Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
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My cinnamon coffee cake recipe has a velvety soft, melt-in-your mouth crumb, thanks to an unexpected ingredient. It’s an easy coffee cake recipe with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar in the middle and a buttery, no-fuss streusel topping. Just 30 minutes to prep and makes enough to feed a crowd (if you’re willing to share!). Recipe includes a how-to video tutorial!
I’ve been making this cinnamon coffee cake recipe for nearly a decade now and it remains one of my go-to staples. It has a pillowy-soft crumb, a depth of flavor that keeps you going back for more (without being too sweet) a crumbly, buttery blanket of streusel, and a crowning drizzle of vanilla glaze.
4 Things to Know About This Recipe:
- Uses an unexpected ingredient. I swap some of the butter with a brick of full-fat cream cheese. Thanks to the makeup of cream cheese (fat, protein, and slight acidity) the batter does a better job holding on to moisture and bakes up softer and a tad more dense (in a very good way). The end result is a plush, velvety crumb that stays soft.
- Buttermilk without baking soda (on purpose). While you’ll often see the two ingredients paired together for extra lift, for this specific cinnamon coffee cake I wanted the flavor and thickness of buttermilk without the airiness often added by baking soda. By omitting it, we have a slightly more dense, moist crumb that melts in your mouth but doesn’t fall apart (a technique you’ll also find used in my chocolate chip muffins).
- Bakes in a large pan (13×9), so it’s perfect for serving to a crowd (or freezing some for later).
- No pastry cutter needed. The streusel is fuss-free thanks to melted butter. No extra tools required, you only need a fork!
This cinnamon coffee cake deserves a place alongside other indulgent breakfast staples like scones, French toast casserole, or my easy French toast recipe.
Ingredients
Let’s talk about a few of the key ingredients before we jump into the recipe, including one se.
- Cream cheese. I firmly believe this key ingredient 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! Stick with a brick of cream cheese for this recipe, as the tub-style cream cheese contains added water and stabilizers that are best left out of this recipe. And if you perhaps live in a country where this (brick-style) cream cheese isn’t available, I recommend you try my sour cream coffee cake, instead.
- Sugar. While granulated sugar is a common cinnamon coffee cake go-to, using a blend introduces added moisture and flavor (thanks to the molasses in the brown sugar) without making things too sweet. I love using brown sugar in classic recipes where just granulated is typically used (like my chocolate cake recipe!) because of this.
- 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, from my cinnamon rolls to my chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- 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, you can use my buttermilk substitute instead, but this particular cake is best with real, full-fat buttermilk.
SAM’S TIP: This batter will be thicker than what you’re used to, and that’s intentional. 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.
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 Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Make the Batter & Cinnamon Ripple
- 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 sprinkle the cinnamon sugar layer over the batter.
- 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!).
Make the Streusel & Bake
- 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 cinnamon coffee cake 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, cinnamon coffee cake as I know it should always have a buttery-soft crumb and lots of streusel, and no coffee in the batter, just like today’s recipe.
While I have not personally baked in a bundt pan, readers have reported this cake takes about 55 minutes to bake in a bundt pan. I do also have a classic bundt cake recipe.
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. I also find that’s it’s often a bit more dense (though still soft!). Both are equally delicious and go great with a cup of coffee though!
More Coffee Cake Varieties to Try:
Serve yourself a slice (with or without a cup of coffee on the side!) and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
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Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar,, firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon table 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
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,, 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 (315 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon table 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I originally published my cinnamon coffee cake recipe on April 10th, 2017. The post has been updated to include more details and information and a video. Recipe remains the same, it was perfect as-is!
why is there no coffee in this coffee cake?
Hi Sarah! Please see the post for an explanation on why coffee cake does not contain coffee 🙂
I just made this to take to the lake with us for a quick breakfast over the weekend. Of course, I had to taste it, all I can say is WOW!!
This coffee cake is amazing, and so easy to make!!
I will definitely be making this again!
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Melissa! 🙂
Can you do this in individual bunt sizes? If so temps and recommendations
Hi Zachary! You could bake these in individual pans. They would bake on the same temperature but unfortunately I don’t know a time for them to bake.
Can this be made ina springform pan? It sounds so delicious!
Hi Carmela! That should be fine, but dependent on the size of the springform pan you may not be able to use all of the batter. I wouldn’t fill it higher than 3/4 of the way full, then watch the baking time as it will vary.
