Cherry Coffee Cake (Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix Recipe)

(Last Updated On: April 5, 2024)

A delightfully sweet yet crunchy cherry coffee cake recipe made with a hot roll mix from Pillsbury®. And it is so good! A cherry preserves filling is on the inside with a crunchy brown sugar topping mixture sprinkled on top of the cake before baking. A frosting glaze is drizzled over the top of the coffee cake after baking. Sweetness in every bite.

What’s in This Cherry Coffee Cake?

For the cherry coffee cake recipe, Pillsbury hot roll mix is used with basic ingredients of warm water that is mixed with yeast for rising, then sugar, butter, one egg, almond extract, and cherry preserves. You can use other fruit preserves if you prefer. The crumbly topping is a simple combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg mixture. And the basic glaze ingredients are powdered sugar and milk. Cherry coffee cake is a very easy and simple recipe to make.

🍰 Key Ingredients for Cherry Coffee Cake

Cherry Coffee Cake Mixture

• 1 package of Pillsbury hot roll mix (includes yeast packet inside)
• 1 cup of warm water (120 degrees to 130 degrees Fahrenheit) (for yeast packet)
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter (softened)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
• 1/2 cup of cherry preserves (can use other fruit preserves)

Crumble Topping

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Glaze Frosting

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk

🍒 How to Make Cherry Coffee Cake

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Prepare Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix

Soften the Butter

Put 1/2 cup of butter in a bowl that is safe for the microwave, then nuke it for about 10 to 20 seconds just until softened. Please keep an eye on the butter while it is in the microwave.

Combine the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix, Softened Butter, and Sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, add the package of Pillsbury hot roll mix together with the softened butter and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Mix it all up together until it forms a crumbly cake mixture. Do not blend so much that it is not crumbly.

Reserve One Third Cup of Crumble Cake Mixture

Scoop out 1/3 cup of the crumbly mixture we just made, and set aside for the topping we will use later.

Step 2. Prepare the Yeast

Pour the yeast that is inside the box of Pillsbury hot roll mix into a bowl together with 1 cup of very warm water. Stir to let the yeast dissolve into the water.

Note: The temperature of the warm water should be between 120 degrees to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. We did 125 degrees for the warm water temperature and that worked well for us.

Mix Yeast and Egg with Crumble Mixture

In a medium-sized bowl, immediately add the yeast mixture and 1 egg together with the crumbly mixture.

Mix the yeast mixture and egg thoroughly together with the crumbly mixture until blended well into a smooth coffee cake-like batter.

Step 3. Prepare Baking Dish

Grease the bottom part of a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then pour the coffee cake batter mixture evenly into the baking dish.

Step 4. Mix Almond Extract and Cherry Preserves

In a small bowl, add the cherry preserves together with the almond extract. Then spoon it over the coffee cake batter swirling slightly in the baking dish.

Step 5. Let the Coffee Cake Batter Rise

Loosely cover the baking dish with some plastic wrap and/or a towel, then let it sit in a warm place. The warm place should be 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit until the coffee cake batter rises double in size. This will take about 75 minutes.

Tip: Turn your oven on at the lowest temperature. Ours is 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Then wait about 1 to 2 minutes while the oven heats up, but it doesn’t need to heat up to 170 degrees. Then after 1 to 2 minutes, turn the oven off. Wait about 1 minute, then test the temperature at 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the covered baking dish in the oven until the coffee cake batter has doubled in size. The coffee cake batter may not completely double in size, but close to it.

Step 6. Prepare Crumble Topping

While the coffee cake batter is rising in a warm place, in a medium-sized bowl, add the 1/3 cup of the reserved crumbly mixture we saved earlier together with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Stir the ingredients until it becomes a crumbly mixture that will be used for the topping on the coffee cake batter later. Do not mix too much so that it isn’t crumbly anymore.

Step 7. Spread Crumble Topping Over the Coffee Cake Batter

After the coffee cake batter has been in a warm place for about 75 minutes, unwrap it. Then, sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the coffee cake batter.

Step 8. Preheat Oven then Bake Cherry Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Above 3500 feet, bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 35 minutes. Do the toothpick test – a toothpick inserted into the center of the cherry coffee cake should come out clean when done.

Step 9. Glaze Frosting

In the meantime, while the cherry coffee cake is baking in the oven, add 1 cup of powdered sugar together with 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir the powdered sugar and milk until nice and smooth. It should drizzle off of the spoon or spatula when you lift the spoon or spatula.

Tip: Start with one tablespoon of milk and stir the milk and powdered sugar and test to see if the glaze frosting drizzles off of the utensil you are using. If it doesn’t have a nice drizzle to it, slowly add the other tablespoon until it does.

Step 10. Drizzle Frosting on the Baked Cherry Coffee Cake

After the cherry coffee cake is done baking in the oven, take it out of the oven, then drizzle the glaze frosting across the top of it. This cherry coffee cake tastes great warm from the oven or after it has cooled.

❓ FAQs

Does Coffee Cake Taste Like Coffee?

Usually, in America, coffee cake has no coffee in it or tastes like coffee. However, you can find some coffee cake recipes that have cold coffee or instant coffee granules (dissolved in boiling water) added to the recipe and even in the topping and frosting. This then would make the cake and glazed frosting a coffee-flavored cake.

Why is Coffee Cake Called Coffee Cake?

Coffee cake is called coffee cake because it is meant to be served alongside a cup of coffee.

Coffee cake got its name many centuries ago when folks would gather around in the morning, afternoon, or evening with family and friends, and serve some sort of sweet cake and drink a hot cup of coffee with it while visiting, hence coffee cake.

💡 Final Thoughts

This cherry coffee cake is so delicious. It’s easy to make with just a few steps. You can change out the cherry preserves and use other choices of fruit in the mix.

Recipe Card

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• Ranger cookies – the best cookies with rolled oats, raisins, and rice crispies. These cookies are soft and chewy and so good!