This moist & buttery coffee cake is packed with flavor, yet simple and easy to make! It consists of a fluffy, tender vanilla cake that is adorned with a flavor packed cinnamon streusel both in the centre and top of the cake. The perfect sweet treat to have with a cup of coffee (hence the name!) or tea 🙂
What is a Coffee Cake (and why doesn’t it have coffee)?!
If you’ve never comes across a classic coffee cake before, you’re probably wondering what it is and why it’s called a coffee cake when it has no coffee in it! A coffee cake is a type of cake that is typically intended to be eaten with coffee (or any hot drink really) and is often served as a breakfast, brunch or dessert cake. Despite its name, coffee cake does not necessarily contain coffee as an ingredient (check out my moist coffee cake recipe if you want a cake packed with actual coffee).
Coffee cakes traditionally feature a streusel topping made from sugar, butter, and flour, which adds a crunchy texture. For this recipe I’ve opted for a cinnamon steusel (sometimes called a crumble topping), which is very popular amongst many coffee cake recipes (spices like cinnamon and nutmeg are often used to provide a comforting/warm feel to the cake).
Many recipes also have a layer of the streusel running through the centre of cake (like mine!), to create a ‘cinnamon swirl’ that is visible when you slice the cake. I also opted to use a simple vanilla glaze on the top to add a little extra sweetness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Flavor: This cinnamon coffee cake recipe is rich and buttery, yet light and fluffy. The cinnamon streusel is packed with cinnamon flavor (without it being overpowering) and the simple vanilla glaze adds an extra touch of sweetness as the cake itself isn’t overly sweet.
Texture: The cake itself is super fluffy and has a tender crumb, which contrasts so well with the crunchy streusel topping. I made sure the streusel topping wasn’t overly buttery and sweet, or overly dry either – it bakes up perfectly crisp and has a great crunch to it!
I opted to use buttermilk for my vanilla cake (as opposed to sour cream, which is commonly used in many coffee cake recipes) as I wanted a more light & fluffy texture (as opposed to something a bit more dense).
Ease: For such a beautiful looking cake, this coffee cake is easy to make! It’s a simple one pan recipe and uses the same crumble/streusel mixture for the centre and top of the cake – no extra cinnamon sugar mixture required!
You also don’t need to wait for it to completely cool (it is SO GOOD served slightly warm), so it’s quick as well!
How to make Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease an 8-inch square cake tin or baking dish (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Streusel: Combine light brown sugar, all purpose flour and cinnamon. Stir until well combined (and no large chunks remain).
Add in melted butter and mix until well combined. You should have a crumble like consistency. Place into the fridge while preparing the cake batter.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
In a large bowl combine butter, oil and white sugar. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer using the paddle attachment) on a medium speed, cream for two minutes until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs one by one on a low speed, mixing well in between each addition.
Add in vanilla and buttermilk and mix on a low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled. Remove any batter off the attachments as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
Add in presifted dry ingredients from earlier to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing – only mix until you can’t see anymore large lumps or streaks of unmixed flour.
Once the batter is done, remove the crumble from the fridge. It should have solidified a bit by now. Break the crumble up into small pieces (I use a spoon first, then finish with my hands). It should be a thick sand consistency (not quite as fine as regular sand) with small lumps throughout the streusel.
Pour half of the cake batter into the cake tin and evenly spread it out with a spatula. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Don’t leave any gaps, so try and cover the cake batter as best you can. Once done, evenly spread the remaining batter over the top. The best way to do this is to place spoonfuls of the batter around the centre of the cake tin, making sure each spoonful of batter is touching eachother with no gaps. Once all the batter is in, begin spreading out the batter from the centre to the edges of the cake tin, without the spatula ever touching the streusal (see video for demonstration). Don’t worry if its not perfect – it’ll still taste incredible 🙂
Finish by scattering the remaining streusel mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Try not to leave any gaps.
Drop the cake tin very lightly on the counter once to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 20 mins, before turning it out onto a wire rack and then turning it out again onto your serving plate (so that the cake is upright – see video for demonstration).
Vanilla Glaze: While the cake continues to cool, prepare the vanilla glaze. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth.
Once the cake is slightly warm to the touch (you don’t need to wait for the cake to completely cool), drizzle the vanilla glaze over the top. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Coffee Cake
This coffee cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days, after which it’s best to place into the fridge for up to a week.
