My deliriously soft coffee cake has a surprise ripple of cinnamon in the middle and a super simple streusel topping. This recipe takes just 30 minutes to prep and makes enough to feed a crowd (if you’re willing to share!). Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Only Coffee Cake Recipe Worth Making Again
Bold claim up there 👆🏻 I know. But I stand by it 100%. Ever since developing this moist coffee cake recipe almost five years ago, I have yet to find another that measures up.
Maybe it’s that soft, sweet (but not too-sweet) crumb, or the ribbon of cinnamon tucked away in the center. Maybe it’s that buttery blanket of streusel on the top, or the simple drizzle of vanilla glaze. Whatever it is, I’m hooked, and I know you will be too!
Serve this one up at your next special occasion or brunch (scones or French toast casserole are always a hit, too!), and just sit back and watch your guest’s eyes roll to the back of their heads with their first bite. Or just make it for dessert tonight, because Thursday’s are worth celebrating, too!
Why You’ll Love My Recipe:
- Has the softest texture and so much flavor, thanks to my secret ingredient 🤫
- Bakes in a large pan, so it’s perfect for serving to a crowd.
- The streusel topping is incredibly easy to make with NO pastry cutter!
- Takes just half an hour to prep before going in the oven.
What You Need
I’m not going to go over every ingredient on this list, but there are a few important ones worth a mention:
- Cream cheese. This is my secret weapon. I substitute some of the butter for cream cheese, and I believe this is what makes my recipe better than any other out there. The crumb on this cake is so soft, so moist, so melt-in-your-mouth–and the flavor is divine. And in case you’re worried that it makes the cake actually taste like cream cheese, it doesn’t!
- Sugar. While this probably isn’t an unexpected ingredient, using a blend of granulated and light brown sugar certainly isn’t always the norm. I love using brown sugar in many classic recipes where just granulated is typically used (like my chocolate cake!) because it adds depth of flavor and moisture.
- Cornstarch. We’ll add this to encourage a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. Cornstarch is another secret ingredient that I use in many of my recipes (remember my cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip cookies!?).
- Buttermilk. Regular whole milk would work here, but buttermilk adds flavor and moisture to the end-result (which is what makes my buttermilk pancakes so special). If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, feel free to use my buttermilk substitute instead.
SAM’S TIP: This batter will be thicker than what you’re used to, and that’s exactly as it should be. Because of this, when you layer your cinnamon sugar swirl in the center, the top layer can be a bit tricky to spread. You can try to smooth it over the surface like I suggest in the recipe, or you can just use a knife and swirl it into the cinnamon and sugar.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Coffee Cake
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter, then add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients.
- Pour half the batter into your greased and floured pan, then add the cinnamon sugar layer.
- Add the remaining batter on top and use a knife to smooth (if it gives you a hard time, don’t stress it and just use a knife to swirl the batter and cinnamon together!).
- Melt your butter, then pour it over the remaining streusel ingredients and toss/claw the ingredients together to combine. You want the mixture to be nice and clumpy, don’t overwork it or it’ll be pasty and difficult to sprinkle!
- Sprinkle streusel over the prepared cake and bake for 40-50 minutes.
SAM’S TIP: While overmixing isn’t as much of a concern with this recipe, overbaking is definitely possible. If your cake turns out dense or dry, it was probably baked for a few minutes too long. Keep a close eye on your cake to make sure this doesn’t happen to you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee cake (at least in America, though I know this is the case in other countries as well) doesn’t get its name because it contains coffee; rather, the name refers to a cake that is often served with coffee. While technically any cake you serve with coffee could fit the bill, coffee cake as I know it should always have a buttery-soft crumb and lots of streusel, just like today’s recipe.
Yes! Readers have reported this cake takes about 55 minutes to bake in a bundt pan. I do also have a classic vanilla bundt cake recipe.
This recipe yields a wonderfully moist, tender crumb that stays soft for days. To keep it tasting fresh, I recommend you store it in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3 days. While I haven’t frozen this cake, I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t do well in the freezer (do not refrigerate it though, or it will dry out!).
Not quite! Crumb cake has a much thicker crumb topping with less cinnamon, and it lacks the cinnamon ripple that I add to the middle of my coffee cake. Both are equally delicious and go great with a cup of coffee though!
Serve yourself a slice (with or without coffee!) and admire just how beautiful a simple breakfast cake can really be ❤
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (335 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
Cinnamon Swirl
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping
- 1 ⅓ cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp (225 g) brown sugar packed
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter melted
Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease and flour a 13×9 baking pan.
- In stand mixer, or using an electric mixer in large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese
- Beat in sugars until light and fluffy.1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar tightly packed, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl with rubber spatula.2 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.2 ½ cups (335 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, until all of the flour mixture and buttermilk have been combined.½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- Spread about half of the batter into prepared pan (batter will be thick).
