High altitude almond coffee cake, filled with a layer of cream cheese and almond paste, and sprinkled with almond crumble topping. This is a moist and fluffy coffee cake, made with butter and sour cream, and lightly spiced with cardamom. Perfect for the holidays!
As a bonus, I’ve also included in today’s post a variation for cranberry almond coffee cake, which is just bursting with bright red, tart cranberries. It makes a perfectly festive breakfast for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Looking for more recipes like this? You’ll love these almond crumb bars, almond biscotti, and almond cream cheese scones.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
So Much Almond Flavor. This cake has plenty of almond flavor, from the almond extract, almond paste and crunchy almonds sprinkled on top. The crumbly almond streusel topping adds crunch, and the sweet almond icing drizzled over the top is the perfect finish. If you love almond pastries and are looking for an easier alternative to cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, you’ll love this coffee cake recipe.
Quick and Easy to Make. Both the cake and the crumble topping use standard pantry ingredients and an easy mixing method, so you won’t even need a mixer or any special equipment.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Dairy Products. I recommend full-fat dairy products (sour cream, milk and cream cheese) for the best flavor and a rich, moist texture. As always, let your eggs and dairy products warm up for a bit at room temperature before mixing up your cake batter.
- Vanilla + Almond Extract. These will add flavor, enhancing the flavor of the almonds and almond paste.
- Corn Starch. Tenderizes the cake crumb for a soft texture.
- Cardamom. Ground cardamom is commonly used in almond pastries and baked goods, especially in Scandinavian countries. If it’s not a staple baking spice in your pantry, it really should be.
- Almond Paste. Be sure to use almond paste, not almond pastry filling or marzipan. The paste is thick and sweet, and works best if you grate it first with a box cheese grater.
- Almonds. I like the look of sliced almonds on top, but you could also use chopped almonds.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray an 8×11 or 10×10 inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk briefly just to combine.
- Set aside while you make the filling.
Filling
- With an electric mixer (or just with a spoon), beat the cream cheese and almond paste for about 30 seconds until combined.
- Spread half the cake batter into the bottom of your pan.
- Dollop the filling over the batter, then use a knife to swirl it in a little.
- Spread the remainder of the batter over the filling.
Topping
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, melted butter, and almonds until moistened and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
Bake
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack, for about 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Variations
Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake
- Add 1/2 cup almond flour to the dry ingredients.
- After mixing the batter, fold in 1 1/2 cups frozen and thawed cranberries. (If your cranberries are still cold or partially frozen, your cake will take a little longer to bake.)
- After sprinkling the topping over the cake batter, scatter a few cranberries over the topping before baking. This makes the coffee cake so pretty!
With Icing
For a sweet finish, make a simple icing to drizzle over the top of the baked cake by whisking everything together until smooth.
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or 2-3 tbsp milk)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, your pan will be too full and could overflow.
The filling is optional. I’ve made this coffee cake with and without the cream cheese and almond paste filling, and it’s great either way. The cream cheese adds a moist, creamy, slightly dense layer inside the fluffy cake. Another option would be to just crumble and sprinkle a layer of almond paste over half the batter, without the cream cheese.
Leftover coffee cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days. It’s fantastic leftover, and can be rewarmed for 20-30 seconds in the microwave for that “just-baked” texture.
No, almond pastry filling, almond paste and marzipan contain different ingredients and have very different textures. They are not interchangeable in recipes.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
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High Altitude Almond Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8×11 inch baking pan (or a 10×10 inch baking pan)
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Filling (optional)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz almond paste, grated (not almond pastry filling)
Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray an 8×11 or 10×10 inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk briefly just to combine.
- Set aside while you make the filling.
Filling
- With an electric mixer (or just with a spoon), beat the cream cheese and almond paste for about 30 seconds until combined.
- Spread half the cake batter into the bottom of your pan.
- Dollop the filling over the batter, then use a knife to swirl it in a little.
- Spread the remainder of the batter over the filling.
Topping
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, melted butter, and almonds until moistened and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
Bake
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack, for about 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- The filling is optional – I’ve made this coffee cake with and without the cream cheese and almond paste, and it’s great either way. The cream cheese adds a moist, creamy, slightly dense layer inside the fluffy cake. Another option would be to just crumble and sprinkle a layer of almond paste over half the batter, without the cream cheese.
- Leftover coffee cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days. It’s fantastic leftover, and can be rewarmed for 20-30 seconds in the microwave for that “just-baked” texture.
If you made this, it has to be delicious. On my Christmas rotation list! Thanks for sharing.
This was amazing. Thank you for sharing! The lightness of the cake was a hit!
Looks delish. Wonder if I could mix in some cranberries to make it holiday festive?
Megan, I’m sure that would work great!
This was delicious!!!!
I made it as 6 smaller coffee cakes
This cake was amazing! I doubled the cream cheese/almond paste mixture just because….wow!!!!
I saw your weekly email yesterday and, as soon as I saw this recipe, I had to make it because I love ALMOND. After going to five stores on a very early Christmas Eve morning, I finally succeeded in getting the almond paste. The cake is out of the oven and has cooled for the 30 minutes. My sister and I just enjoyed a piece. It is delicious! It was worth scouring the countryside to find the almond paste for the filling. This recipe is a keeper for me. Thank you.
I’m so happy you found the almond paste! It’s been difficult for me to find in grocery stores the last few years, and have had to buy it on Amazon or directly from Solo.
I am searching for an 8 by 11 pan; I made this today in a 10 by 10 Wilton pan that I need to replace. I’d rather have the slightly smaller area size but can’t find one in any of my favourite brands. Any suggestions? Or where did you get yours? I don’t see it in your Amazon shop. Can’t wait to taste it ~ taking it to a gathering and our car smells amazing. All those rich dairy products plus almond paste… bound to be a keeper!
I have seen some on Amazon, but I found mine at my local Home Goods. Mine is stoneware, and the brand is Threshold. I hope you love the cake!
Thank you! We do love the cake! Not many people took it (too many options), but that just means we have more to share with our family over the next few days as we gather to finally celebrate our family Christmas. It is delicious. I might make a light glaze to drizzle on top. I’ll keep my eyes open for another pan.
Thank you! We do love the cake! Not many people took it (too many options), but that just means we have more to share with our family over the next few days as we gather to finally celebrate our family Christmas. It is delicious. I might make a light glaze to drizzle on top. I’ll keep my eyes open for another pan.