A decadent strawberry jam coffee cake that’s buttery, soft, and bursting with sweet strawberry flavor! Layers of tender cake, fresh strawberries, sweet jam, and crumbly streusel baked up into a beautifully golden loaf cake. Enjoy it for breakfast, dessert, or even an afternoon snack.
strawberry jam coffee cake – the layers
The first layer is a simple cake batter that’s whipped up until smooth. I flavor it with vanilla extract and a splash of orange juice. You can’t really taste the orange, but it brightens the cake up ever so slightly. You’ll fold fresh strawberries into this layer, too.
The next layer is sweet strawberry jam. I find the texture of these strawberry preserves from Bonne Maman to be perfect. It’s spoonable so you can easily dollop it across the batter and then use a knife to swirl it in.
And finally, the streusel layer. It’s a “wet” streusel. So instead of rubbing in softened butter and creating somewhat of a dry mixture, you’ll mix in melted butter to create a much richer consistency.
If you’re familiar with my blackberry zucchini coffee cake, then you’ll find this strawberry jam version similar in texture. It’s one of my favorite cakes because it is so different from any other coffee cake recipe I’ve had. It’s much more dense, buttery, and rich.
I recommend eating it warm with a slather of salted butter on top!
It makes for a great breakfast (maybe with something savory alongside like this roasted potato & sausage hash), a simple dessert, or an indulgent afternoon treat…of course, best served with a hot cup of coffee.
PrintStrawberry Jam Coffee Cake
a very decadent strawberry jam coffee cake with layers of tender cake, fresh strawberries, sweet jam, and buttery streusel
yield: 1 large loaf (approximately 8-10 slices)
Ingredients
Streusel
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp butter, melted + cooled slightly
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Cake Batter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp (or 3oz) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (or 8oz) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¾ lb fresh strawberries, trimmed + diced
- ¾ cup strawberry jam
- softened salted butter, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 5”x10” (or 1.5-lb) loaf pan with butter and line it with parchment paper (allow the parchment to overhang at least 2 inches).
- For the streusel, combine the brown sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and use a fork to mix. Lastly, add in the flour and mix with the fork until just combined (it should be thick and crumbly). Set the bowl of streusel in the fridge.
- For the cake batter, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Add the egg and continue to mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Lastly, mix in the sour cream and orange juice.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Fold in the fresh strawberries using a rubber spatula.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop in half of the strawberry jam. Use a knife to swirl the jam into the batter. Top with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter into the pan. Repeat with the jam and streusel.
- Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil. Continue to bake for about 25-30 minutes longer, or until the cake is just cooked through.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 minutes. Use the parchment paper to gently lift the cake out of the pan and set it on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool for another 30 minutes.
- Serve the cake warm, using a serrated knife to cut it into thick slices. Spread the softened salted butter onto each slice (optional).
I didn’t add the diced fresh strawberries but I made a fresh strawberry jam and used it the next day for this recipe.
I halved the crumble bc I read a review that it was too much crumble. It came out delicious, will make again.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Nicole. The fresh strawberry jam sounds amazing, and it’s very useful to hear about the crumble amount – I’ll look into that!
Hello! I’m baking this right now and just finished the 45 min covered portion. The middle is still jiggly and the streusel looks wet, so i put it in for another 12 mins and am typing this as the 12 mins count down! Also have lots of extra streusel! Not complaining at all because now I can make blueberry cake bread but was wondering if I was supposed to mash the streusel into the batter layers? I am soooo excited to eat this thang!! Will update you?
Update: 12 Extra mins seemed to cook it all the way through but it fell in the middle. No matter. End result was divine. Next time I might do the second/covered part with 60 mins so as not to disturb it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Allie! Thanks for sharing this feedback! So glad the finished result was delicious. I’ve been having a couple people ask about the cook time. The streusel in the middle is actually supposed to be somewhat wet (and it’ll firm up as it cools) since there aren’t any eggs, baking powder, etc. in that part. My guess is the wetness of the streusel is looking to most people like undercooked batter. I’m planning to make it again soon to ensure I’ve written the recipe as clear as can be. Also every oven is different, so the cook time will definitely vary! Thanks again 🙂
Hi! Is there a sour cream substitute?
Hi Jessica! You could use greek yogurt as a substitute. Enjoy!
This looks wonderful! Wanted to double check…you cook it for 35 minutes and then 45 minutes more, covered? That seems like a really long bake time for a coffee cake!
Hi Kimberley! Yes, that is correct! All ovens are different, so bake times may vary slightly, but it’s a really dense, thick cake so it takes some time. I like to cover it just so the top doesn’t get too brown. Let me know if you give it a try!
What can I sub for sour cream? Will nondairy yogurt work?
I know that greek yogurt will work well, but I’ve never tried with nondairy yogurt. I’m guessing the texture might come out a tad different, but I think it would still be great! Let me know if you try it. Enjoy!
Hi! I am confused what dry ingredients to add in step 3. Can you please explain. Thank you!
Hi Natalia! It’s referring to the dry ingredients that are combined in step 2 (the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). I hope this helps! Enjoy!!
Oh! So “ Mix in the egg and then the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed” should be mixed in a separate bowl and then add step 2 to it?
Thank you!
The egg, sour cream, oj, and vanilla get mixed in to the butter & sugar that have been creamed in the stand mixer. The only ingredients that get combined in a separate bowl are the dry ones. Then they get added to the stand mixer ingredients. Let me know if this helps!
Hi!
Just wondering… where does the coffee part come in?
Hi Christina! Typically, a “coffee cake” is used to describe a cake that is meant to be eaten with coffee. Compared to more of a frosting-covered dessert/birthday cake. Some have coffee in the cake itself, but most actually don’t. Hope this helps!
Oooohhhhhh thanks for the clarification. I’m clearly not a baker haha