- Quickly whisk together sugar and cinnamon for cinnamon ripple layer in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Dollop remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer and use a knife to spread evenly overtop. If it gives you a tough time/doesn't want to spread, just try your best but don't stress! If it's easier, just swirl the cinnamon/sugar in with a knife. Set aside and prepare your streusel topping.
Streusel
- Melt butter in a medium-sized bowl on 10 second increments (stirring between) until just melted (you don’t want it to be too hot, if it does get too hot allow to cool.10 Tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter
- Use a fork to stir together your flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Pour melted butter over mixture and use a fork to toss/claw together the ingredients until combined (mixture should be crumbly).1 ⅓ cup (175 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup + 2 Tbsp (225 g) brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 4 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.
- Bake on 350F for 40-50 minutes (check doneness with a toothpick inserted in center, it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs).
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
Glaze (optional)
- If desired, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.2-3 teaspoons milk, ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
Notes
Storing
Store leftover coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
Originally published April 10th, 2017. Post updated to include more details and information and a video February 2020. Recipe remains the same, it was perfect as-is!
John
I’ve loved this recipe for a while, and this week had the idea of adding apples to it. Turned out amazing! 4 apples, diced and tossed in sugar, cinnamon, and flour, then placed in the fridge overnight. Drained the excess juice and put them in as the last step in preparing the batter. Had to bake for a tiny bit longer. Tasted amazing; a good fall twist on this classic!
Amanda
I came to the comments to look for exactly this! how much flour did you use? thank you!
John Debold
4 apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp flour, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Followed the apple prep section from an apple pie recipe, and increased it by a little bit since I was dicing the apples instead of slicing them.
Amanda
I have made many of your recipes, and others from all over the internet, and GIRL. I think this may have just achieved my top spot for favorite cake. This was so daggone tasty. I can’t wait to eat some in the morning with my tea or coffee.
Dori Cron
I’m trying to figure out what went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly, with no substitutions and it came out very dry and the streusel had hard pieces in it, like little hard balls of brown sugar. What could have caused that? I have used your recipes many times with great results.The flavor was still wonderful.
Sam
Hi Dori! It honestly just sounds like it may have been over-baked, is that possible? Unfortunately sometimes ovens run hotter than they let on, which could lead to the coffee cake baking faster, and if that happens it would make the cake dry and could make the streusel too hard and crispy (especially if the cake was baked in a thin or very dark pan). I think if you were to try it again I would recommend checking the cake sooner in the oven, maybe as much as 10 minutes sooner. I really hope that helps but am happy to try and help troubleshoot further!
Sally
I experienced the same exact thing even though I chose to take it out at the 30 min mark (said 30-40 mins and I always choose less time cuz I like it moist). I can tell this recipe would’ve been great and I already promised to share with neighbors 🥲
Betty
I love that the amount of the ingredients is listed in the directions, that eliminates the need to go back and forth to the ingredient list. Very good recipe!
Jen
Can it be made ahead?
How many days will it stay fresh?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! We actually discuss this in the FAQ section of the post 🩷
Debra
I added 1 cup of chopped pecans to the topping. It was great with a cup of coffee.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! Sounds tasty, Debra 🥰
Anjanette Connor
Easy and fun to make. Everyone loved it at office and wanted the recipe.❤️
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for using our recipe, Anjanette! We are so happy it was a hit 🩷
Juliane Maxwell
is there a recommendation for some sugar substitute? I am afraid we will all end up in sugar coma, lol. 3 plus cups of sugar all in all?
It does look and sound delicious
Sam
Hi Juliane! Unfortunately, I have not tried it with a sugar substitute.
Deb Salerni
Could you use nuts in this cake? If so, where would be the best place to incorporate them? Thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Deb! You sure can. You can fold them into the batter, add them to the ripple layer, or toss them in with the streusel–whatever you prefer! 😊
auburn ohara
this was so easy to make, and i didnt have buttermilk, so i made it and it was super easy! 11/10 recipe!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Auburn 🩷
Robin
Best recipe for a scrumptious coffee cake. Directions are just the best and so easy to follow. Thank you for that. Everyone loves it every time I make this. I did not have buttermilk on hand this time so I used plain 2% low-fat yogurt. Came out amazing and just like I had used the buttermilk. If you follow these directions you will not be disappointed. Thank you. Just the best. And I’ve made alot of coffee cakes. This one “takes the cake” lol.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
😁 Thanks for giving it a try, Robin! Enjoy!
Merle E Combe
tried this with strawberry cream cheese. absolutely amazing. with hints of strawberry
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Merle 😊
Susan
Thanks for that substitution idea!