2½cupsfresh raspberriesapproximately 2 pints - organic if available
Crumb topping
1cupall-purpose flour
½cupgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
¼cupunsalted buttermelted and cooled
Glaze
1cuppowdered sugarsifted
1½tablespoonsmilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
3 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium speed just until light and fluffy.
¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, mixing just until well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix until incorporated.
Add a third of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed just until combined. Add ½ cup of the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated, followed by another third of the flour mixture. Add the remaining ½ cup buttermilk, then the remaining third of the flour. Be sure that you are mixing between each addition just until each addition has been fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix your batter, or it will not be as tender.
1 cup full-fat buttermilk
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
To make the cream cheese layer, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.
16 ounces cream cheese
Add the granulated sugar, beating until well incorporated, followed by the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Be sure that your cream cheese mixture has no lumps remaining.
½ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Carefully add the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter layer. You can use an offset spatula to gently spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the batter.
Top the cream cheese with the fresh raspberries.
2½ cups fresh raspberries
To make the crumb topping, add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and unsalted butter, that has been melted and cooled to a medium bowl.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup unsalted butter
Using a large fork, mix all the ingredients together until you get a rough crumbly mixture and all the flour has been absorbed by the melted butter. You can use your fingers to press the mixture together to get a good crumbly texture.
Sprinkle the crumbly mixture evenly over the top of the raspberry and cream cheese layer.
Bake the raspberry coffee cake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, or just until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If your crumb mixture gets too brown before your cake is cooked completely, you can lightly tent your coffee cake with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
Allow the raspberry coffee cake to cool completely on the counter before adding the glaze.
To make the glaze, whisk together, in a small bowl, the sifted powdered sugar and milk until smooth and the consistency of a thick syrup. If your glaze is too runny, then you can add a couple more tablespoons of powdered sugar, or if too thick, then you can add additional milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
1 cup powdered sugar, 1½ tablespoons milk
Notes
Yields: 12 (3x3 inch) servingsStorage:
To Store: You should store this raspberry coffee cake, tightly covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
To Freeze: To freeze, wrap tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving.
To Reheat: You can warm up individual pieces in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.
Tips:
Be sure that you are scraping down the sides of your bowl and your paddle attachment every so often. This will be a thick batter, and you will need to make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated at each step.
Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and the beaters, if necessary, for the cream cheese mixture as well.
Be sure to zest your fresh lemon prior to juicing it for this recipe. It is much easier to zest a whole lemon than one cut in half and juiced already.
Be sure to use good quality, full-fat cream cheese in this recipe. I have found that some of the store brands do not have as good of a flavor as the well-known name brands. They also oftentimes have a higher water content, and that will alter the final texture of the cream cheese layer.