A soft and simple coffee cake with a ripple of cinnamon in the middle and a heavy streusel crumb topping. This cinnamon coffee cake makes enough to feed a crowd (if you’re willing to share). Top everything off with a simple glaze and dig in!
Most mornings I’d gladly pass on breakfast. Despite the fact that I live most of my hours counting down the minutes until my next meal and eternally daydreaming about cookies, breakfast never really seems to excite me.
As with every rule, though, there is at least one exception, and I could eat coffee cake every morning of every day.
Maybe it’s that buttery soft, sweet but not too-sweet crumb, or the ribbon of cinnamon tucked away in the center. Maybe it’s that slightly crisp, heavy blanket of crumbly streusel on the top, or the simple drizzle of glaze. Maybe it’s just because it has the word “cake” right in its name and I’m a sucker for cake any time of the day.
It may not be the healthiest breakfast, but this cinnamon coffee cake is my favorite breakfast (or snack/anytime) cake and I love having a special occasion to make and enjoy it (like, say, Easter brunch).
This coffee cake recipe is similar to my blueberry breakfast cake with a streusel topping instead of the oat one and (obviously) no blueberries.
The batter for this super soft coffee cake includes both cream cheese and buttermilk (you’ll notice it uses much less butter than you would think for such a flavorful, buttery cake). It has a wonderfully moist, tender crumb that stays soft for days (make sure you store in an airtight container, but even three days later I’ve found that it’s just as soft and delectable).
The batter will be thicker than many cakes you may have made in the past, and that’s just fine. Because of this, though, when you layer your cinnamon sugar swirl in the center, the top layer will be a bit tricky to spread so be sure to dollop it over the surface and then use a knife to nudge it evenly over the cinnamon and sugar.
If you do end up disturbing the cinnamon/sugar layer, don’t stress! It will just make for a more interesting, swirled top layer!
The crumb topping on this cinnamon coffee cake is my absolute favorite. It’s buttery and sweet and its crisp texture perfectly complements the soft cake. I like a lot of streusel on my cake, so while I think this is the perfect ratio of crumb to cake, you can certainly cut back a bit.
The glaze over top is completely optional, but with only two ingredients it’s so simple to whip together I recommend it if only for aesthetic reasons (the coffee cake tastes perfectly fine without it!).
Enjoy, and if you make this cinnamon coffee cake for your Easter brunch, make sure to snap a pic and tag it #sugarspunrun on Instagram!
P.S. I sincerely hope that this post came across clearly and coherently this morning and thank you in advance for graciously forgiving me any possible typos, as I’ve been struggling with a pretty obnoxious bout of vertigo all weekend and still can’t seem to think straight.
Any tips on how to keep the room from spinning every time I turn my head would also be appreciated 😉
Full printable recipe is just below the video
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
A soft and simple coffee cake with a ripple of cinnamon in the middle and a heavy streusel crumb topping.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (225g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed (200g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (335g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (120ml)
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour - 175
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar packed (225g)
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (38g)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (140g)
Glaze (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.
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In KitchenAid mixer, or with electric mixer in large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.
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Beat in sugars until light and fluffy.
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Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl with rubber spatula.
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Stir in vanilla extract.
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In separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.
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Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until all of the flour mixture and buttermilk have been combined.
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Spread about half of the batter into prepared pan (batter will be thick).
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Quickly whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon for cinnamon ripple layer in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
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Dollop remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer and use a knife to spread evenly overtop. It's OK if you end up disturbing the cinnamon sugar layer a bit, it will be a nice swirl when it bakes. Prepare your streusel topping.
Streusel
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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.
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Use a fork to whisk together your flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Pour melted butter over mixture and use a fork to stir until combined (mixture should be crumbly).
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Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.
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Bake on 350F for 40-50 minutes (check doneness with a toothpick inserted in center).
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Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
Glaze (optional)
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If desired, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.
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Deb says
I love coffee cake and yours looks absolutely perfectly delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Take care of yourself and I hope you are feeling better real soon, Sam.
Karly says
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind eating this for breakfast every day for the rest of my life. Just sayin’. Looks delicious!
