Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt Coffee Cakes (or Muffins)

It all started when I was looking for the perfect Berry Muffin.  When I was at the French Culinary, my Chef that taught Breakfast, Breads and Pastry, was an AMAZING chef, and gave us this great Blueberry muffin recipe.  I had been making this muffin for YEARS and for YEARS I thought it was a great muffin recipe.  Until, I realized I wanted, needed and yearned for a softer crumb.  So, I went out in search for the perfect muffin and coffee cake. 

I started with switching out the butter and adding in oil. It was a good start, but I needed to make it a bit softer, and less oil and more of a healthy spin.  Welcome, Greek Yogurt.  I was so excited, it was working.  The crumb was soft, however, the flavor was bland.  It needed work.  So, back to the recipe I go. I have a LOVE for Oranges and Grapefruits.  A pastry chef I work with mentioned Cara Cara Oranges.  So, off to the store I went and picked up a bunch of Cara Cara oranges. I added both the zest and the juice to the batter and Voila! I nailed it!

Now for the best part - the Crumb Topping.  The topping, is from the original recipe from the French Culinary, and its the best crumb topping I have ever had. Its so simple and I love it and put it on a lot of dishes.  The Cinnamon adds even more flavor!

Since creating this recipe, I have made this cake multiple times for my friends.

I hope this recipe becomes a staple in your recipe box.  I know it is now my go to muffin or coffee cake.

Crumb Topping:

  • 6 Tablespoons / 3 Ounces / 86 Grams - Melted Butter
  • 3/4 Cup / 3 1/2 Ounces / 100 Grams - All Purpose Flour
  • 1/3 Cup / 2.3 Ounces / 67 - Grams - Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon - Cinnamon

Muffin / Coffee:

  • 2 Cups / 9 Ounces / 256 Grams - All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Cup / 7 Ounces / 198 Grams - Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon - Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon - Baking Soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon - Salt
  • Zest of 1 Oranges (I used Cara Cara as they are in season, however, you can use any type of Orange.)
  • 1/4 Cup / 2 Ounces - Orange Juice (Use the juice of the orange and you use Orange Juice from the fridge to build to 2 ounces. You can also zest another orange and save the zest for a later recipe. Zest can be stored in the freezer.)
  • 1/4 Cup / 2 Ounces - Vegetable Oil
  • 2 teaspoon - Vanilla
  • 1 Cup / 8 Ounces / 227 Grams - Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 Cup / 8 Ounces /227 Grams - Berries - Any berry of your liking.  (I tested frozen and fresh. Fresh is always preferable, however, if you get good quality with very little juice, frozen works great. ) (I also increased the amount of berries, so you can definitely experiment with the amount of berries, but note, this will affect your baking time.)

Instructions:

Crumb Topping:

  • Melt Butter
  • Mix together all dry ingredients.
  • Add melted butter to dry ingredients and mix with a fork to make the crumb topping.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees (Gas Mark 3) (for both muffins and coffee cake)
  • Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Sift 2X. (I find that sifting the dry ingredients 2X makes for a softer crumb.)
  • Whisk together the wet ingredients (Orange Juice, Vegetable Oil, Yogurt, Eggs and Vanilla)
  • Add wet mixture to the dry mixture. Using a spatula or wooden spoon and mix together till just combined.  (Mix by hand using a Spatula or Wooden spoon. Do not use a mixer. When using a mixer I found it was easy to over mix the batter creating a tougher crumb.)
  • Fold in Berries
  • Line an 8x8 pan with Parchment (you can definitely us a round cake pan, but if you do this, you will only need about 3/4 of the batter.  You can use the remaining for muffins.)
  • If making muffins, line muffin tin with muffin papers.  (When making berry muffins, I always use muffin papers so the berries do not bake and stick to the pan. )
  • Pour batter in pan and top with crumb topping.
  • Bake cake for 30 minutes, and turn the pan in the oven for even baking. Set for another 15 minutes.  At this point, you should set your timer for every 5 minutes.  (It took around 60 minutes to bake, however, I am a big believer in an oven's behavior. Meaning, my oven is obviously different from yours.  So, keep a close eye on the cake. )
  • For muffins, bake for 15- 20 minutes. (Again, depending on the size of the muffin and your oven, set the timer for 10 minutes and turn the pan for even baking and reset for another 5. The muffins may need more time, depending on size and oven.)



Breakfast, BakingSarah MichaelsComment