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
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
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.
- In KitchenAid mixer, or with electric mixer in large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.
- Beat in sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl with rubber spatula.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- In separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until all of the flour mixture and buttermilk have been combined.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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).
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.
- Bake on 350F for 40-50 minutes (check doneness with a toothpick inserted in center).
- 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.
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please view the disclosure policy for more information.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
You Might Also Like:
Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Patrick McGill says
June 18, 2019 at 1:05 pmDo you think this would do well adapted to a muffin pan? Just curious.
It is a delicious recipe that I’ve made several times already. Came out great each time. Thanks.
Sam says
June 22, 2019 at 11:43 pmHi Patrick! I think it would be fine in a muffin pan, though I wouldn’t expect it to rise much like a classic muffin. The baking time will be much less, but having not tried it myself I can’t say for sure how long it will need to bake.
Caroline says
June 11, 2019 at 1:49 amI am very excited to try this! It looks delicious! Do you think that it would bake well in an Angel Food Cake Pan?
Sam says
June 15, 2019 at 9:25 pmHi Caroline! I think that would work just fine. It will need to bake longer because of the different pan, though. I’m not sure exactly how long as I haven’t tried it, but I’d guess around 40-50 minutes (could be less time if you have a dark pan). I hope that helps!
Gini says
May 25, 2019 at 3:36 pmI make “Christmas morning bread” every year and give as gifts, and I can’t wait to try your recipe for the cinnamon streusel cake for this year’s “bread”. I need to bake this in a 9×4 loaf pan (so it will easily fit into the million “bread bags” I have on hand) — do you think it will bake up okay, or is there too much batter for it to fit?
Thank you!
(P.S.: I am a vertigo sufferer also – hang in there – it just takes time for those darn crystals to move back into place. I once had a bout last for almost 3 months, so I can sympathize with you!)
Sam says
May 25, 2019 at 9:12 pmHi Gini! I think this will definitely fill up more than one loaf pan, but you can certainly discard any extra batter you may have. I hope everyone loves it! 🙂
Stephanie says
May 21, 2019 at 5:56 pmI would love to try this recipe but I don’t have a mixer. Do you think it can be done without one? Or is there a way to replace the cream cheese so that I don’t wear out my arm trying to beat it? ^.^;
Sam says
May 21, 2019 at 9:47 pmHi Stephanie! Unfortunately the butter, cream cheese, and sugar are really a huge part of the flavor of this cake. If you can get it creamed together by hand, you could make it without a mixer, but it really needs to be well combined. I don’t recommend substituting anything else here because of how much flavor it adds.
Haley says
May 14, 2019 at 11:06 amI don’t normally post comments on anything, but I had to for this. This coffee cake is the bees knees! Super happy with how it came out! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
Sam says
May 14, 2019 at 9:36 pmThank you so much for the comment, Haley! I am so glad you enjoyed the coffee cake. 🙂
Crystal says
May 10, 2019 at 4:00 pmI want to try this but am not a fan of buttermilk what could I substitute without changing the cake too much?
Sam says
May 12, 2019 at 12:30 amHi Crystal, you could use regular milk but the cake won’t be as moist.
Wendy says
April 25, 2019 at 1:41 pmThis recipe reminds me of Amish cinnamon cake I used to make. The tipping is incredible. My husband had two pieces. I will definitely add this to my cake rotation!
Sam says
April 25, 2019 at 7:51 pmI am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Wendy! 🙂
Raz says
April 18, 2019 at 1:09 amNot sure what i missed but the proportions dont seem right. the batter didnt fill my 9×13 and was way thick to where spreading was near impossible, and there was more topping and filling than anything else. it smells amazing but i dunno about the measurements for the cake itself
Sam says
April 18, 2019 at 7:57 pmHi Raz! I’m not sure what happened here. The batter should be very thick and relatively difficult to spread. You should have enough batter that it goes 1/3-1/2 the way up the pan.
Jen says
April 1, 2019 at 9:06 pmMade this yesterday for our friends and it was a big hit. Will definitely make again!
Sam says
April 2, 2019 at 3:54 pmI am so glad everyone enjoyed the coffee cake, Jen! 🙂
Angela says
April 1, 2019 at 8:19 pmOutstanding! Entire family loved it! This recipe is “bookmarked “!
Sam says
April 1, 2019 at 8:22 pmI am so glad everyone enjoyed the coffee cake, Angela! 🙂
Lorraine says
March 16, 2019 at 1:45 pmI made two of these last night, and we had a coffee morning today, they went down a treat, anyone who ate them, loved them.
I will keep this as my go to cake, its a keeper.
Just one question, am I missing the coffee? I could not find it, since I’m Irish, I thought that coffee cake may mean something else,
Thank you for sharing,
Just one more question, I bake a lot and share recipes, but there are some I don’t want to share, do you ever feel like that, local recipes that you have spent hundreds of hours perfecting, and don’t want to share your special ingredients or techniques?
Sam says
March 16, 2019 at 8:25 pmHi Lorraine! I am so glad everyone enjoys the coffee cake so much! Coffee cake is named because it is traditionally served with coffee, there is no coffee in the actual cake. I like to share any recipes I have/create! I want everyone to be able to enjoy what I enjoy. 🙂
Lorraine says
March 22, 2019 at 3:34 amThank you for your reply, I am slowly working my way through your amazing recipes, thank you for sharing them, this has become my favourite at the moment,
Sam says
March 22, 2019 at 10:41 amI hope you’ll find more that you love just as much! 🙂
Susan says
March 19, 2019 at 6:28 pmI’ve just had this discussion with friends. Apparently this is an issue of confusion! UK coffee cake has coffee in it whereas US coffee cake doesn’t but goes well with coffee. It’s important to differentiate for your audience! (I’ve made one of each type for a tea tomorrow morning. We’ll see which one wins!)
Tricia says
March 16, 2019 at 5:17 amIs this meant to be a dense cake or had my mixing technique fallen short? I would prefer a lighter, airier texture. Any tips would be much appreciated!
Sam says
March 16, 2019 at 8:37 pmHi Tricia! Coffee cake is supposed to be a denser cake. 🙂