Hi it’s me, your friendly ambitious baker reminding you of a gorgeous spring/summer dessert that’s out-of-this-world amazing.
Early last summer I was on a huuuge berry kick (looking at you, frozen strawberry margs) and I knew I needed to make you an epic strawberry dessert for spring and summer holidays, parties & BBQs. This brown butter strawberry coffee cake is truly mind-blowingly delicious. It has hints of rich brown butter, a wonderful streusel middle and topping, plus fresh strawberries baked right inside. Truly the ultimate treat for Mother’s Day brunch (if you ask me).
Did I add a luscious strawberry icing on top? OF COURSE.
Coffee cake can get a bad rap for being dry and crumbly, but you know I would never do that to you. This coffee cake is perfectly moist and the crumb is just *chef’s kiss*. I mean, just look at her — she’s gorgeous! Bring this incredible coffee cake to your next get-together and watch your friends and family swoon. Weekend plans = made.
What is coffee cake?
No, we’re not mixing coffee into the batter. Coffee cake is technically just a cake that has a cinnamon sugar streusel on top instead of a frosting. We are adding a little strawberry icing to this coffee cake, too, because you know I gotta be a little extra.
Everything you’ll need to make this strawberry coffee cake
We’re using the real deal butter and sugar in this recipe and the result is the most amazing, melt-in-your-mouth strawberry coffee cake you’ll ever try. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- For the topping & streusel: you’ll need some all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and a little melted butter to get that nice crumble.
- For the dry ingredients: we’re using more all purpose flour and salt, plus baking powder and baking soda (yes, you need both!)
- For the wet ingredients: you’ll need butter, vanilla greek yogurt and milk of choice for extra moisture, eggs, pure maple syrup, and both vanilla & almond extracts. If you’re nut free, simply omit the almond extract. Learn how to make your own vanilla here!
- Mix-ins: we’re mixing fresh strawberries right into the batter. YES.
- For the glaze: the beautiful strawberry glaze is made with freeze dried strawberries, a little butter, powdered sugar, and milk to thin it out.
Can I make ingredient swaps?
As with all of my recipes (especially baking) I recommend sticking with the strawberry coffee cake recipe as is to get the best result. Here are a few ingredient swaps I can suggest, but please note that I haven’t tried them all:
- For the butter & yogurt: I recommend using melted vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Do not brown the vegan butter, just use it in the recipe as is (melted). You can also use dairy free yogurt of choice, and remember to use a dairy free milk.
- For the flour: I think that an all purpose gluten free flour will work in this recipe, but please note that I have not tested it out to be sure. Let me know if you do!
- For the eggs: I also have not tested this recipe with flax eggs, but let me know if you give it a try! Then keep the recipe vegan by swapping the butter and yogurt.
What about different berries?
If you don’t have any fresh strawberries you can absolutely mix in any of your favorite berries! If you find other freeze dried berries, too, you can use those in the icing OR just have a strawberry icing with a different berry middle. Still delicious!
Learn how to brown butter
I LOVE the addition of brown butter in this recipe because it adds a rich, caramel-like flavor to it. Browning butter is easier than it sounds — get all of my tips & tricks for browning butter here!
What’s the best pan for coffee cake?
Good news: you have options when it comes to choosing a pan for this strawberry coffee cake! I like to use a 9 inch springform pan to show off the layers, but you can also use a regular 9 inch cake pan OR an 8×8 inch square pan. So easy!
Tips for the perfect strawberry coffee cake
Don’t forget these easy tips & tricks so that your fresh strawberry coffee cake turns out amazing every time!
- Grease your pan. Please remember to generously coat your springform pan (sides included!) with nonstick cooking spray so that the cake comes out easily! If you’re using a cake pan or square pan, remember to line it with parchment paper.
- Use room temp ingredients. Be sure to cool down the brown butter for a full 10 minutes and bring your eggs to room temp so that they don’t coagulate when mixed together.
- Do not overmix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients be sure to mix until the batter is just combined. Overmixing will create a dense, gummy texture.
- Cool, then glaze. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the icing so that it doesn’t soak into the cake.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: keep the strawberry coffee cake covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, then place it in the fridge covered for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: let the cake cool and then wrap it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place the full cake in a zip-top freezer bag. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight, then let the cake come to room temp before adding the strawberry glaze and serving it.
More cake recipes you’ll love
- Almond Lemon Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake (healthy + gluten free)
- Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Frosting
- Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
- Brown Butter Apple Coffee Cake
Get all of my cake recipes here!
