Simple and unassuming, this raspberry almond crumb cake is tender and buttery, a balanced contrast to the crunchy cinnamon crumbles on top. Paired with toasted almonds, juicy raspberries, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar—I can say with confidence that it was love at first bite.
If you want to eat cake for breakfast, a perfectly moist yet crumbly coffee cake is your solution. And today’s raspberry almond crumb cake should absolutely be on your cake-for-breakfast radar. Each bite is soft and juicy and crunchy and sweet and buttery, with a little cinnamon, almonds, and raspberries. All of these textures and flavors together are a home run. Serve it as part of your Mother’s Day recipes or any day where a special homemade breakfast is craved. Like my New York-style crumb cake, there’s only 2 parts: cake and toppings. This is a must make recipe so let’s get started!
This Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake Is
- Soft, buttery, and moist
- Relatively easy to make
- Loaded with a cinnamon crumb topping
- Topped with raspberries and almonds
- A totally special homemade breakfast
- Loved by bakers around the world
Overview: How to Make Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake
Using my sour cream crumb cake as the base, we’ll add vanilla extract for flavor and to make the cake extra special, a little almond extract too. For the full recipe, scroll to the bottom of the page.
- Make the cake batter. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the remaining ingredients. The mixture may look curdled—that’s ok. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be thick and very pale. This batter is very similar to the batter for cranberry cake. Another must-try!
- Spread the batter into a prepared pan.
- Make the crumb topping.
- Dot raspberries all over the top of the cake batter.
- Sprinkle the crumbs and sliced almonds on top.
- Bake.
- Enjoy! I like to add a little dusting of confectioners’ sugar prior to serving.
Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake Toppings
We’ll top our crumb cake with fresh raspberries, sliced almonds, and a buttery crumb topping—each adds something special!
Raspberries: I love raspberries and crumb cake together. The berries require zero prep, which I know you’ll appreciate first thing in the morning. Just dot them right on top of the cake batter. No sugar added, no pre-cooking, no extra steps. They pair wonderfully with the toasted almonds. Not into raspberries? A strawberry and rhubarb combination would be fantastic. Or even blueberries! Peeled and chopped apples or peaches would be equally delicious. And, you can leave off the raspberries and almonds for a plain crumb cake.
Sliced Almonds: These add a welcome crunch to each bite. Try toasting them for even more flavor.
Crumb Topping: The crumb topping comes together with flour, brown sugar, a little cinnamon, and butter. We’ll use melted butter, so there’s no cutting the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. It’s so easy!
Best Pan to Use
This cake rises pretty tall, so I suggest using a springform pan. A 9×9-inch square baking pan works too. If you have a 9-inch cake pan that’s 2-3 inches deep, that could work as well. Though my first recommendation is a 9-inch springform pan. The removable sides make slicing the crumb cake easier, too!
If cake for breakfast is your thing, you’ll love trying my crumb coffee cake next. Or if you can’t get enough of raspberries, my raspberry sweet rolls are calling your name!
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Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Simple and unassuming, this raspberry almond crumb cake is tender and buttery, a balanced contrast to the crunchy cinnamon crumbles on top. Paired with toasted almonds, juicy raspberries, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar– I can say with confidence that it was love at first bite.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
Topping
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 heaping cup (170g) fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw)
- 3/4 cup (65g) sliced almonds
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch springform pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick. Spread into prepared pan. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping:Â With a fork, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Stir in the melted butter until crumbs form.
- Dot raspberries all over the top of the cake batter. Sprinkle the crumbs and sliced almonds on top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for a few minutes before slicing. I suggest serving with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar!
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because of the fresh fruit, this cake is best within the first couple days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:Â Freeze baked and cooled cake for up to 3Â months. Bring to room temperature and dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Springform Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is a key ingredient in this cake. I don’t suggest subbing the sour cream with a liquid—plain full-fat yogurt would work though. But don’t remove the fat from this cake by using a lower fat yogurt or sour cream alternative. Fat = flavor! We don’t want to skimp there!
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Here’s a post I wrote all about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
I haven’t actually made this but am making it (or a variation of it) for a dinner tomorrow. My MIL is lactose-free, can I substitute lactose free butter, sour cream?
Hi Ev, we haven’t tested any dairy free ingredients here, but let us know what you try!
This is delicious. I made it exactly as recipe stated. It looked picture perfect out of the oven. My family loved it and have already requested me to make it again. Thanks for all your great recipes.
