Today: Get My No Fail, Easy Cookbook Series for 60% OFF
Buy Now

Coffee Cake

Pin RecipeReview Recipe
close up side shot of a slice of coffee cake on a white plate
Homemade coffee cake is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot coffee. Your guests are sure to be impressed by this super soft cake which looks as good as it tastes.
Jump to Recipe
Table of Contents
  1. COFFEE CAKE INGREDIENTS
  2. HOW TO MAKE THIS COFFEE CAKE RECIPE
  3. STORAGE
  4. FAQ
  5. MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
  6. JUMP TO RECIPE

Coffee cake goes perfectly with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast or brunch. This moist and buttery cake has a cinnamon sugar layer in the middle, a crumbly streusel topping and a drizzle of sweet icing.

Don't want to lose this recipe? Get it emailed to you directly! Enter your email below. Plus you'll get a free e-cookbook and amazing recipes sent to you daily.

For more tempting breakfast ideas, take a look at our cherry breakfast braid or mini pancakes.

side shot of a slice of coffee cake on a white plate

MORE BREAD RECIPES:
Chocolate Zucchini Bread | Lemon Poppyseed Cake


COFFEE CAKE INGREDIENTS

coffee cake raw ingredients that are labeled

You will need:

FOR THE CAKE

  • ½ cup of unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 (250g) container of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup of light brown sugar
  • ½ cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups of all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon of baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ cup of buttermilk

FOR THE SWIRL 

  • ⅓ cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

  • 1½ cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of light brown sugar
  • ½ cup of granulated sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons of cinnamon
  • 1 cup of unsalted butter, melted but not hot

FOR THE GLAZE

  • 1 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons of milk

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

Sugar: If you don’t have both light brown sugar and granulated sugar, you can substitute one for the other without too much change in flavor. 

Cornstarch: You could instead use flour in a pinch.

Buttermilk: If you don’t wish to buy buttermilk just for this recipe, you can use whole or 2% milk and add a half tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix together and leave for five minutes to thicken and curdle.

Sour Cream: If you like your cake to be extra moist, switch the cream cheese for sour cream to make a sour cream coffee cake.

Blueberries: To make a blueberry coffee cake, just add two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter.

HOW TO MAKE THIS COFFEE CAKE RECIPE

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish.

STEP TWO: In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese for two to three minutes, until creamy.

coffee cake process shot of ingredients being blended together in a bowl

STEP THREE: Add in the brown and white sugar. Beat for a further two to three minutes, until fluffy.

STEP FOUR: Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

STEP FIVE: In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.

STEP SIX: Add a third of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and slowly beat together. Add in half the buttermilk. Beat in another third of the dry mixture. Add the remaining buttermilk. Beat in the remaining dry mixture.

PRO TIP: Do not over mix at this stage; you’ll want to beat until just combined each time you add more mixture.

STEP SEVEN: Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish.

STEP EIGHT: Make the cinnamon swirl layer by stirring together sugar and cinnamon.

STEP NINE: Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the first layer of batter.

coffee cake process shot of ingredients in a dish

STEP TEN: Add the rest of the cake batter to the dish.

STEP ELEVEN: To make the crumble topping (streusel), whisk together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Stir in the melted butter with a fork until you have a crumbly mixture with no visible white flour.

STEP TWELVE: Sprinkle over the top of the cake. 

coffee cake process shot of ingredients mixed together in a bowl

STEP THIRTEEN: Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool before adding the glaze.

STEP FOURTEEN: To make the glaze, stir together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over the top of the completely cooled cake. 

STORAGE

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store the coffee cake in the fridge in an airtight container for four to six days.

IN THE FREEZER: To freeze the coffee cake, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it into a heavy-duty freezer bag. It will keep for two to three months.

close up shot of a piece of coffee cake being picked up with a fork

This basic coffee cake recipe is so quick and easy to make with just twenty minutes of prep time. Perfect to serve at morning breakfast meetups, this cake is sure to impress your guests when they find out it’s homemade.

FAQ

How do I store coffee cake?

You can store the coffee cake in the fridge for 4-6 days or in the freezer, well wrapped in plastic wrap for 2-3 months.

What should I serve with coffee cake?

Serve coffee cake for breakfast or brunch alongside a warm drink and other sweet pastry treats.

Does coffee cake contain coffee?

Generally, coffee cakes, especially those made in North America, rarely contain coffee. There are some recipes from Europe that may contain coffee. Coffee cake has been given this name because it is often served with coffee (or tea) on the side.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Get a Free Cookbook
Subscribe now to receive our FREE Sweet & Treats digital cookbook with 15 amazing desserts inside!
close up side shot of a slice of coffee cake on a white plate

Coffee Cake

5 from 5 votes
Homemade coffee cake is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot coffee. Your guests are sure to be impressed by this super soft cake which looks as good as it tastes.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

CAKE

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 container cream cheese softened (250g)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup buttermilk

SWIRL

  • cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

CRUMBLE TOPPING

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter melted but not hot

GLAZE

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • tbsp milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Grease a glass 9×13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add in brown sugar and white sugar. Beat until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Beat in both eggs until combined.
  • Beat in vanilla extract until combined.
  • In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
  • Slowly beat in a third of the dry mixture into the wet then add in half the buttermilk. Then beat in another third of the dry mixture and the rest of the buttermilk. Then beat in the remaining dry mix into the wet. Beat just until combined, do not over mix.
  • Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish. The batter will be thick.
  • Stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the first layer of batter in the baking dish. Then carefully top evenly with the rest of the cake batter.
  • Whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Stir in melted butter with a fork until it is a crumbly mixture and there is no more visible white flour. Sprinkle over top of cake.
  • Bake cake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool before adding glaze.
  • Stir together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over top of completely cooled cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 779IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg
Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

You May Also Like

get digital lazy cookbooks

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Comment

    Recipe Rating




    Comments

  1. Julie Woods says

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness…this chili (before I added the beans) reminded me so much of my Granny’s “meat sauce” recipe I was so excited. We have never come close to recreating it but this gives me hope. It was always the first meal she served – over spaghetti – when we arrived to Montgomery, AL…maybe she really was from Cincy rather than a southern belle 😉

16108

Free Membership!

Get all our new recipes straight to

your inbox plus a BONUS

download in your first email! ❤