I hope you love this incredible brown butter strawberry coffee cake! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Brown Butter Strawberry Coffee Cake with Lovely Strawberry Icing
Ingredients
- For the topping & streusel:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup salted butter, melted
- Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup salted butter* (unsalted is fine too!)
- ½ cup vanilla greek yogurt (I used siggi’s vanilla whole milk yogurt)
- ¼ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (or sub gf all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Mix-ins:
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh strawberries
- For the glaze:
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup freeze dried strawberries
- 1-2 tablespoons milk of choice, to thin glaze so that it’s easy to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray (VERY IMPORTANT TO COAT THE SIDES TOO); alternatively you can use a 9-inch cake pan or an 8x8 inch square pan that’s been lined with parchment paper.
- First make your streusel: in a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add in the melted butter and stir together with a fork until it begins to form into crumbles and resembles clumps of wet sand. You may need to use your hands/fingers to form into nice thick ‘clumps’. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make your brown butter: add 1/2 cup butter to a large saucepan or skillet and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you stir constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens right when it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to turn a brown amber color and give off a nutty aroma. Transfer brown butter to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you get all of your other ingredients out and measured. Note: It is important that you wait the full 10 minutes for the brown butter to cool.
- Once brown butter has cooled, add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl: vanilla yogurt, milk, eggs, pure maple syrup, vanilla and almond extracts; whisk until well combined, smooth and creamy.
- In a separate medium bowl: whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined; do not overmix. Fold the diced strawberries into the batter.
- Pour HALF of the batter into the prepared pan and spread out with a spatula; the batter will be thick. Sprinkle the batter with HALF of the streusel mixture. Then top with the remaining batter and gently spread over the streusel and then top again with remaining streusel mixture.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before glazing.
- To make the glaze: add freeze dried strawberries to a blender and blend until they are a fine powder. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberry powder and milk. Start with a little bit of milk to thin the glaze, knowing you can always add more to thin if necessary. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cake. Cut into 12 slices. Store covered at room temp for 1-2 days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 3rd, 2022, and republished on May 10th, 2023.
75 comments
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!! Do you think you could make it strawberry rhubarb flavored by substituting some of the fresh strawberries with rhubarb?
I think that’s an excellent idea!! Let me know how it comes out 🙂
I’m confused how you make this with the dried strawberries recommended. The 1.2 oz bags on Amazon that you often recommend would take so many bags to equal 1 1/2 cups. Each little 1.2 oz bag is $9! Is this the actual freeze dried strawberry you use? That would be $80. Am I missing something?
Maybe my calculations are off or I’m not not seeing the correct packages, but I always want to make your freeze dried strawberry recipes, and I cannot ever find a good deal on them that would equal such a large amount of strawberries.
The freeze dried strawberries are only for the glaze. The batter calls for 1.5 cups of fresh strawberries, diced. 🙂
Hi! You need 1.5 cups of *fresh* strawberries to mix into the batter, and then just 1/4 cup of the freeze dried strawberries for the glaze 🙂
Hi you can get the freeze dried strawberries at Trader Joe’s probably for cheaper.
Yes!
omg. i am not a baker but i made this today and it was phenomenal. huge hit with the fam. instead of dried strawberries i just mashed up some fresh ones. it was not a drizzle consistency but still so yummy. thanks for the recipe.
Nice! Glad that tasted great. Thanks so much for the review, Corinne!
The most moist and delicious coffee cake I’ve ever tasted! You can tell there’s almond extract, but because it’s only 1/4 teaspoon, it doesn’t overpower the cake. The addition of the fresh diced strawberries is heavenly. I ran out of strawberries/ and didn’t have freeze dried strawberries, so I made it without the glaze, and it was still INCREDIBLE.
Highly recommend!
Also, to keep it dairy free for my family, I used melted vegan butter and the Siggis plant based vanilla yogurt and it worked out great!
Ahhh I’m so happy you tried and loved it, Louisa! So glad to hear those plant-based options worked well and that it still tasted great without the glaze. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! ❤️
So light, refreshing and delicious! I got a lot of fresh strawberries from a nearby farm stand and can’t wait to eat it leftovers week 🍓
SO GOOD!! I made with Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour and it turned out amazing! My husband who, who is not GF and graciously tries all of my “experiments” with GF subs, said “Are you sure this is GF?” I followed the recipe as directed with only that modification. Needed just the 45 minute bake time.
