The VERY Best Coffee Cake Recipe ever is moist and buttery, with a cinnamon sugar layer in the middle topped with crumb topping and a sweet glaze icing. Perfect for breakfast or brunch with a hot cup of coffee!
Make sure to try my Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake too!
Is there anything better than cake for breakfast? Of course it’s not an indulgence I afford myself on the regular, but the day after my birthday is the best because I know there is leftover cake waiting for me to have with my cup of coffee…which leads me to today’s long overdue post…
The VERY Best Coffee Cake Recipe Ever EVER!
I’m not sure of the genius who coined the term coffee cake, but I would like to extend a firm handshake. Well done, sir or ma’am. Well. done.
I feel like I have crammed all the things that you would ever want in a coffee cake into my recipe. What you have is a dense, but moist, buttery cake with a layer of sweet cinnamon filling baked in the middle. The whole cake is topped with a buttery, cinnamon crumb topping and then drizzled with a sweet icing glaze. No cake mix is involved in this recipe, it is a from-scratch-baked-with-love kinda vibe, and you are going to LOVE it.
Looking for more Coffee-Cake Recipes? Try These:
What Makes This Coffee Cake The BEST?
Well, I am sure this could be up for debate. I know after almost 11 years here on the internet that it’s impossible to make all y’all happy. I’ve tried. But I will say, that I have eaten my fair share of cake since the inception of this website (and for years before that), so I think I can call myself an expert in cake eating.
And this coffee cake is the best I’ve ever had. Hands down.
The cake itself is a dense, yet still fluffy texture with a buttery, vanilla flavor. The whole cake has a thick layer of cinnamon sugar filling baked in the middle, which, with the addition of flour, stays thick and doesn’t melt into the cake, which is amazing.
And of course I ALWAYS prefer a crumb topping on my coffee cake, and this one has the perfect amount, without being too much!
How Do You Make Coffee Cake?
There are a few defining characteristics of a coffee cake:
- No Frosting – OR a light drizzle of an icing glaze. A lot of the time coffee cake is just dusted with powdered sugar, which you could absolutely do on this recipe!
- Cinnamon. Coffee Cakes are generally spiced with cinnamon. I don’t make the rules.
- Crumb Topping – This is not a must, but it’s very common. A lot of coffee cakes include nuts in the crumb topping as well, which you could do here if you like that! I’ll hit on that in a minute.
- Vanilla Cake – It’s very typical for a coffee cake base to be a vanilla cake as opposed to chocolate.
- A Single Layer Cake – Whether it be a 9×13, or a round cake, coffee cake is generally a single layer cake!
Are the Steps Easy?
Yes! You most likely have all the ingredients to make this cake in your kitchen now! There are a few steps, but they all come together with minimal effort.
- The cake is a butter/sour cream cake. The addition of sour cream makes it extra moist and the batter comes together very quickly and easily.
- The filling is simply a mixture of cinnamon, sugar, and flour that you spread over half of the batter. Spread the remaining cake batter carefully overtop!
- The crumb topping is quick to prepare, using melted butter, which makes it very easy to mix!
I LOVE to enjoy this cake while its still warm, but it’s also delicious at room temperature!
PRO TIP: Make sure that once this cake is cut you cover it AIRTIGHT immediately, as it can dry out quickly. I like to use Press and Seal plastic wrap, and press it down directly over the cake, and then covering the entire pan again with foil!
STILL looking for more Coffee Cake Recipes? Here You Go!
- Banana Bread Crumb Cake
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake
The Best Coffee Cake Recipe Ever
-
Prep Time: 20 minutes -
Cook Time: 45 minutes
-
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
-
Yield: serves 12 1x -
Category: Cake
-
Method: Oven
-
Cuisine: Breakfast
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print Recipe
PinDescription:
Grab a cup of coffee and get ready for the best coffee cake ever! Soft vanilla cake with a sweet cinnamon layer inside, topped with buttery crumb topping!
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Filling
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
Cake
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 3 2/3 cup all purpose flour
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl prepare the cinnamon filling by whisking together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
- To prepare the crumb topping, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl until it resembles coarse crumbs. Use your hands to mix to form larger crumb pieces. Set aside.
