on the middle rack.
- After the cake has been baking for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 325°. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick or a cake tester in the center of the cake. If there is batter on the toothpick when you take it out of the cake, continue baking for another 4-5 minutes. There will be strawberry syrup on the toothpick, which is okay. When the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 25-30 minutes.
Buttermilk Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar and buttermilk until smooth without lumps. The texture will be drippy.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake. Delicious with a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
For best results, use room temperature ingredients. Let the melted butter cool before combining it with the sugars. When cold buttermilk is incorporated into the melted butter, it creates lumps.
Also, the frozen strawberries will release juice as they thaw. Pour the juice into the pan with the sugar to create a syrupy compote.
Nutrition
Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 182mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
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Julie says
Absolutely delicious!