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!
Pam
BEST coffee cake! I was looking for a ‘great’ recipe to serve at a retreat my church was hosting. I tried 3 other 5 star recipes, no small feat because they are so time consuming to make, and they were either too dry or too dense/heavy and then I finally found this recipe! The cake is so tasty, delicious and light. The icing was not necessary, it was great on it’s own. I made 4 Coffee Cakes (using this recipes), froze them and served them 3-weeks later and they tasted just as good as when I made them.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the coffee cake, Pam! Thank you so much for the feedback on freezing them. 🙂
Susie
This looks so good. I can’t wait to make it. I like to bake and have things ready in the freezer for when company comes. Would this freeze very well or would the topping get soggy?
Sam
Hi Susie! I honestly haven’t tried it, but I think it would probably be ok. 🙂
Lyn
My topping did not turn out crumbly, why?
I mixed as directed with a fork
Sam
Was it more like a paste? It might’ve been mixed too much. There is a video just above the recipe if that is helpful.
Patrick McGill
Do 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
Hi 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
I am very excited to try this! It looks delicious! Do you think that it would bake well in an Angel Food Cake Pan?
Sam
Hi 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
I 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
Hi 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
I 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
Hi 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
I 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
Thank you so much for the comment, Haley! I am so glad you enjoyed the coffee cake. 🙂
Crystal
I want to try this but am not a fan of buttermilk what could I substitute without changing the cake too much?
Sam
Hi Crystal, you could use regular milk but the cake won’t be as moist.
Wendy
This 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
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Wendy! 🙂
Raz
Not 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
Hi 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
Made this yesterday for our friends and it was a big hit. Will definitely make again!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the coffee cake, Jen! 🙂
Angela
Outstanding! Entire family loved it! This recipe is “bookmarked “!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the coffee cake, Angela! 🙂
Lorraine
I 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
Hi 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
Thank 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
I hope you’ll find more that you love just as much! 🙂
Susan
I’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
Is 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
Hi Tricia! Coffee cake is supposed to be a denser cake. 🙂