Thank you for ALL of your amazing recipes! Love AK!!
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear the GF flour worked well and that you both loved this one, Melissa! ❤️
This was so good! While it was baking our whole house smelled lovely. I reduced the sugar by half and didn’t make the glaze since I didn’t have any freeze-dried fruits on hand, but even without it the cake was so delicious. I cut up some fresh strawberries and put them on top to decorate it a bit. Will definitely be saving this, it was so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
So glad it came out amazing and that it was easy, Kathleen! Thanks so much for leaving a review ❤️
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I’m a beginner when it comes to baking, and I didn’t have any issues following this recipe!
Ahh so glad to hear that, Leslie! Happy it came out amazing!
Okay so let me start off by saying, I have baked innumerable cakes and cake variations in my life and this is the best When my mom took her first bite, still a little warm from the oven, she said it gave her a wave of nostalgia and tasted just like her childhood. It is worth the time and extra dishes it takes to make it. I made very few and slight modifications based on what I had available but I’ll list them here. I used strawberry green yogurt in the cake, white sugar in the crumb topping, and instead of freeze dried strawberries in the icing I used two fresh. This last one caused a texture change which wasn’t a big deal but definitely stick with the freeze dried as it’s written to avoid that if you can. Thank you for the beautiful recipe, I made it for my son’s second birthday and it was very very special.
Oh my gosh!! This makes me SO HAPPY, thank you for the sweet review, Maren. So glad to hear those subs worked well (and yes, freeze dried strawberries are def best 🙂 ) Hope your son had a great bday!!
This coffee cake was absolutely scrumptious! Super easy to whip up, and the brown butter is such a nice caramel and nutty undertone to the cake that compliments the sweet strawberries so well! I loved the light texture of the crumb, and the crumble is also nice and light, but gives it a good texture to contrast with the soft cake and juicy strawberries. My husband and his colleagues devoured it when I sent most of it into work with him, and I have been asked to make this again! Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Aw thank you SO much, Alison! I’m thrilled to hear you all loved it 🙂 Can’t wait for you to make it again!
This was fabulous!
Made it exactly according to the recipe. I did not have freeze dried strawberries so I just did a regular glaze and it was still awesome. Thanks!!
So glad the regular glaze worked well and that you loved it, Cait! Thank you so much 🙂
I haven’t come across a recipe from Monique that hasn’t been amazing! This coffee cake is yet another family favorite, So good for summer!
So delicious!
Great coffee cake! Used plain Greek yogurt because it was all I had and gluten free flour and it came out perfectly delicious. Super easy to put together but feels like such a fancy cake!
Really delicious strawberry coffee cake. Would 100% make it again. I didn’t have almond extrat, so I skipped that. Turned out great!
I made this cake yesterday for Canada Day and it was so good! I had to order the dried strawberries from Amazon as they are impossible to find here. I also made your Greek chicken kabobs and tzatziki and everyone loved it! I can never go wrong making your recipes!!
Excellent twist on coffee cake! While I used regular butter for the recipe when called for, I sybbed the yogurt with Siggis non-dairy cinnamon vanilla and used flax eggs. It turned out moist and fluffy! Not sure if the flax had too much of a binding effect on the batter as it was very sticky when I poured into the springform pan, but the end result was excellent nonetheless. Highly recommend!
I loved this recipe! Something a little different and very delicious and good for anyone that is looking for a sweet treat thats not super rich or chocolate. The only change I made was used a 10in springform pan and baked about 42 min. There was still enough batter and turned out fabulous 👌🏼
I’m so glad you loved it and that it came out perfect! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
This was fire! && having just one slice felt guilt free but I kept having more! I will definitely be making again! Thank you!!
Nice!! So glad it came out amazing!
I decided to make the recipe in a muffin tin to see how it would turn out and adjusted the bake time to twenty five minutes. They turned out beautifully! Big, puffy, strueselly tops – so perfect! Another winning recipe no surprise
Love that! Such a great idea 🙂
This cake is absolutely amazing!! Such a good strawberry flavor. Definitely do not skip the glaze!
Aw yay! I am so glad to hear that you are loving this recipe. I agree, that glaze is a MUST!
Totally delicious perfection. I used Bob’s gluten free flour and it came out great. Love it! Thank you!
This looks amazing!!! Can you use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Do you have the nutritional info for this recipe?
I brought this to our family brunch on Mother’s Day and everyone LOVED it. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a single piece to take home, but 0 leftovers speaks volumes to how good it was. I’m so excited to try more recipes!
