This overnight berry coffee cake is your secret weapon for stress-free entertaining and leisurely weekend mornings. Prepare it the night before, pop it in the oven when you wake up, and enjoy the irresistible aroma of cinnamon, citrus, and buttery streusel filling your kitchen—all without the early morning chaos.
Bursting with fresh mixed berries and brightened with orange zest, this make-ahead coffee cake delivers bakery-quality results with minimal morning effort. The overnight rest allows the flavors to meld beautifully while the crumb structure stays perfectly tender and moist.
This overnight method isn’t just convenient—it actually improves the texture. Resting the batter overnight allows the flour to fully hydrate and the leavening agents to activate gradually, resulting in an incredibly tender crumb that rivals any bakery coffee cake.
This coffee cake is great for:
- Holiday brunches (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter morning)
- Weekend guests and overnight company
- Mother’s Day or Father’s Day breakfast in bed
- Bridal and baby showers
- Meal prep for busy mornings
- Any time you want fresh-baked warmth without the 6 AM wake-up call
Make Ahead Coffee Cake
Coffee cake is hard to turn down, especially when it’s fresh and warm from the oven.
Coffee cake is the kitchen’s natural air freshener. Baking coffee cake releases the most pleasant and intoxicating aroma.
The mixture of cinnamon, citrus, and sugar screams delicious.
This berry coffee cake is simple and straightforward. It’s easy to make and it’s super customizable. I am sharing the recipe over at BHG’s Delish Dish blog.
It is an adaptation of this overnight cranberry coffee cake. I swapped in a mixture of fresh berries instead of cranberries.
Customization Ideas
The base recipe is incredibly versatile. Here are my favorite variations:
Stone Fruit Summer: Swap berries for diced peaches, nectarines, or apricots with a hint of vanilla extract
Tropical Twist: Use diced mango and pineapple with shredded coconut in the streusel
Apple Cinnamon Classic: Peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples with extra cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
Cherry Almond: Fresh pitted cherries with almond extract and sliced almonds in the topping
Lemon Blueberry: Replace orange zest with lemon zest and use only blueberries
Storage and Make-Ahead Notes
Refrigerator: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Rewarm individual slices in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Freezing: Wrap cooled, baked cake tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat slices as needed.
Do-Even-Further-Ahead: You can prep and freeze the unbaked assembled cake (without streusel) for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to the baking time, and top with streusel after the first 20 minutes
Serving Suggestions
This coffee cake is wonderful on its own, but here are some ways to make it extra special:
- Dust with powdered sugar just before serving
- Drizzle with a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar + milk + vanilla)
- Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche
- Pair with strong coffee, cold brew, or hot tea
- Top individual slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert
Make Ahead Berry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (260 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g)
- 1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest, optional
- ½ cup unsalted butter, , (113 g) room temp, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ¾ cup sour cream, (170 g), room temp
- ¼ cup milk, or half & half
- 1 ½ cup assorted mixed fresh berries , (210 g) combination of strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry
Filling:
- ¼ cup brown sugar, (50 g) packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to taste preference
Crumb Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, (65 g)
- ½ cup brown sugar, , (100 g) packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, , (56 g) cold, cut into tablespoons
- ½ cup rolled oats, (45 g), also known as old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Line a 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing for an overhang. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), combine sugar and orange zest until fragrant. Add butter. Cream mixture until smooth.
- Add in eggs and sour cream. Mix until combined. With the mixer running on slow speed, add dry flour mixture in three additions alternating with milk. Mix until just combined.
- Batter will be thick. Gently fold in berries.
Filling:
- Whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Spread half of cake batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle filling mixture all over the cake batter. Gently spread remaining cake batter over cinnamon filling.
- Cover well. Keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Crumb Topping:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or two forks), cut the butter into the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Stir in oats. Cover and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Baking:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove cake batter from the fridge. Let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes while oven preheats.
- Sprinkle crumb topping over surface of coffee cake. Bake for 35 minutes. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 20-30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Can this recipe be made with frozen mixed berries?
Fresh fruit works best. Frozen berries will leak too much moisture.
The mix of citrus with berries is soooo perfect! I’ll need to try it with my coffee cakes !
Can I use plain yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes, you can use plain yogurt.