With a super tender, moist crumb, filled with sweet and plump fresh cherries, and generously laced and dotted with heavenly marzipan, this cake will win you over after the first bite. And DO NOT skip over this recipe because you’re thinking, “Dang it, I don’t have marzipan and it’s too expensive to buy.” I’M HERE TO RESCUE YOU! I’m including my super-duper easy homemade marzipan recipe!
I grew up on streusel cakes in Germany. They’re popular in every region of the country and for good reason. They’re delicious! There are countless varieties of streusel cake and many of them include fruit. And lots of butter, of course. I had some fresh cherries on hand and was craving a good streusel cake – a match made in heaven!
Marzipan, food of the gods.
But that was not all, I was specifically craving a marzipan-based streusel cake. Is there anything more divine-tasting than marzipan?
On a side note: I doubt you’ll hear it preached from any religious pulpit, but I’m convinced that the manna sent from heaven to the Israelites was actually marzipan. Living off marzipan every day for 40 years? Take me to the wilderness!
If you’re like me, you don’t usually have store-bought marzipan on-hand when you need it and grimace at the thought of having to buy it – it’s expensive! And that’s why I make it myself – and why you must give it a try!
It’s so incredibly easy to make, takes seriously 5 minutes, and the results are out-of-this-world delicious. Once you’ve made it you’ll make it again and again. Click on the link below for my recipe:
Cherries, glorious cherries!
For you cherry lovers out there, you’ll be interested to know that there is a new variety on the market! I just sampled some Orondo Ruby cherries, which have just been made available for the first time.
My home, Washington State, produces over 50% of the cherries grown in the United States and is famous for its sweet cherries. These gorgeous red-blushed Orondo Rubies with their rich golden yellow flesh are known for their crisp skin, firm bite, juiciness, and tremendous flavor. And they’re even sweeter than Rainier cherries. Orondo Rubies mature earlier in the growing season than Bings and Rainiers, are grown in small quantities, and are available only for a short period of time.
Above three images courtesy G&C Farms
If you’re interested in giving these delicious Rubies a try, you can refer to this list of available locations.
Oh, Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake, how I love you!
You’re going to love this luscious German-style cake with its rich buttery flavor, sweet fruitiness, and irresistible taste of marzipan! And it tastes even better the next day (if you can muster the self-control to wait)!
Say it with me: “Because I’m worth it.”
Let’s get started!
Wash, stem and half some sweet cherries – you’ll need about 2 cups. The texture of the Orondo Ruby lends itself particularly well to baking.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the marzipan and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add the egg and beat until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in half of the buttermilk followed by half of the flour mixture.
Fold in the remaining buttermilk followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Be careful not to over-stir.
Spoon the batter into the greased springform and smooth the top.
Layer the cherries on top. It’s okay if you have more than one layer.
To make the streusel topping: Combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the almond paste and butter.
Use your fingers to combine the mixture until it resembles clumps of sand.
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cherries.
In an oven preheated to 350 degrees, bake the streusel cake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the springform for 10 minutes before removing, then let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
Once cool, sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake.
Serve plain, with whipped or ice cream. This cake tastes even better the next day.
Enjoy!
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup Easy Homemade Marzipan or Almond Paste
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved or canned cherries (drain first) or frozen cherries (thaw and drain first) *Fresh cherries strongly recommended as canned and frozen emit more liquid and can result in a soggy cake unless super thoroughly drained first.
- For the Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup Easy Homemade Marzipan or Almond Paste (see recipe link above), crumbled
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch springform.
- To make the streusel topping: Combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the almond paste and butter and use your fingers to combine the mixture until it resembles sandy clumps. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the almond paste and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the egg and beat until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in half of the buttermilk followed by half of the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining buttermilk followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Be careful not to over-stir.
- Spoon the mixture into the greased springform, smoothing the top. Place the cherries on the top, then sprinkle the streusel topping over it.
- Bake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the springform for 10 minutes before removing, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, sift powdered sugar over the top. Serve plain, with whipped or ice cream.
- This cake tastes even better the next day.
Patricia says
Excellent, tender and rich cake with delicious flavor. Not too sweet-just perfect. I used a full 200g package of store bought marzipan (evenly split between topping and cake), half vanilla and half almond emulsion. I used well-drained thawed frozen cherries which worked well enough but fresh cherries would have a better flavor (could not find any though :-( . Highly recommend!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Patricia, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Mary Smith says
This was fantastic with your homemade marzipan and one ripe pear! If the pears were not so ripe I would have added another but I was afraid they would add too much moisture.
