I’m back with another coffee cake recipe! But this is not just any ordinary coffee cake recipe, it is a blackberry curd coffee cake. Yep, that is right, a smooth and creamy blackberry curd baked right into the cinnamon goodness that is coffee cake.
If you have never tried a blackberry curd, it is similar to the more popular lemon curd. Which is often used as a dessert spread and is made up citrus or fruit, sugar and eggs. The end result is a velvety and sweet spread that can be eaten with ice cream, baked goods or even yogurt. And in this case, this coffee cake.
I have to up front here though, making the blackberry curd is a little more work than I typically do for my baking recipes. There are a few technical instructions, such tempering the eggs, but I promise, you can do it! I will walk you through it and I promise it will be worth it in the end!
Why this blackberry curd coffee cake is so amazing
First of all, let talk about the obvious reason why this coffee cake is so dang delicious. The blackberry curd. The seeds are removed from the blackberries, and it is cooked with sugar, lemon juice and then thickened with egg yolks. Then it is topped off with butter. The end result is so smooth and creamy! I love to pour about 3/4 of the curd right on top of the coffee cake batter and save about 1/4 to drizzle each piece with after it is cooked! Or save a little for another treat, like ice cream or yogurt!
The second reason, it has a ton of crumble on top! There is no shortage of the delicious cinnamon crumble topping. It somewhat melts into the blackberry curd and adds that texture layer that every coffee needs.
The final reason is the coffee cake base! It is tender, not too sweet, and pairs perfectly with the blackberry curd and crumb topping. It has a light vanilla flavor that does not compete with the other bold flavors in this coffee cake. Because after all, the blackberry curd is what really shines in this dessert!
Just grab a cup of coffee and dig into this coffee cake!
Tips and tricks when making this blackberry curd coffee cake
Before you wash up those blackberries, here are some tips and tricks for success!
- This recipe consists of 3 components. The batter, the crumb topping and the blackberry curd. And the latter takes the most time to make but is worth it! The hardest part of this component is tempering the eggs, so you do not end up with, well, scrambled eggs. To do this, you will take about 1/4 cup of heated blackberry mixture and slowly pour it into a bowl with egg yolks. Make sure to whisk consistently until the entire 1/4 cup has been mixed. Then pour that egg mixture, slowly while whisking, back into the hot pot with the blackberries! And that is it! You have tempered the eggs!
- As always, watch the bake time on this coffee cake. It can be a little tricker to tell if the batter is set because of the curd sitting on top. It might still have jiggle when done because the curd does not set. A toothpick should come out clean with no batter on it.
- I personally store this blackberry coffee cake in the fridge for 3-4 days because of the curd. Just reheat each slice for about 15-30 seconds and it’s perfect! You can also drizzle with a little reserved curd!
If you give this blackberry curd coffee cake a try, be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below! And be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Blackberry Curd Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Coffee cake batter:
- 1 3/4 C. Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
- 1/2 C. Honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 C. Oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 C. Buttermilk
- 1/2 C. Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Crumb topping:
- 5 Tbsp. Butter cut into small cubes
- 1/2 C. Brown sugar
- 3/4 C. All-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Blackberry curd:
- 3 C. Blackberries
- 1/2 C. Sugar
- 6 Tbsp. Butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a 9×9 pie pan or 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- To make the curd, place the blackberries into a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the seed through a fine mesh strainer, and place the blackberry purée into a medium saucepan. Discard seeds.
- Heat the saucepan with the blackberries over medium heat. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, for about 3-4 minutes.
- To temper the eggs, place the egg yolks in a small bowl. Take about 1/4 cup of the hot blackberry purée and slowly pour it into the eggs, whisking continuously. Once all the blackberry purée has been added, pour the eggs into the saucepan with the blackberries, whisking as you do it.
- Place 1 tablespoon of butter at time into the blackberry curd, whisking until each tablespoon has fully melted before adding the next tablespoon. Continue to do this until all the butter has been added. At this time, the curd should be able to coat the back of a spoon. If not, continue to cook over medium heat, whisking, while it does.. Turn off heat and let cool. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
- To make the coffee cake batter, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, Add in the eggs, greek yogurt, maple syrup, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix until fully combined.
- Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. It is ok if there are still some lumps.
- To make the crumb topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt together. Add in the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter (or fork), cut the butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Continue to mix until it resembles sand like texture.
- Pour the batter into the greased or lined baking dish. Top with 3/4 of the blackberry curd (or all of it if you do not wish to reserve any for drizzle after baking). Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the blackberry curd.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until the coffee cake batter is set. There still may be a jiggle from the blackberry curd, but a toothpick should not have any batter on it.
- Let cool. Drizzle reserved blackberry curd over each slice if desired and enjoy!
How much finished curd does your curd recipe make? I have some I already made that I want to use.
The recipe makes about 1 cup of curd!