This is an easy recipe for a moist coffee cake with fresh sweet strawberries, similar to Czech bublanina pastry. The magic of this delicious cake lies in the fact that you don't need any fancy ingredients or a lot of time. Just give it a try and I believe the cake will turn out to be a big hit in your home!
The strawberry cake in this recipe is made with sponge-like batter. Its huge advantage comes from beating the whole egg; you won't be whisking the egg whites in a separate bowl.
Pour the whopped batter onto the baking sheet and cover with juicy strawberries. After baking, just dust the surface of the cake with sugar – no streusel topping, cream cheese layer, or any other frosting required. It's a simple delicious strawberry coffee cake made with juicy fruit!
MY TIP: If you still have enough fresh strawberries, try this pretty straightforward strawberry soup (it's a great recipe for hot summer days)
➜ Ingredients
For this tender breakfast cake with strawberries, you will need:
- Eggs; ideally at room temperature
- All-purpose flour; plain flour in the UK
- Coarse sugar; the cake according to the basic recipe isn't too sweet, if you prefer sweeter pastries, feel free to add a little more sugar
- Vanilla paste; or vanilla extract
- Warm water
- Vegetable oil; sunflower oil or canola
- Whole milk; lukewarm
- Lemon zest; freshly grated
- Fresh sliced strawberries; or whole small strawberries
- Baking powder
Next, we will need some oil or a nonstick cooking spray and sifted breadcrumbs or flour to grease and dust the baking dish.
Topping ingredients: All you need is a little icing sugar to dust the surface of the cake.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: Before you start baking, grease the baking tray with oil and dust with breadcrumbs—Preheat the oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs, and add a tablespoon of warm water and vanilla paste. Start mixing the eggs with a hand mixer at a slow speed. Gradually add the granulated sugar and increase the speed.
STEP 3: Once all the sugar is added to the eggs, mix at high speed until the egg mixture is light and fluffy. Be patient, the mixing process takes a couple of minutes. You have to hold on, the mass turns almost into a bright whipped foam.
STEP 4: Combine the dry ingredients: flour and the baking powder. Reduce mixer speed to a minimum. Add the flour mixture, milk, and oil to the egg mass in batches. As a final step, fold the lemon zest into the batter.
MY TIP: Mix only briefly until everything is combined. Then turn off the mixer, so you don't overbeat the batter.
STEP 5: Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Smooth the surface.
STEP 6: Put thick slices of cleaned fresh strawberries on top of the cake batter.
STEP 7: Transfer in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25 minutes until the surface is golden.
➜ Serving
Let the coffee cake cool for a while, then dust with icing sugar. Cut into pieces about 4x4" (10x10 cm) in size, arrange on a dessert plate, and serve; for example, as a breakfast treat with your morning cup of coffee.
➜ Equipment
I baked the strawberry coffee cake according to this recipe on a rectangular baking sheet about 17x12" (42x29 cm) in size.
➜ Storage
Cover the sheet cooled cake on a sheet with plastic wrap or aluminum foil; it will keep it at room temperature for about two days.
If you have a few cut pieces left over, place them in an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator, where they will be good for up to 5 days.
➜ Cooking Tips
- This cake is exceptionally fluffy and tender. To achieve this result, it is important to whisk the whole eggs and sugar thoroughly at the beginning.
- The eggs will whisk better if they are warmed to room temperature. A tablespoon of warm water added to the eggs will also help. Another great tip is to put the eggs in warm water for a few minutes before whisking.
- The fruit tends to sink to the bottom of the sheet during baking. This is partly prevented by pressing the bottom of the fruit lightly into the flour.
Language corner: In the Czech Republic, this type of coffee cake is called "jahodový koláč" or "jahodová buchta". The Czech word "jahoda" means strawberry in English. Another possible name for this cake is "jahodová bublanina".
More Czech sweet pastry
- Buchty – or Buchteln, sweet-filled yeast buns
- Three Layer Sheet Cake
- Czech Poppy Seed Roll – aka makový závin
- Cream Cheese Coffee Cake – tvarohový koláč
- Chocolate Coffee Cake – with sour cream topping
Tried this recipe?
