This easy Coffee Cake recipe has a generous amount of cinnamon crumb topping and a soft, moist crumb. Enjoy this brunch favorite at the holidays or any time of year.

Piece of coffee cake resting on top of coffee cake in baking pan.

This delicious coffee cake is brunch perfection! It’s bursting with warm cinnamon flavor and has the perfect amount of sweetness. Adding sour cream to the batter ensures that the cake turns out especially soft and moist.

I’ve kept this coffee cake recipe as simple as possible, using the same crumble mixture for both the topping and the cinnamon layer that runs through the center of the cake. Since the crumb topping is arguably the best part of any coffee cake, this cake is topped with a generous amount. It’s sweet, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon – everything you want in a coffee cake.

Slice of coffee cake on a plate with a fork.

Coffee Cake Recipe Ingredients

You won’t find any coffee in the ingredient list for this coffee cake recipe. It’s called coffee cake because it pairs especially well with a cup of coffee.

Cinnamon Crumb Topping and Filling

  • Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
  • Brown Sugar: For sweetness.
  • Cinnamon: The best coffee cake is made with lots of cinnamon! It brings warm spice flavor.
  • Salt: To make the flavors pop.
  • Cold Butter: Cubes of cold butter are worked into the dry ingredients to make the topping clump together into crumbs.

Cake

  • Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: To make the cake rise.
  • Salt: Brings out the other flavors.
  • Butter: Adds richness and makes the cake moist, light and tender.
  • Granulated Sugar: To sweeten the cake.
  • Eggs: Add structure to the cake.
  • Vanilla: For warm sweetness.
  • Sour Cream: Makes the cake soft, tender and moist. Use full fat sour cream for best results.
  • Milk: Whole milk is best; you can also use 2% milk.
Ingredients for coffee cake recipe.

How to Make Coffee Cake

Here is an overview of the recipe steps. Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.

Make the crumb topping and filling. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Then use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture clumps together.

Cubes of butter added to dry ingredient mixture in mixing bowl.
Crumb topping in a mixing bowl.

Make the cake:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use a had mixer (or stand mixer) to cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the sour cream.

Eggs and vanilla added to creamed butter and sugar in mixing bowl.
Sour cream added to batter in mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally, mix in the milk on low speed just until it’s incorporated.

Flour added to wet ingredients in mixing bowl.
Milk added to batter in mixing bowl.

Assemble the cake. Spread half of the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of the topping evenly over the batter. Dollop spoonfuls of the remaining batter over the filling and gently spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the top.

Cake batter dolloped on top of crumb layer in baking pan.
Top cake batter layer smoothed out in baking pan.
Crumb topping added on top of cake batter in pan.

Bake. Then cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Coffee Cake Recipe Tips

There are a couple of things you’ll want to keep in mind when making this coffee cake recipe. Follow these tips to ensure that it turns out perfect!

  • Use room temperature ingredients (butter, eggs, sour cream, milk) for the cake so that they incorporate easily. This is very important for achieving a cake with the desired tender texture.
  • Use cold butter to make the cinnamon crumb mixture.
  • Don’t overmix the cake batter to ensure the cake has a soft, light texture.
  • Spreading the top layer of batter over the cinnamon crumb layer can be a little tricky, since the batter is thick. What I’ve found works best is to dollop spoonfuls of the batter evenly over the crumble and then gently spread it out with a spatula.
  • Use a metal baking pan, if possible. I tested this recipe in both a metal and a glass pan. In the glass pan, the edges of the cake browned more quickly but the center took longer (about 50 minutes) to bake through. Metal pans promote more even cooking. However, if the only 8×8-inch pan you have is glass, it will work. 
Coffee cake cut into squares in baking pan with one piece set on its side.

Serving Suggestions

Include this coffee cake as part of your brunch spread, with coffee or tea, of course! Since the coffee cake is sweet, I like to serve it with a few savory dishes.

  • Broccoli Quiche: So easy to make with broccoli and cheddar cheese.
  • Breakfast Casserole: With bacon, cheese and hash brown potatoes, this breakfast bake is nice and hearty.
  • Frittata: This simple frittata with vegetables and goat cheese is one of our favorites.
  • Crustless Quiche: This lighter quiche doesn’t skimp on flavor.
  • Breakfast Potatoes: The seasoning on these is incredible!
  • Bacon: Cooking it in the oven is so easy and hands-off.

More Brunch Ideas

Slice of coffee cake resting on top of coffee cake in baking pan.
5 from 1 rating

Coffee Cake Recipe

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This easy Coffee Cake recipe has a generous amount of cinnamon crumb topping and a soft, moist crumb. Using the same crumble mixture for both the topping and cinnamon layer inside the cake makes this recipe simple to make. Enjoy this brunch favorite at the holidays or any time of year!
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Ingredients

Cinnamon Topping and Filling

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Cake

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup milk, at room temperature, whole or 2%

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8×8-inch metal or glass baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
  • Make the Cinnamon Topping/Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the topping starts to clump together and the largest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. Place in the refrigerator while you make the cake.
  • Make the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, use a hand mixer (or use a stand mixer) to cream together the butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then mix in the milk on low speed until just combined; do not overmix.
  • Assemble and Bake: Spread half of the cake batter evenly into the bottom of the greased baking pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cinnamon topping/filling mixture evenly over the top. Then dollop spoonfuls of the remaining batter evenly over the filling and gently spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Finally, sprinkle the remaining topping over the top of the batter.
  • Bake for 40-48 minutes, until the center of the cake is no longer jiggly and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • It is important to use room temperature ingredients in the cake batter to ensure that they incorporate easily without overmixing This is essential for a soft, tender cake texture.
  • If you need a sour cream substitute, you can use full fat plain Greek yogurt.
Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 213mg, Potassium: 123mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 583IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
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