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–+ servings
lemon coffee cake on parchment paper with slice turned so you can see cream cheese swirl, with stack of lemons and empty glasses behind

Lemon Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Lemon Cheesecake Filling and Almond Streusel

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Author: Traci Crossland
Bright, lemony, and SO. GOOD. This Lemon Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Lemon Cheesecake Filling and Almond Streusel is so simple to make, but absolutely delicious. The perfect way to start your mornings!

Ingredients

Almond Streusel

  • ⅛ cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • ⅛ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons salted butter melted
  • ⅜ cup almonds finely chopped

Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 cup cream cheese room temperature
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ⅓ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ⅓ teaspoon vanilla extract

Coffee Cake

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 cup salted butter room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 cups all purpose flour*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Icing

  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Almond Streusel

  • In a small bowl, combine sugars, flour, and almonds.
  • Add butter.
  • Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Cheesecake Filling

  • With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add sugar and beat until smooth.
  • Stir in egg.
  • Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Coffee Cake

  • Heat oven to 350°F.
  • Line the bottom of a 9 inch square pan with parchment.
  • Spray with baking spray. Set aside.
  • With an electric mixer, beat sugars and butter until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Continue beating until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
  • Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  • Stir in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Assembly

  • Spread or pipe ½ the coffee cake evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
  • Top with cheesecake, leaving a ½" edge around the pan.
  • Top with remaining batter.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, until top is set.
  • Sprinkle the top with streusel.
  • Continue to bake an additional 30-35 minutes, until done.
  • Allow to cool completely in pan.
  • Remove from pan.

Lemon Icing

  • In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice.
  • Whisk until smooth.
  • Drizzle over cake.

Notes

*This recipe was written using an average of the dip and sweep method for measuring flour and the spoon and level method. If you are using a scale, you will need to add 3/4 oz or 22 g  to the measurement for each cup of flour.
  • This cake batter is VERY thick.
  • Be careful to not beat the cheesecake once you add the egg. You want to avoid having as many air bubbles as possible!
  • The streusel needs to be made first and set aside.
  • You will need about 2 lemons for this recipe.
  • Double check your cream cheese! You need full fat cream cheese to make the cheesecake.
  • The best way to spread the cake batter is with a piping bag or zip top bag with the end snipped off. This makes it SUPER easy to get it level. Plus it's way less messy!
  • If you have exposed cheesecake on top, it's okay! The streusel will cover it.
  • Do NOT put the streusel on before par-baking this cake. If you do, the streusel will sink/go to the middle of the cake. This doesn't make the cake inedible, but it is much prettier and better tasting when all the streusel is on top!
  • You may need to cover this cake the last 5 minutes or so of baking.
  • Use a cake tester to see if your cake is baked all the way through.
  • Do NOT turn this cake out before it's fully cooled.
  • This is a very moist cake. It needs to be kept in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 5gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 266mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 633IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.