Aw yay! This means so much – I am so glad this cake was a hit for you and your family 😍🍓
This is the BEST coffee cake I’ve ever had!! It’s so light and tender. I used sour cream instead of yogurt and it turned out great! Can’t wait to make this again
Perfect! So happy you loved it!
delcious
So, so good! I made this for company and even my unbelievably picky uncle loved it. I followed the recipe using whole wheat pastry flour and adding allspice to the crumble. All else remained the same. Certainly my favorite coffeecake now – so moist, fluffy, not too rich, and the glaze is amazing. Also, I made the caramelized onion, spinach, chicken pasta bake – 5 STARS⭐- for the same company. You’ve never disappointed me yet with your recipes!
This is such a wonderful comment, Pam — THANK YOU! Really appreciate you taking the time to respond. So glad everyone loved it ❤️
I would quadruple the fresh berries and double the icing. This is a great brunch cake. Not overly sweet or indulgent, great with a glass of milk.
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed this cake and it turned out great for you, Hannah 🙂
So delicious! It was a huge hit at a family gathering! I did need to cook it an extra 15 minutes longer than what the directions say. Regardless, will definitely be making again! I also skipped the freeze dried strawberries in the glaze.
Glad it was a hit!
On the freeze dried strawberries, is the 1/4 cup before or after tuning to powder?
I have made this once. It was absolutely to die for! I did use 1/4 cup of the dried berries after powdering.
Great question! I measure them before blending 🙂 Glad you love this one!
Love, Love, Love! I’ve made this twice already (just found this recipe about a month ago). I will be making again very soon! I use powdered coconut sugar in the icing, And, I make more icing (I follow the recipe, it just ends up being more than a drizzle).
Amazing! One of my favs, too 🙂
I’ve made this twice now and it’s heaven. I am also the worst baker and this recipe is so easy and impossible to mess up!
So glad you gave this one a try! Easier than you think and SO delicious 🙂
The texture of this cake is phenomenal, absolutely the most perfect cake ever. I thought that the strawberry and cinnamon flavors kinda cancel each other out, but the rest of my family enjoyed the combination.
Do you think that the strawberries could be replaced with peaches? I am thinking that peach, cinnamon and a lemon glaze would be a match made in heaven.
So happy to hear that! And yes I think peaches would be delicious!
I haven’t made this yet but it looks absolutely delicious. It also doesn’t look hard to make. No difficult ingredients to purchase either.
I was wondering though if I may use fresh strawberries instead of the freeze dried strawberries, when making the glaze.
I can’t wait to make this beautiful dessert.
Thank you for the lovely recipe.
Such a great treat! Fresh strawberries will change the flavor and texture of the icing, so I’d recommend sticking with freeze-dried for this recipe.
Hi! Planning to make this for Easter brunch. Do you think it would be okay to make it the night before? Or do you recommend waking up early to ensure it’s consumed the day it’s baked?
Feel free to make it the night before and just heat it when you’re ready to enjoy!
This was amazing! So easy and delicious. I didn’t use the icing, I’m sure the icing is great but honestly, I don’t think it needed it.
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
If you are making the day before, do you recommend waiting to top with the glaze until right before serving?
It will be prettiest if you wait until right before serving 🙂 but it will still be delicious if you glaze it the night before.
Nice texture and great flavors but this is more of a sweet after dinner cake that was better served warm with vanilla ice cream. The sweetness overpowered the strawberries which were in season and already sweet. Next time, I’m halving both the brown sugar and maple syrup. And I’m going to add some crushed pecans to the streusel for some crunch. Still, great base and easily adjustable based on sweet level.
Perfect! Let me know how it goes with those tweaks 🙂
I made this vegan (flax eggs, soy milk, dairy-free yogurt) and gluten-free (gf flour), and I also placed dollops of strawberry jam in after the first layer of batter/streusel. I baked it for 45 minutes (as another reviewer suggested), but I realized it was underbaked, so I’m trying to rebake it for a little bit now *fingers crossed.* The flavor is AMAZING, though!
Let me know how they turned out!!
Insanely delicious!! I made this for Mother’s day and it was a huge hit! The streusel is the best streusel I’ve ever made…I didn’t make the frosting because I thought it would be perfectly sweet and tasty as is!
Question: Do you think this cake could be made with NO berries? So it’s just a cinnamon coffee cake? Would that throw off the proportions?
So happy to hear that! Hmmm, I haven’t tested it, but I think it should work.