This sweet coffee cake is the perfect make-ahead breakfast treat for a busy weekday or weekend. The crunchy topping is made with unsweetened shredded coconut, brown sugar, and just a hint of cinnamon. And, the cake itself is slightly moist and crumbly, with a hint of rum flavor that pairs perfectly with the crunchy topping and dried sweetened cherries. The best part about this recipe is that you can assemble all of the ingredients the night before and refrigerate the mixture overnight. In the morning, all you have to do is bake it for a sweet and time-saving breakfast treat.
Apparently, trying to find fresh cherries in Northern Virginia at the beginning of September is an insane and utterly ridiculous idea. You won’t find them at your local farmer’s market, you won’t find them at your normal grocery store, and you also won’t find them at the five other grocery stores in your area that you don’t usually go to but you desperately visit in search of finding them. You know what? Sometimes you just gotta give in, ditch the fresh cherries, and settle for dried cherries. I mean, come on, how many grocery stores can you visit in one day before you lose your sanity completely? In my case, the answer was three but by the sixth store, I was just so tired that I’m not even sure I cared anymore. As far as this overnight coffee cake is concerned, dried cherries are perfectly fine. Heck, they’re better than fine, and if I had just realized this sooner, perhaps I could have saved myself several trips to various grocery stores.
Ingredients:
Coffee Cake:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened (Additional for Greasing)
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Dark Rum
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (Divided)
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 5-oz. Dried Sweetened Cherries (Approximately 3/4 Cup)
Topping:
- 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
Coffee Cake:
- Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed in a large mixing bowl for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the dark rum and vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour; mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the sour cream; mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour; mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Use a silicone spatula to fold the dried cherries into the coffee cake batter.
- Spread the batter out evenly in a greased 8×8 baking dish.
Topping:
- In a small bowl, stir the coconut, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until well combined.
- Evenly spread the topping out over the coffee cake.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the coffee cake from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Suggestions:
- I used unsalted butter to grease the baking dish for this recipe. You can use butter, shortening, or coconut oil.
- Make sure to let the coffee cake sit on the counter for at least 30 to 45 minutes before baking it. The cold baking dish may explode or crack if it is put into a hot oven.
- I suggest letting this coffee cake cool for 15 minutes before cutting it.
Improvements:
- Replace the rum in this recipe with bourbon or whiskey.
- Add 1/4 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake batter or topping.
- If you’re a huge fan of coffee cake, make sure to check out this Overnight Make-Ahead Coffee Cake (Nut-Free).
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened (Additional for Greasing)
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Dark Rum
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (Divided)
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 5-oz. Dried Sweetened Cherries (Approximately 3/4 Cup)
- 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
- Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed in a large mixing bowl for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the dark rum and vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour; mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the sour cream; mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour; mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Use a silicone spatula to fold the dried cherries into the coffee cake batter.
- Spread the batter out evenly in a greased 8x8 baking dish.
- In a small bowl, stir the coconut, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until well combined.
- Evenly spread the topping out over the coffee cake.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the coffee cake from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
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Irish Cheddar & Dried Cherry Soda Bread
Sour Cherry Preserves (Small-Batch)
Make sure to check out all of the other great Sunday Funday “Berries/Cherries” recipes below. A huge thanks to Mayuri’s Jikoni for hosting this event.
- Cherry Clafoutis by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Coconut Dried Cherry Overnight Coffee Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Egg White Crêpe/Tortillas & A Chicken Strawberry Wrap by Sneha’s Recipes
- Fruit Tartlets by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Grilled Chicken Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette by A Day In The Life On The Farm
- Lemon Raspberry Coconut Cake by Cook with Renu
- Real Maraschino Cherries by Culinary Cam
