This easy almond coffee cake is a moist almond cake topped with a crunchy almond brown sugar streusel. Dust it with a little powdered sugar for a delicious treat for breakfast or dessert!
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Almond streusel coffee cake is a tender almond flavored cake. It gets its crunch and extra flavor from the brown sugar almond streusel on top!
This recipe was inspired by the flavors of North African cuisine I tried while I taught English in Morocco and Tunisia. I love how North African recipes often combine almonds and cinnamon.
For more coffee cake recipes, try my blueberry banana coffee cake and this apple cider coffee cake!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Rich and Moist– Sour cream makes the cake super soft and helps it stay moist for days!
- Delicious almond flavor-Almond extract and the crunchy almond crumble makes this recipe an almond lover’s dream just like my almond and blackberry cake!
- Delicious flavors-The streusel topping is inspired by the flavors of Moroccan b’stilla. The almonds are blanched and fried (or toasted) for extra flavor then combined with cinnamon and orange blossom water. It makes the cake so good to bite into just like the the cardamom cornflake crumble in my banana strawberry cake!
- Perfect anytime of the day- Enjoy a piece for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or dessert!
Ingredients
Below are some useful notes about some ingredients.
- Butter– The amount of salt in salted butter can vary among brands. I prefer to use unsalted butter and add my own salt.
- 2 large Eggs- Take eggs out of refrigerator at least 1 hour before baking.
- Sour Cream-Sour cream creates a moist and tender texture. Use full fat, room tempearture sour cream. If you have leftover sour cream, try my sour cream banana bread muffins and chocolate and raspberry cake!
- Almonds- Almonds add flavor and crunch to the streusel topping. I recommend lightly frying or toasting blanched almonds for best flavor. Almond fans, make sure to also try these almond and lemon biscotti and almond blackberry cake.
- Almond extract- This cake gets its almond flavor from almond extract.
- Cinnamon- Cinnamon is a common ingredient in coffee cake. It adds a warm flavor to the streusel topping!
- Orange blossom water (optional)- The streusel is flavored with a hint of orange blossom water. It has a floral, citrusy flavor and pairs so well with the almonds and cinnamon. You can also use it to flavor frosting like in this yummy olive oil grapefruit cake!
Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add toasted or raw almonds in place of blanched, fried almonds.
- Instead of almonds, use pistachios, pecans or walnuts for the topping! For another delicious nut cake, be sure to try this pistachio ricotta cake.
- I recommend using sour cream, but you can use room temperature full fat plain yogurt as a substitute.
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– Fry the blanched almonds til lightly golden. Allow to cool. If you don’t have blanched almonds or don’t want to blanch them, use raw almonds with the skin on and toast the almonds. See recipe card below for information.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)–Finely chop the almonds then stir them together with the rest of the streusel ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)–Beat the butter and sugars together til creamy and combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Mix in the sour cream and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients til just combined.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)–Pour the batter into an 8 inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Top with the streusel.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)–Bake at 350 F for 32-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Lift cake out of the pan with the parchment paper overhang. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix the cake. Stir only til combined when you add the dry ingredients.
- If you fry some blanched almonds, fry some extra. They are delicious for snacking. I also love adding them to cheese boards!
- Make sure your eggs, milk, and sour cream are room temperature so they incorporate into the batter better.
- Use a light colored 8 by 8 inch square pan for best results. A dark colored pan will brown the edges and cause them to dry out.
Recipe FAQs
Place almonds in a heat proof bowl. Pour boiling water over them. Allow them to sit for 1 minute (not longer than that). Drain then run cold water over them. Squeeze each almond with your fingers, peel the skin off and remove it.
Toasting (or frying) almonds makes almonds extra crunchy and flavorful!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Yes! Freeze leftover cake in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature. The crumble won’t be as crunchy after freezing.
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Almond Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ⅓ cup (41.67 g) whole blanched almonds or use raw nuts and toast them or add them without toasting
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (31.25 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 ml) orange blossom water or vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter melted
- vegetable oil for frying, about 1 cup, optional
Almond Coffee Cake
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons (1½ teaspoons) almond extract
- 2 (2) large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) milk whole or 2%, room temperature
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon (1½ teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- (60 g) powdered sugar optional, for dusting
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- Frying the amonds: If planning to fry the almonds, make sure they are blanched. You can buy blanched almonds or blanch them yourself (see instructions below in notes section). Place a few paper towels on a plate. Place next to the stove. Heat one cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet til the oil shimmers. Add the almonds to the hot oil. Stir constantly til just light golden brown. The almonds will darken quickly, so be careful not to burn them or let them get past lightly golden. Use a spider strainer to transfer them to the paper towels to drain and cool. Once cooled completely, finely chop the almonds.
- Toasting the almonds: Instead of frying the almonds, you can toast raw or blanched almonds. To toast whole almonds, set a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the almonds. After 30 seconds, stir the almonds, trying to flip them over so that they are evenly browned, until fragrant. This will take about 10 minutes for whole almonds or about 5-6 minutes for sliced or slivered almonds. Remove from pan and allow to cool before finely chopping.
- If you prefer not to fry or toast almonds, you can skip this step.
- In a small bowl, mix together all of the streusel ingredients with a fork til crumbly and combined. Place crumble in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
Almond Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease an 8X8 inch square pan. Line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on two sides to make it easier to remove once baked.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter and sugars with a mixer on medium high speed til creamy and combined, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the sour cream and milk.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Use a spatula or offset spatula to spread it evenly and smooth the top.
- Remove crumble from the refrigerator. Use a fork to break up the crumble if needed. Spread crumble evenly over the batter.
- Bake 32-36 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack. Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan. The cake is best enjoyed warm or at room temperature. Enjoy as is or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Amy Ayers
just made this. didn’t have orange blossom water,I zested an orange. the cake is light and so flavorful. it was easy to make and will definitely make again!
Natalie
Hi Amy! Yay thanks so much for making this cake and for sharing your helpful recipe notes. So happy you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend 🙂