Hey, can you please tell me the substitution for egg??
We are allergic to eggs , though I love coffee but don’t really know what n how to replace an egg in your recipe…. Help plz
Hi Anubha! Unfortunately I don’t know of a good egg substitute, maybe someone else can chime in with some help here. 🙁
thanks a ton ! hoping someone would revert … 🙂
I made pizza using your recipe, it turned out awesome.. thanks for the recipe.
Hey, a good substitute for egg that doesn’t take away from consistency is Ener-G egg replacer. It’s so good!!
I believe there’s a very standard substitute for egg that you could probably find on Google al I know it is uses ground flaxseed and water, just those 2 ingredients. I don’t know if you need the same amount but I do know that 1 egg is equivalent to 1/4 cup. Good luck.
Hi Sam,
My friend made me this cake and it was so delicious I asked for the recipe and found you! Since then, I’ve made it a few times and it is really really delicious! My husband said it’s one of his favourite cake! The taste is nice but the texture of the cake is awesome! Since it’s only the two of us, I bake it in 13×9 baking pan, cut it into square pieces and freeze them separately. When I leave the frozen cakes out in room temperature for 30 minutes, the texture and the taste is still there! We LOVE it! Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad you enjoy it so much, Ellie! I love the idea of freezing individual pieces. 🙂
BTW, I used two 9″ round cake pans and it came out perfectly. I covered one tightly and sent it to my in-laws and they absolutely raved about it. Best coffeecake ever!
This is truly an amazing coffeecake! I made it exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing. Just take note that the cake batter is truly really thick, so take her advice about dolloping it in pieces on top of the cinnamon layer. I dipped a spatula in water, shook it off, and spread the batter gently with that. Made it much easier and didn’t affect the cake at all. My whole family loves this coffeecake, and while I can’t eat it due to diabetes, it’s a labor of love to make it. (and yes, I do sneak a taste, haha)
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Diana! 🙂
I don’t bake often, and – aside from being time-consuming – I found it quiet easy and it was delicious. I made it for my girlfriends when it was my turn to host ladies’ night (coffee cake to accompany the espresso martinis, of course)! At the end of our evening, they all asked to bring some home to their hubbies! We’ve never left anyone’s house with to-go bags, so I’d call it a success. Many thanks!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! Asking to take some home is quite the compliment! 🙂
Hi Sam,
Thanks for sharing your recipe. My husband gave it 3 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 even if he has 2 thumbs. 😉 He used to buy this in Raritan, NJ back then. He called this crumb cake and not coffee cake. Now that we are in AZ, we can never find the exact same cake he used to get in the Italian Bakery until now. All I can say, this is a hit. 💖❤💛
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
I tried making your recipe as is and it turned out PERFECT! One question though, can I replace the all purpose flour and cornstarch with cake flour instead? If yes, is the measurement the same with the all purpose flour without cornstarch? Thankyou!
Hi Cindy! I haven’t tried it with cake flour, but I think it will still turn out. Yes I would omit the cornstarch as well because you will have plenty in your cake flour. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Can this recipe be made in a springform and what size would work?
I have a 10 inch and a 9 inch.
Thanks in advance for your help
Scott
Hi Scott! The 10 inch is going to hold more of the batter, but it still won’t hold all of it. Make sure you don’t overfill the pan before baking. 🙂
Thank you. I’ll be making it this Friday night for Saturday.
That’s awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
My favorite crumb cake recipe ever
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Victoria! 🙂
Looking forward to using your recipies
I hope you love them all! 🙂
Hello Sam,
I love all Your recipes which I’ve tried so far as the cakes turned out well and My Family loved them.
Thank You very much for All You do !
However, I need some clarifications from You :
1. Can I use icing sugar instead of powdered sugar for the glaze ?
2. What is/are the best substitute(s) for the cream cheese ?
I look forward to hearing from You !
Hi Oyindamola! I am so glad you have enjoyed everything so much! Icing sugar is the same thing as powdered sugar so you are good to go there. Unfortunately I don’t have a good substitution for the cream cheese. It’s really important here. 🙁
If you live somewhere that does not carry cream cheese, you might try mascarpone, ricotta, or s soft farmer’s cheese to replace, but none will be exactly the same. Lovely recipe!