Coffee Cake
intro
Tender, moist cinnamon-swirled cake with buttery crumb streusel, made to pair perfectly with hot coffee. A cozy, approachable bake for weekends and casual gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep Oven, Pan, and Streusel
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F), then line a 9-inch (23cm) square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides for easy cake removal. Prepare the cinnamon streusel: in a small bowl, mix 100g packed light brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 30g all-purpose flour, then cut in 28g cold cubed unsalted butter with your fingertips until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Set the streusel aside.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, and 100g granulated sugar for 30 seconds until fully combined, with no visible lumps of leavening or salt.
Mix Cake Batter
Make a shallow well in the center of the dry ingredient mixture, then add 2 room-temperature large eggs, 240ml full-fat sour cream, 80ml room-temperature whole milk, 57g cooled melted unsalted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Stir gently with a rubber spatula for 45 seconds, just until no dry flour streaks remain — do not overmix, as this will develop gluten and make the cake tough.
Layer Batter and Streusel
Spread half of the cake batter (approximately 420g) evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan, using a small offset spatula to smooth it into a flat, uniform layer. Sprinkle 2/3 of the prepared streusel mixture evenly over the first batter layer, then dollop the remaining half of the batter over the streusel, spreading gently to cover the crumbs without mixing the layers together.
Top with Streusel and Bake
Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the streusel evenly over the top of the final batter layer. Place the pan on the middle oven rack, and bake for 30 to 32 minutes at 175°C (350°F). Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the cake center: it is done when the pick comes out with 2-3 moist crumbs attached, not wet batter.
Remove and Cool Cake
Remove the baked cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire cake out of the pan to cool for an additional 5 minutes. Cut into 8 equal squares, and serve warm or at room temperature paired with hot coffee or tea.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the batter once wet ingredients touch the flour — stop stirring as soon as dry streaks disappear to keep the cake crumb soft and tender.
3.For extra crunch and flavor, stir 30g (1/4 cup) of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the streusel mixture before layering.
My kids loved this! I threw it together before school dropoff this morning (super easy, no fancy ingredients needed!) and we had warm slices with a little vanilla glaze drizzled on top for after-school snack. Even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds. Game changer for busy weekday mornings!
Wait, has anyone tried making this with gluten free all purpose flour? I have a couple friends coming over for book club next weekend who are gluten free and I don’t want to mess this up because it’s my go-to coffee cake recipe!
Brought this to my neighborhood block party on Saturday and it was gone in 15 minutes flat. The cinnamon streusel layer in the middle is *chef’s kiss* — I was worried it would be too dry because some coffee cake recipes are, but this was perfectly tender all the way through. Already saved this to my permanent recipe folder.
Super easy recipe for a beginner baker! I’m in a dorm with just a tiny countertop oven and I was able to pull this off without any fancy equipment. Only thing I messed up was I forgot to let the butter soften first, so I microwaved it for 10 seconds and it still worked fine. Tastes just like the coffee cake my grandma used to make!
Has anyone tried prepping the streusel and batter the night before to bake in the morning? I want to make this for my husband’s birthday breakfast but I am NOT a morning person, so prepping ahead would be a lifesaver.
SO good. I ate two slices warm with a big mug of black coffee this morning and it was the perfect start to my day off. Not overly cinnamony, the crumb topping has the perfect crunch, and the cake stays moist for days — I wrapped the leftovers in plastic and had a slice for a midnight snack last night, just as good as day one.
Wait, my streusel came out more like a sandy powder instead of those big clumps I see in the photos? Did I do something wrong? It still tasted good, I just wanted those big crunchy crumb bits everyone is talking about.
Quick question — I’m vegan, would swapping the butter for vegan butter and the milk for oat milk work here? I’ve had bad luck with vegan coffee cakes being dense so I wanted to check before I waste ingredients!
I’ve been making coffee cake for 40 years and I have to say, this recipe is a home run. I added a handful of chopped pecans to the streusel like I always do and it turned out fantastic. Cook time was spot on for my old oven, no burnt edges, no raw middle. Great work on a solid classic.
Made this for my family’s weekly Sunday brunch and everyone raved. The middle cinnamon layer is such a nice surprise, I was worried it would sink to the bottom but it stayed perfectly sandwiched between the cake layers. Paired it with fresh fruit and mimosas, 10/10 vibe.
Y’all, I added a cream cheese swirl to this (softened cream cheese mixed with a little sugar and vanilla, dolloped on top before the streusel) and it was LIFE CHANGING. Tastes like the fancy coffee cake they sell at the bakery down the street but for a fraction of the cost.
Is this sweet enough to serve as a birthday cake for a toddler? My little one is turning 2 and we’re doing a small family party, I don’t want something loaded with too much sugar but I want it to feel special.
I halved the recipe to make a small 8x8 pan for just me and my roommate and it turned out perfect! Baked for about 38 minutes total, tested it with a toothpick in the center and it came out clean. No waste, no leftovers going stale, perfect size for two people.
Cut this up into individual slices, wrapped them in parchment paper, and brought them on our weekend backpacking trip. They held up perfectly in the pack, didn’t get squished, and were such a nice treat after a long morning hike. Way better than the boring energy bars I usually bring!
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my cake sunk in the middle? I’m so frustrated, I was making it for my book club tonight and now I don’t know what to do. Did I open the oven too early?
Y’all, I doubled the cinnamon in the streusel and the middle layer because I’m obsessed with cinnamon, and it was *perfect*. I know some people say too much cinnamon makes things bitter, but this recipe can handle it if you’re a spice lover like me. 10/10, will be doubling the cinnamon every time.
This was my first ever dish to bring to a work potluck and I was so nervous it would flop, but people went back for thirds! So easy to follow, no weird steps, ingredients I already had in my pantry. I felt like a real baking pro when people asked where I bought the cake from, haha.
Has anyone tried freezing slices of this? I love having quick sweet treats on hand for busy school mornings, so if this freezes well that would make my life so much easier.
I swapped the granulated sugar in the streusel for pure maple sugar and added a tiny drizzle of maple syrup on top when it came out of the oven. The warm maple + cinnamon combo is unbeatable, especially in the fall. Highly recommend trying it if you have maple sugar lying around!
Made this with my 10 year old niece this weekend and she had a blast helping mix the streusel (getting her hands messy is her favorite part). The recipe is simple enough for kids to help with, no complicated techniques or sharp tools needed. We ate half the pan while we watched our favorite movie, total core memory.