An impossibly moist, streusel-topped, strawberry-stuffed, and lemonade-glazed breakfast treat, strawberry lemonade coffee cake is your ticket to swaying the universe in your favor. Have heavy objects that need lifting? Bribe your brawny neighbor with a big slice of strawberry lemonade coffee cake (FYI this Pumpkin Coffee Cake has powers of persuasion too). Computer giving you the blue screen of death? Offer your favorite techie a piece in exchange for resuscitating it. Need a foolproof, yet impressive dish to bring to the in-laws? Show up with strawberry lemonade coffee cake (or this Apple Coffee Cake is another sure winner) and be named Grandma’s new favorite. As any affection-garnering coffee cake should be, strawberry lemonade coffee cake is smothered with an irresistible streusel topping. That sweet, crunchy, buttery layer is worthy of being designated its own food group. Don’t be shy; pile it high. We have hearts to win. The cake portion of strawberry lemonade coffee cake has a secret ingredient that makes it uniquely tender: yeast. (This Cinnamon Swirl Yeasted Coffee Cake is another amazing yeasted coffee cake to try.) Fear not—no kneading and only one short rise is required. The yeast is beaten into the batter with other ingredients, the dough is briefly left to rise, and the result is a melt-in-your-mouth cake (like my favorite Buttermilk Cake) that is simultaneously lightly spongy and ridiculously moist. It’s soft without feeling heavy, fluffy but still satisfying. I find many coffee cakes to be either too dense or too cakey, but strawberry lemonade coffee cake is juuuuuust right (these Coffee Cake Muffins are equally divine).
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade Coffee Cake
Whether you make strawberry lemonade coffee cake for a special brunch (preferably with Goat Cheese Quiche), lazy Saturday (pass the Oven Baked Bacon), or to pay your movers, it’s sure to endear you to everyone who takes a bite.
The Ingredients
Strawberries. I love their fresh flavor combined with the glaze’s zippy lemon. It reminds me of all things happy and spring. This Strawberry Almond Skillet Cake I baked a few weeks ago ignited my annual berry fervor, and I’ve been adding them to every recipe possible.Lemon. For this recipe, you’ll use a healthy amount of both lemon zest and juice (like this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake). It adds such a lovely brightness to this tender coffee cake that enhances the natural flavor of the strawberries to make this yeasted coffee cake really shine.Yeast. The secret ingredient that makes this strawberry coffee cake with lemon sing. It enhances the crumb of this bake making it light and fluffy.Flour. Nothing fancy here. Just everyday all purpose flour.Sugar. Lightly sweetens the coffee cake dough letting the natural sugars in the strawberries do the heavy lifting.Egg. Softens the dough and also helps with the rise for supreme fluffiness.Butter + Milk. Enrich the dough with extra fat to make this strawberry coffee cake moist and ultra-tender.Streusel. A simple mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and butter creates an out-of-this-world crunchy topping that covers every inch of this homemade coffee cake recipe. (For a fall streusel treat, try this Pumpkin Coffee Cake.)Lemon Glaze. For a touch of extra pucker and sweetness. A simple glaze made with powdered sugar and lemon juice finishes this bright and fruity coffee cake recipe.
The Directions
My plan: leave a slice on my manager’s desk, then skip out on my 8 a.m. meeting. In case he’s tempted to mind, I’ll drop a second piece in his top drawer. Never underestimate the powers of carbs and crumb topping—bake your way to persuasion!
