Breakfast Cakes Holidays

Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes

streusel coffee cakes on baking sheet
coffee cakes on baking sheet

This recipe is from one of my top 3 from my 100 Morning Treats cookbook. I wrote that book to celebrate the morning hours and to represent the baked goods and pastries I developed while working in coffee shops and in my home. The recipes are a result of nearly three decades of baking, and include muffins, rolls, scones, quick breads, Bundt cakes, coffee cakes, some savory items, and so much more. My hope is that this book brings you some joy in your kitchens in the years to come.

But back to the Jammy Cakes – I’m not going to lie; cream cheese swirl is what I’ll pick in a bakery case lineup any day. There is a layer of cake, then cream cheese, tart jam (or lemon curd), and streusel topping in every perfect bite. I like to eat them just barely warm, but they are great the next day too. One of my favorite things about this recipe is the streusel topping is made from the dry cake base, which cuts down on extra bowls and time preparing them.

To make them, you’ll need eight 4-inch springform cake pans, 4-inch cake pans, or jumbo muffin pans.

Measuring Flour:

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. Weighing your flour instead of using cup measurements is the surest way to get the result I intended when developing the recipe.

100 Morning Treats by Sarah Kieffer

More Coffee Cake Recipes:

coffee cakes on white parchment paper
streusel coffee cakes on baking sheet

Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes

Servings: 8 (4-inch) coffee cakes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
These individual coffee cakes are such a treat! There is a layer of cake, then cream cheese, tart jam (or lemon curd), and streusel topping in every perfect bite.
Sarah Kieffer
5 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3/4 cup [180 g] sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup [60 g] buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups [320 g] all-purpose flour*
  • 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
  • 12 tablespoons [1 1/2 sticks or 170 g] unsalted butter, cut into 1 in [2.5 cm] pieces, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup [225 g] jam or lemon curd

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 8 ounces [227 g] cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease eight 4 in [10 cm] cake pans or springform pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Or prepare a jumbo muffin pan or ramekins (see note).
  • In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the flour and granulated sugar on low speed. Add the butter, one piece at a time, beating until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Remove 1 cup [130 g] of the mixture and set it aside in small bowl.
  • With the mixer on low speed, beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and use a spatula to mix the batter a few more times. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Spread 2 tablespoons of jam evenly over the cake batter in each pan.

For the filling

  • In the stand mixer bowl in which you mixed the cake batter, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Divide the cream cheese mixture among the pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Divide the reserved flour-butter mixture among the pans, sprinkling it evenly over the tops. Tap the pans gently on the counter twice to help get rid of any air bubbles.
  • Place the cake pans on a large sheet pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool until barely warm or at room temperature.
  • Remove the cakes from their pans and serve. Alternatively, the cakes can be covered in plastic wrap after cooling and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

Notes

If you don’t have 4 in [10 cm] cake pans, you can bake the cakes in jumbo muffin tins or ramekins. Fill the cavities a quarter of the way with batter, and spread only 1 tablespoon of jam on each one. Top with the cream cheese mixture and then the flour-butter mixture. Smaller cakes will bake faster, so start checking them a few minutes earlier. 
*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. Weighing your flour instead of using cup measurements is the surest way to get the result I intended when developing the recipe.
  • Reply
    Lauren Barnard
    Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 10:51 am

    5 stars
    Could you use apple butter in place of the curd or jam? I’d love to make a fall inspired one of these. Have also made the pumpkin version and they were amazing!!

  • Reply
    HAS
    Sunday, June 23, 2024 at 8:34 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe. Freezes well. Thank you.

  • Reply
    Liz
    Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 7:26 pm

    Would this recipe work with 1:1 gluten free flour? Thank you!

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Friday, April 26, 2024 at 8:40 am

      Hi Liz – I haven’t tried this recipe with a gluten free flour mix! If you do try it, let me know how it turns out for you.

      • Reply
        Connie
        Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 4:02 am

        My granddaughter and I made these using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour. In the cake batter, we decreased the flour by 1/4 cup, and added an extra egg. We also warmed the blackberry preserves we used for better spread ability. And, we baked them in ramekins. They turned out great!!!! Thanks for the recipe! ?

  • Reply
    Vida
    Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe worked out perfectly in a 9×9″ square baking pan. I used a parchment sling. I increased the cream cheese in the filling to 11oz (keeping the sugar and egg amounts the same). I used less jam — about 125g. It was done at 50 minutes.

  • Reply
    Anitha
    Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    Made this in reamekins. it was delicious. thank you

  • Reply
    Janey B.
    Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 12:12 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this and definitely learned from some mistakes. I used a muffin tin so don’t fully fill the tins.
    Alhtough I sprayed the tins and they can get out of the tins but use parchment paper of cupcake paper.
    I have different kind of jams so I will make this again and again using different jams. I will also try to make a cake instead of these tiny coffeecakes. Love the recipe!