- For the cake, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, salt, and baking powder and mix for 1 minute until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and milk in alternating portions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined and smooth, again, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spread half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling evenly on top of the batter. Carefully spread the remaining cake batter on top of the cinnamon layer. Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and drizzle on top of the cooled cake. Or alternately sprinkle with powdered sugar instead of making the icing.
Notes:
Store airtight for up to 3 days
Keywords:: cookies and cups, coffee cake, crumb cake, cake recipe
Want To Save This Recipe?
PIN for later:
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
Get 5 Baking Secrets That Will Change Your Life!
When you are 1 or 2 people you need to half many recipes on the Internet in order to make it. May I ask how you would cut 3 eggs in half. Would you go with one egg or two or actually try to cut an egg in half (after it’s whisked)?
★★★★★
I would just use two in this recipe 🙂
I loved this!!! so did everyone else. I did not tell them the calorie count. hahaha. I added coconut to the topping. Then my mom made it and use granola. Thanks, now my grown up kids ask for it when they visit.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed! Great idea adding coconut!
This turned out delicious. I added almond extract in the cake and sliced almonds in the topping because I love them. I baked it for one hour in a glass pan and it was perfect. Thanks for the recipe
★★★★
SO glad you enjoyed! Love the addition of nuts!
I was excited about this recipe, right up until I tested it after 45 minutes of baking. Still raw, added 5 minutes, then 10, then 5 more…until it had been baking for 90 minutes. I’m looking forward to eating the middle piece since it will be the only part not dried out! Will try again but will need radically adjusted baking temp & time.
★★★
We just made this cake yesterday. It is so delicious! I did have to bake it longer than posted, but it turned out yummy!
★★★★★
So glad it turned out great for you! We make it all the time and love it so much!
I made this Coffee Cake today. I followed the receipt to the T! I cooked it in a 9″ x 13″ glass pan at 350 F! It tastes good, just a little too sweet but I think its way to much batter for the size of the pan called for as its not cooking properly. I first cooked it for 45 minutes but the toothpick was still wet. So I continued cooking it for an additional 5 minutes but the toothpick was still wet. So I kept on cooking and checking it and after 20 minutes the toothpick was still… Read more »
Shelly
Sorry but not sure if you saw my comment above?
★
Got really excited when this recipe was suggested but then realized it’s American coffee cake which is utterly different to British (cake flavoured like coffee). Oh well.
Cooked for over 11/2 hours and still raw
That’s crazy! Maybe you might want to check your oven?
Same here… My oven is fine though. Cooked a few loaves of bread today but this cake just will not set.
Made it tonight. Horrible. Messiest thing I’ve ever made in 40 yrs. Took 1 hour, fell apart. Worst coffee cake ever. Waste of time and ingredients…will throw away. (I’m a chef).
★
I made this recipe but it did not fit in a 9×13.
It took longer to bake right at an hour in a 9×13 baking dish. Doesn’t need a lot of glaze as it’s very rich. Maybe a bundt pan would have been better as it’s a dense batter but a very good crumb cake!
I thought this looked wonderful, but it didn’t come out well. I made it at a vacation home and just had a hand mixer, so maybe it didn’t get beaten enough, and I didn’t have toothpicks to check it after 45 minutes, so just took it out. It had some dry ingredients in the filling, some of the cake was raw looking, making it leaden . Plus I didn’t do the icing considering how much sugar was in there. So….it could be just the lack of equipment that I had, but if I ever make another cake with filling like… Read more »
This just would not bake in the centre.. I kept
Cutting off the edges so they wouldn’t overbake. Delicious though and easy recipe.. I would bake in a Bundt or tube pan though. I made no distributions and followed recipe to a T.. I gave up after an hour and a half.. just extra moist in middle
I’ve given the cake out to a few friends and they all loved it! One said it was the best coffee cake they’ve ever had. It also freezes well. I baked in a glass pan and didn’t have issues with baking. I think I might have baked it for 5-10 minutes longer than the recipe called for. Also skipped the glazed topping as I felt there was plenty of sugar in this cake already. Yes the batter was thick but I didn’t have issues it making the layers.
★★★★★
Came out great! Has anyone tried freezing it?
★★★★★