Name: Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour; 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 1 large egg; 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream; 2 Tablespoons whole milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 Tablespoons blackberry preserves; 3/4 cup fresh blackberries ((cut about half of the berries in half)); 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar; 1 1/4 teaspoons whole milk

This blackberry sour cream coffee cake brings the best of blackberry season right to your breakfast table! The moist, tender cake is layered with fresh blackberries, a swirl of blackberry preserves, and an irresistible New York-style crumb topping.

Square slices of coffee cake swirled with blackberries stacked on a wooden cutting board.

We're all already obsessed with my classic buttermilk coffee cake, so now I can't stop turning it into new flavor combinations! Chocolate buttermilk coffee cake? Divine! Blackberry coffee cake? It's the berry-packed coffee cake we all need this spring and summer!

This recipe uses that same cake-and-crumb base you already know and love, with a few simple tweaks to make it perfect for blackberry season. This time I swapped the buttermilk for sour cream (plus just a splash of whole milk) to make sure the cake's crumb is moist and tender but also sturdy enough to hold up the juicy blackberries.

The fresh blackberries in this coffee cake add a bright, slightly tart fruit flavor that's pairs beautifully with the sweet crumb topping. And that swirl of blackberry preserves running through the middle? It adds a hint of sweet berry flavor in every single bite.

A square slice of coffee cake with blackberries and a drizzle of glaze on a white plate.

This easy blackberry sour cream coffee cake comes together in about an hour using simple ingredients and kitchen tools, but it looks like it came straight out of a bakery case. There's no mixer, no complicated steps, and no stress... just a soft and tender sour cream cake, juicy blackberries, and a buttery crumb topping with a simple glaze drizzled on top.

I'll be honest... getting this recipe just right took more rounds of testing that I'd expected. The fresh berries and preserves made the earlier test cakes too wet and too sweet, so I made some careful adjustments to the ingredient ratios to make sure the cake bakes up perfectly every time. The final result makes the extra effort worth it!

And before you ask, yes, you can absolutely swap in other fresh summer berries or even apples like I do in my apple cinnamon coffee cake recipe! Or give my blueberry peach coffee cake a try!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.

Recipe ingredients with labels on a white background.

Sour Cream - Sour cream is the star ingredient in this batter. It adds richness, moisture, and a slight tanginess that makes the cake taste more complex. It also keeps the crumb incredibly tender, so the cake stays soft and delicious for days. Full-fat sour cream is what you want here, since its higher fat content keeps the cake tender and moist.

Fresh Blackberries - Blackberries bring tart, juicy flavor and a beautiful pop of color. As they bake, they soften and become almost jammy, which pairs perfectly with the sweet cinnamon crumb. Fresh blackberries work best for this recipe, especially since I like to cut some of them in half. If you do use frozen berries, do not thaw them first so that they don't bleed into the batter.

Blackberry Preserves - Blackberry preserves add a nice swirl of sweet blackberry flavor through the batter. I like to use preserves rather than jam because its looser texture makes it easier to swirl it into the batter.

Brown Sugar - Brown sugar adds sweetness, flavor, and moisture to the crumb topping. I prefer to use light brown sugar because I think the more delicate molasses flavor is a better match for the blackberries.

Special Equipment

In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.

A pastry cutter, for cutting the butter into the flour mixture when mixing the cake batter.
A light metal 8x8 pan, for baking the cake.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.

Crumb topping ingredients mixed together in a glass mixing bowl with a fork.

Step 1: Make the crumb topping. Melt the butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter to the flour mixture and toss with a fork. Set aside.

Dry ingredients whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2: Make the cake batter. Whisk to combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Butter cut into dry ingredients in a glass mixing bowl with a pastry cutter.

Step 3: Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it's the texture of coarse meal.

Cake batter in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until well blended. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour and stir just until blended.

Preserves swirled into cake batter in a square metal baking pan.

Step 5: Assemble the cake. Add about two-thirds of the cake batter to an 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper, using a spatula to spread the batter to the edges of the pan.

Spoon blackberry preserves over the batter and use a butter knife to marble the preserves into the batter. Add half of the blackberries over the batter.

Cake batter topped with crumb topping and blackberries in a square metal baking pan.

Step 6: Add the remaining cake batter over the berries. Gently and carefully spread the batter to the edges of the pan. Spread the remaining blackberries over the batter followed by the crumb mixture.

Baked coffee cake with blackberries in a square metal baking pan.

Step 7: Bake the cake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the cake is puffed and golden brown.

Glaze drizzled over coffee cake in a square metal baking pan.

Step 8: Make the glaze. Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Spoon the glaze over the cake.

Allison's Top Tips

For the best texture, be careful not to over mix the cake batter. Stop mixing as soon as the wet ingredients are fully incorporated into the dry ingredients.

I cut about half of the berries in half to give me more and smaller pieces of fruit throughout the cake.

Overhead view of a square slice of coffee cake with blackberries and a drizzle of glaze on a white plate.

Storage Instructions

This coffee cake has a slightly shorter lifespan than my other coffee cake recipes because of the fresh fruit baked into the cake. It can be sealed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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