  • Reply
    Rachel
    Friday, December 29, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    5 stars
    I made this in an 8 inch square pan. Took about 65-70 minutes to bake. I was worried the edges would be dry or overcooked but it turned out great.

  • Reply
    Morag
    Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 10:29 am

    Do you think I could make this in a mini cheesecake pan with the push up bottoms? I’m wondering if the batter will run out the bottom. Thank you

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 7:49 am

      Yes, that’s what I use, 4-inch springform pans!

  • Reply
    Mégane
    Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at 12:43 am

    Hello Sarah! Do you think it’s possible to divide this recipe to fill 4 moulds instead of 8 ? We are only two of us at home 🙂
    Thank you in advance!

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at 11:34 am

      Hello! What type of mould would you be using instead? I have only tried this in the smaller sizes but I think that would work in 4 larger molds. You will have to extend the bake time, and make sure not to overfill the molds.

      • Reply
        Mégane
        Sunday, July 9, 2023 at 2:12 pm

        Hi! Actually, I misspoke. I wanted to know if you think it’s possible to divide the quantities by two, to fill only 4 molds (10 cm) instead of 8 molds. Thanks for your feedback 🙂

        (Btw, I can’t wait to make this recipe. We’re fans of all the recipes you share. When my boyfriend says “omg, c’est trop bon” I say “ah bah no doubt it’s another Sarah Kieffer recipe”!

  • Reply
    Hannah
    Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 9:58 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! Does it matter the order – jam before cream cheese or cream cheese before jam when baking this? Your intro suggests that the order is cake, cream cheese, jam, streusel, but the recipe suggests that the order is cake, jam, cream cheese, streusel. I just want to make sure each layer behaves correctly and I imagine the order impacts that!

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 9:52 am

      Hi! The order in the recipe is correct.

  • Reply
    d
    Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:47 am

    Should the jam be room temperature, or does it not matter?

  • Reply
    Courtney Wood
    Friday, June 2, 2023 at 8:00 pm

    What size ramekins would you recommend?

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    5 stars
    oh how wonderful, both your cookbook and these coffee cakes, and lemon curd would be very nice when paired with a cream cheese filling for these, thank you!

  • Reply
    MLK
    Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 6:54 am

    Hi Sarah! These cakes look amazing. Could they be frozen?

  • Reply
    Diane M.
    Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! These little cakelets are one of the best breakfast treats I’ve ever made. I love thé 4 inch size, perfect for a single serving. They are moist with an incredible texture and flavor. Thank you Sarah for sharing this recipe. I’m so excited for the publication of your new book.

  • Reply
    Bonnie
    Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 6:25 am

    Just put these in the oven, half lemon curd and half strawberry! Thank you for sharing the recipe; my book is on its way! The mini pans are just so adorable!

  • Reply
    Emily
    Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 12:59 pm

    Could you use a regular muffin pan?

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Friday, May 5, 2023 at 9:27 am

      Hi Emily – I haven’t tried them in a regular muffin pan. I think it would work just fine, but you will need to cut the baking time since they will be so much smaller.

  • Reply
    Fran
    Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 12:19 pm

    How long will these keep? And they look delicious.

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Friday, May 5, 2023 at 9:26 am

      Hi Fran – They should keep for 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.

  • Reply
    Allison
    Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 11:30 am

    I’m excited to try this one! In the description of the recipe, it says it’s important to properly cream the butter and sugar together. But then the recipe does not give instructions for creaming the butter and sugar… Just mixing them to a course sand texture. After removing some for the topping, should I continue beating until it’s creamy?

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 11:46 am

      Hi Allison – Thanks for catching that! The butter and sugar are not creamed together – that somehow got copy and pasted from another recipe and is a mistake. I’ll fix it now.

  • Reply
    Kim
    Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 11:42 am

    Can I bake this as one single larger cake? What size of pan would I need? Can’t wait for your new book! Thank you!

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 1:30 pm

      Hi Kim – I haven’t tried this in a single layer cake. If I did, I would use a 9 x 13 in pan [23 by 33 cm], and it would need to bake longer. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. Thank you for the kind words and support!! xx

    • Reply
      Karen
      Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 4:10 am

      Hi, I baked this in a 9 inch square pan and it came out perfect!

      • Reply
        Laura C.
        Sunday, August 27, 2023 at 11:05 am

        Oh, I’m so glad you posted this because I wanted to try it in a single-layer pan. I might try in a 9-inch round spring form pan. How long did you have to cook yours?

5 from 17 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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