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Strawberry Coffee Cake – Czech Jahodový koláč
Ingredients
- 4 eggs ar room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 Tablespoon warm water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
- ½ Tablespoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil sunflower oil or canola
- ¾ cup whole milk (180 ml) lukewarm
- 4 cups fresh strawberries (600 g)
- oil and sifted breadcrumbs to dust the baking sheet
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Before you start baking, grease the baking tray with oil and dust with breadcrumbs—Preheat the oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
- In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs, and add a tablespoon of warm water and vanilla paste. Start mixing the eggs with a hand mixer at a slow speed. Gradually add the granulated sugar and increase the speed.
- Once all the sugar is added to the eggs, mix at high speed until the egg mixture is light and fluffy. Be patient, the mixing process takes a couple of minutes. You have to hold on, the mass turns almost into a bright whipped foam.
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour and the baking powder. Reduce mixer speed to a minimum. Add the flour mixture, milk, and oil to the egg mass in batches. As a final step, fold the lemon zest into the batter.
- Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Smooth the surface.
- Put thick slices of cleaned fresh strawberries on top of the cake batter.
- Transfer in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25 minutes until the surface is golden.
Notes
- Makes about 16 pieces.
- SERVING: Let the coffee cake cool for a while, then dust with icing sugar. Cut into pieces about 4x4" (10x10 cm), arrange on a dessert plate, and serve.
- EQUIPMENT: I baked the strawberry coffee cake according to this recipe on a rectangular baking sheet about 17x12" (42x29 cm).
- This cake is exceptionally fluffy and tender. To achieve this result, it is important to whisk the whole eggs and sugar thoroughly at the beginning.
- The fruit tends to sink to the bottom of the sheet during baking. This is partly prevented by pressing the bottom of the fruit lightly into the flour.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Yvonne
Tastes great, but how/can you store it?
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Yvonne, thank you for your comment, and I'm happy to fill in the missing information: I cover the sheet with a cooled cake with cling film; it will keep at room temperature for about two days. If a few cut pieces are leftover, I place them in an airtight container and put them in the fridge, where they will keep for up to five days. I will also add the information to the recipe; you are right that the storage instructions are not included here. Have a nice day ???? , Petra
Susana Kay
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out beautifully. It looked delicious and tasted even better. I appreciated that the flour and strawberries amounts were given in grams as cup measurements are never as accurate.
My husband loves the Czech soups my mother used to make so i am going to try those next.
Thank you for this blog, Petra!A.
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Susana, thank you for your kind comment, it made me happy! I agree that using metric units in baking is more accurate, which is why I always try to list ingredients in recipes in both imperial and metric units. I want to focus more on Czech soups soon, as summer ends and the cool autumn arrives, it will be the time of warm soups! Sending friendly greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra
Somnath das
Why the name coffee cake as such there no coffee in the cake
Petra Kupská
Thank you for the interesting question. Since I'm from the Czech Republic (Central Europe) and readers from the USA mostly visit my blog, I was looking for the best phrase to describe this type of cake. In our country, we usually bake cakes on large baking sheets (in Czech "koláč na plech"). So one way to describe this sweet pastry might be "sheet cake". However, this cake is also cut into slices and served with a cup of coffee. That's where the name "coffee cake" comes from, although no coffee was used in the ingredients. Try typing the term "strawberry coffee cake" into Google and look at the pictures to see what I mean. I hope I have explained enough. All the best, Petra
Ludvik
It is called cooffe cake , because st typically eaten with a coffee .
Petra Kupská
Thank you for helping to clarify this for us, Ludvik!
Lorraine Vítámvás
Ahoj Susana, What can I use instead of vanilla paste? Would I be able to use vanilla extract instead?
Btw, I love your recipes. I'm an English woman living nr Olomouc trying to cook typical Czech recipes. x
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Lorraine,
If you live in the Czech Republic, use vanilla sugar, which is available in any Czech shop. It's a little yellow bag with the words "vanilkový cukr" - here is an example how it looks like: Vanilkový cukr
Vanillin sugar (vanilínový cukr) is a less expensive alternative that contains merely vanilla flavoring rather than natural vanilla. Keep your fingers crossed for your baking, and have a wonderful summer in Moravia!