Wonderful and definitely a keeper!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Mary, I’m so happy it was a success, thank you!
Tat says
Do you think this cake would be good if I opt not to include any fruits?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tat, sure, it will still be a tasty basic streusel cake.
Tat says
I decided to use sliced apples and will try it on Monday. Can I make your almond paste on the same day that I will bake the cake or do you recommend the day before? Any other recommendations you might have? It will be a gift to a marzipan lover. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tat, there’s no need to make the marzipan in advance. You can make it literally a few minutes before you bake the cake and it will be fine. Happy baking!
Scott says
Just made this with peaches since cherries are out of season here in Connecticut. Gorgeous! Love the almond flavor. Will make again for sure…thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Scott, thank you so much!
Alison says
I made this with strawberries and pomegranates and it was delicious! I wanted to take the recipe and make into small bars. Will it work to cook in a 9×9 cake pan instead of a springform?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Alison, thanks so much for the feedback! Yes, you can bake it in a 9×9 cake pan.
Lorraine Luciano says
Hi, this recipe looks wonderful! I have one problem, my husband hates cooked fruit in his desserts, yes, I know crazy. Can I make this without any fruit? Will it still be as moist? or do you have some other recommendation? Like, i could maybe hide apple butter and he would think it was cinnamon….help!
Alyssa says
Wow!!! Just made this and it’s incredible! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Great texture, great flavor, just the right amount of moisture. Everyone loved it and said it might be their most favorite cake they’ve ever had! I’ve been using you’re homemade marzipan the last few years to make stollen at xmas, and now I have another use for the marzipan! Will definitely make this again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Alyssa, I’m positively thrilled it was such a hit, wahoo!
Randi says
I really want to make this ahead of time. Can it be frozen?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Randi, yes it can.
Randi says
Can the coffee cake be frozen ahead of time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Randi, yes it can.
Melissa says
I just made this yesterday and it was a hit. We had guests who had 2-3 pieces of it. One guest can’t have lactose, and it was easy to make this lactose-free by using lactose-free butter instead of regular butter and 1/2 cup of lactose-free milk with 2 and 1/4 tsp of vinegar instead of buttermilk
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Melissa, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Amanda says
I made this and the batter rose up the sides and on top of the streusel over about half of the cake. Any idea what could have gone wrong? I did use a gluten free all purpose flour but Ive had no problems using in as replacement in other baking.
Thanks
H Fearnow says
I just made this recipe with normal flour and had the same thing happen. My best guess is that the batter was a little too moist. My homemade almond paste seemed a smidge wet, but I ran out of almond flour and decided to wing it. Plus I used thawed frozen cherries in this, so I’m sure that added more moisture as well. Next time I’ll toss in a little more flour.
Emily says
I unfortunately stumbled upon this recipe when cherries weren’t in season. I couldn’t get this cake off of my mind so I just tried it with fresh cranberries. Perfect! I love it with cranberries and can’t wait to try it when cherries are in season.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s a terrific, alternative, Emily, especially this time of year. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Linda says
The cake looks really yummy, think I’m gonna make it really soon! However, I’m usually using a scale when baking, so could you please tell me how much marzipan to use in gram? Many thanks in advance!
Cristine Hawat says
Just had a slice of this heavenly cake! As I’ve been off sugar for a while, I’ll like to try it with half the sugar content on the dough and on the crumble. It was a very pleasant recipe to execute and your pictures are gorgeous. I enjoy your writing. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Cristine, I appreciate the compliment and am so glad you enjoyed this cake! Agreed, when I’ve been off sugar for periods of time and then reintroduce it, I find most things too sweet and typically reduce the sugar in recipes I’m making for my family.
Patricia says
Hello Cristine Hawat & Kimberly,
I also typically prefer reduced sweetener in my bakes, and I’m curious about your cake results using half the sugar (mentioned above), as I’d like to attempt this as well, although concerned about cutting that much sugar from the flour/sugar ratio.
Kimberly, what are your thoughts about how much sugar to cut, but still produce a tasty cake? Also, how does the reduction affect the functional aspect of sugar in baked goods?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Patricia, I would think reducing it by half in both the cake batter and the streusel would be perfectly fine. How sweet the final outcome is will also depend on the sweetness of the cherries or if you’re using a different kind of fruit.