Sues says
I love coffee cake so much and seriously crave it all the time. This one looks absolutely perfect!! I’m going to need a slice with my early morning coffee tomorrow 🙂
Mary says
I love your coffee cake recipe and can not wait until Easter to try it out. When I read that you suffer from vertigo my heart immediately became overwhelmed with compassion for I have suffered from vertigo for much of my 51 years. About 15-20 years ago,while receiving physical therapy related to a knee surgery, I related to my therapist that I was suffering from vertigo. After quizzing me about my symptoms and the general nature of my ailment he was sure he could help me.The young shinny new physical therapist went to work contacting my family dr. and relaying my symptoms to him and received permission to do a therapy called “The Epley and Semont maneuvers “. It is a series of maneuvers that requires the head be moved in a series of precise movements in a precise order. After these gentle movements where done by the physical therapist I became quite sick to my stomach. I went home,put a cool cloth to my head and went to sleep. I awoke the next morning feeling better than I had in forever. No spinning room, no wobbly legs, no sick stomach and best of all- after seeing the physical therapist and repeating the treatment twice more-my vertigo was gone not to return for 10+ years. When it did return I asked my family dr to refer me to physical therapy for my life changing treatment. He had never heard of it. No only had my doctor never heard of it, neither had the physical therapist.🙁 But after the two talked about my problem and my success with therapy before, the therapist made me an appointment and said he would see what he could find out about it before my first appointment. Sure enough by the time of that first appointment the therapist was well informed and ready to apply his new found knowledge on a real patient. Once again, just as 10 years prior, the precise sequins of movements were preformed but by a novice this time. Once again I returned home and “slept off” the immediate effects of treatment to awake the next day a much happier,healthier person. I have had to have the treatment only once more over the years and thankfully have had the same results. I hope that you do give this therapy a try- it can be live changing. Even if no one on your current medical team has ever heard of it, do your research on google for “The Epley and Semont maneuvers ” become informed. Be prepared to have a print out about it to give both your general practitioner and physical therapist. My husband was in the army and thus we moved often and my new dr.s were not always familiar with the maneuvers.
I hope this helps you and you find some relief. Unless you have suffered it you can not fully understand how debilitating it can be. God Bless, get better, and keep those great recipes coming.
-Mary
Sam says
I’m sorry for such a delayed reply, Mary!
I hope you absolutely loved the coffee cake and had a wonderful Easter.
I can’t thank you for enough for all of your advice about vertigo, how terrible that you have suffered for so long, I absolutely can’t even imagine. I am glad that you were able to find such a wonderful therapist in the beginning, and that those maneuvers could be repeated when the vertigo returned.
I am very lucky in that I actually never experienced vertigo before the week that I posted this recipe. It was bad enough that I went to the doctor, and she told me that it will go away on its own and it’s a matter of essentially having a cold — instead of it exhibiting by way of a sore throat or cough, it’s manifested in my inner ear by way of vertigo… very strange and I’ve never had that before!
It has gotten better, much better, actually, but nearly two weeks later I still do keep getting dizzy spells/feeling like I’m on a rocking ship. If it persists I will certainly ask about these maneuvers, thank you so much for letting me know about them.
Thanks again for your kind words and for writing, I hope you have a wonderful day <2
Deborah J says
Hi there! I just came across this recipe and decided to read the comments. I’m so sorry about your vertigo. I had it for several years and it finally stopped completely after I found out my Vitamin D level was severely low. Once I got my level to “normal” with Vitamin D3 supplements, I never had another vertigo attack. It’s been five years now. Please consider having your Vitamin D tested. This might be YOUR cure all too! 🙂
Sam says
Hi Deborah! So the funny thing is I have been taking a vitamin D supplement for quite a while now, and the vertigo happened when I ran out of it and hadn’t yet replaced it… I hadn’t even thought to make the connection and now I wonder if that was it!! Thank you for the suggestion!!
Gina says
I made this as a trial run before Easter and it was good! I’ll make it again Saturday, two days later it is still very fresh but I will need to make another pan to feed my family, thank you for a great recipe!
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gina!!
Michele says
Loving this recipe… A good streusel is one of my biggest weaknesses, and this one looks heavenly! 🙂
Sam says
Thank you so much, Michele! I’m a little bit in love with it 😉
Aggie says
Tried this recipe and it was AMAZING!!!!!! thank you so much for sharing can’t wait to try the blueberry thaanks againg happy fall to you.
Sam says
So glad to hear that you enjoyed, Aggie!! 🙂
Rick says
I love this page. It my favorite! Love the recipes.
Sam says
So glad to hear that! Thanks, Rick! 🙂
Agnes says
Hi Sam. Do you cool this in the pan or on a rack? Thanks.
Sam says
I leave it in the pan to cool. I hope you love it!
Nav says
I really wanted to make this cake but I don’t have cornstarch or brown sugar. What can I substitute it with? Thank you.
Sam says
I don’t have a substitution for the corn starch but you can use white sugar instead of brown sugar, just keep in mind that your coffee cake may be slightly less soft, moist, and flavorful.
Nav says
What if there’s no cream cheese around? Can it be substituted? And I’ve seen recipes without cream cheese so I just wanted to know its purpose in the coffee cake. Thanks.
Sam says
I’m sorry but I don’t recommend making this cake without the cream cheese, it won’t come out nearly as soft/ melt-in-your-mouth, which is why I call for it in this recipe.