I’ve made this twice and love the cake. I bake using a dark color springform pan and find that the bottom is extremely dark compared to the cake. It almost seems close to burning. What changes would you recommend. Thanks!
Hi Lynne, darker pans can sometimes cause the bottoms/sides of baked goods to burn/over bake. You can try reducing the oven temperature a bit, or moving the cake down a rack (away from the heating element). Bake time can vary with these changes, so keep a close eye on it. We’re glad you enjoyed the cake!
Lexi, would using a lighter color springform pan make any difference?
Hi Lynne, yes, a lighter colored pan should help, too!
Almond taste too strong for me. Will make again but use less. Took 45 min lto bake. Made cookies same day and bake time correct so oven not the issue. Except for strong almond taste the cake texture was great. .
could i replace the AP flour with almond flour? and if so how much?
Hi Lola, we don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
Would I just add more vanilla extract if I didn’t like the taste of almond extract, but liked the almonds part?
Hi Angela, you can just leave the almond extract out. Happy baking!
I baked this recipe few day ago , it was SOOO good , I enjoyed it with morning coffee , sally: your recipes are becoming my favorites !
This was delicious. I actually halved the recipe and it worked very well. It is light and tasty and easy to make. Next time I might add a little more almond extract just because I like almond, but the recipe as written was great. I’ll definitely make it again
Absolutely delicious! All my guests loved the raspberry almond combination. It’s a new favourite. Thank you, Sally!
Hi can I try thick curds instead of sour cream in the recipie
We haven’t tested it!
Would be ok to use frozen raspberries instead of fresh?
Yes, do not thaw before using in this recipe.
This has been my go to dessert when having guests or to bring for an event. This has so many flavors going on at once, yet they never drown out the others. Perfect combinations of the ingredients. 5 star
I want to make this, but! I need a substitute for the dairy. We don’t consume dairy, specifically cream cheese or sour cream, please help!
Hi Christine, we haven’t tested any dairy free ingredients here, but let us know what you try!
Can’t wait to make this. I have made your stromboli, cream cheese frosting, sausage stuffing and sweet potato casserole within the month. Everything has turned out fantastic. I am so pleased to have found your wonderful recipes. Thank you. Linda
Thank you so much for making our recipes, Linda!
I have made that cake several times already and it is by far my favourite! I love the combo of almond and raspberry. I must admit, I added a bit more of almond essence in the cake as I love the taste so much.
When you say cool on a cooling rack, do you mean while still inside the pan, or remove from pan and cool on rack?
Hi Loo, the whole cake in the cake pan – allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
We substitute Cup4Cup gf flour when baking and it usually does the trick. Do you recommend adjusting the recipe in any way when using gf flour? Thanks!!
We haven’t tested it but let us know if you do, Kara!
Hi Sally
I’ve made this cake before, and it was such a hit: tasted awesome and looked beautiful, such as yours. However, twice now the middle has completely sunk, and so have the raspberries, while the edges bubbled up. I follow the recipe exactly as it is. These past two times, I just did not add almonds (could that be why?). Any idea why the middle has been sinking like that and the edges bubble up, totally consuming the entire cake?
Hope I can remedy the issue as I love the recipe and want to make it again. Thank you
Hi Maha, If the raspberries are sinking, you can toss them with a little flour, if desired, to prevent them from sinking. The batter is pretty thick though, so they shouldn’t sink regardless of using the almonds or not.
I love this recipe but for some reason this time I made it the raspberries and crumb sunk into the middle of the cake.. any idea why this would have occurred for next time? Also, would it work to use almond flour? I’d like to try that for the next time I make it.
This is an amazing recipe, so delicious and moist. Definitely a recipe to keep. The baking time was a bit longer but I believe it was because of my oven settings.
Thank you for this beautifully looking cake. Where can I find the nutritional information?
Hi Camille, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I have so much rhubarb. Could I safely switch out some of the raspberries for rhubarb?
HI Sylvie, Yes, that should be fine. You may want to chop and toss the rhubarb with a little sugar first. Let it sit so the rhubarb softens and absorbs the sweetness. Then go ahead and use in the recipe.
Loved this recipe so much. Want to try pairing it with no churn vanilla cinnamon ice cream for an easy company dessert
Delicious! Great almond flavor in the cake. Made the day before and fruit was still lovely.