Classic Coffee Cake (with Cinnamon Streusel)
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel
- ¾ cup (150 g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 6 tbsp (85 g) melted unsalted butter
Cake Batter
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¼ cup (53 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ¾ cup (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 tsps vanilla extract/essence
- 1 cup (225 g) buttermilk - room temperature
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup (63 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 tbsp milk - heavy cream okay too
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease an 8x8 inch square cake tin (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Cinnamon Streusel
- Combine light brown sugar, all purpose flour and cinnamon. Mix until well combined (and no large chunks remain).
- Add in melted butter and mix until well combined. You should have a crumble like consistency. Place into the fridge while preparing the cake batter.
Cake Batter
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
- In a large bowl combine butter, oil and white sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream for two minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs one by one on a low speed, mixing well in between each addition.
- Add in vanilla and buttermilk and mix on a low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled. Remove any batter off the attachments as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
- Add in presifted dry ingredients from earlier and fold with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing - only mix until you can't see anymore large lumps or streaks of unmixed flour.
- Once the batter is done, remove the streusel from the fridge. It should have solidified a bit by now. Break the streusel up into small pieces (I use a spoon first, then finish with my hands). It should be a thick sand consistency (not quite as fine as regular sand) with small lumps throughout the streusel.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the cake tin and evenly spread it out with a spatula. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Don't leave any gaps, so try and cover the cake batter as best you can. Once done, evenly spread the remaining batter over the top. The best way to do this is to place spoonfuls of the batter around the centre of the cake tin, making sure each spoonful of batter is touching eachother with no gaps. Once all the batter is in, begin spreading out the batter from the centre to the edges of the cake tin, without the spatula ever touching the streusal (see video for demonstration). Don't worry if its not perfect - it'll still taste incredible 🙂
- Finish by scattering the remaining streusel mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Try not to leave any gaps.
- Drop the cake tin very lightly on the counter once to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 20 minutes, before turning it out onto a wire rack and then turning it out again onto your serving plate (so that the cake is upright - see video for demonstration).
Vanilla Glaze
- While the cake continues to cool, prepare the vanilla glaze. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth.
- Once the cake is slightly warm to the touch (you don't need to wait for the cake to completely cool), drizzle the vanilla glaze over the top. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
34 Comments
Hi MK
I love all the cakes I tried using your recipes!! Thank you for sharing. I want to make this next. What would be the flour measurements if I am using cake flour? Would it be the combined AP flour and cornstarch amounts?
Hi Shorna! So happy to hear you’re loving the recipes 😀
Yes if using cake flour then you want to substitute both the AP flour and cornstarch with cake flour.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I’m 11 yrs old and Just made it for fun turned out sooo good doesen’t taste like I made it!🤤
Aww yay! So glad you enjoyed it Alisha 😀 sounds like you did an incredible job with it!
Love yr recipe. Detailed and easy to and easy to follow.
Thanks so much Flo 😀
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi 👋 , can this be turned into a 9 x 13 inch vanilla sheet cake ?
Will the ingredients measurements be then be similar to the Coconut Sheet cake ?
Hi Andre! 🙂 You could turn this recipe into a sheet cake, but you would want to double the recipe and adjust the cooking time accordingly 🙂
It may be a tall-ish cake so you also just want to make sure your 9×13 inch tray is atleast 2 inches high. The quantity for double this recipe will likely be a little more batter than the coconut sheet cake.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
I like your recipes &love u style
Aww thanks so much Samrah! 😀 So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Looks so delicious , can castor sugar be substituted 1:1 instead of granulated? Will it affect the cake texture
Hi Debbie 🙂 Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried castor sugar myself, but I think for this recipe it should work fine and shouldn’t affect the texture too much 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I live in Fiji and my children usually only like chocolate cake but they LOVED this one! I liked it too, it wasn’t too sweet, it was just perfect!
You’re so welcome Rachael! 😀 So so happy to hear your children loved the coffee cake 🙂
Much love from NZ to Fiji!
Could self rising flour be used?
Hi Valerie! 🙂 I haven’t tried using self rising flour myself so I’m not too sure sorry! I feel it should work fine, but you would want to omit the baking powder (keep the baking soda in). Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try with the self rising flour 🙂
I made your coffee cake today with self rising flour. Worked great!
The cake is wonderful!
I also used your “miracle” cake release. I’ll never use anything else!
Thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Val
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe Val 🙂 and yes the cake release is my fav!! So happy you’re loving it too 😀
Hi Maryam, this recipe is simple
and the cake looks delicious. I will make it soon. Love your video! Thank you! Livia
Thank you so much Livia! 😀 So glad you loved the video and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I just made this and its beautiful, family said I can make this again. We all loved it. The only thing I didnt do was ice it just sprinkled icing sugar on top as its so moist and delicious.Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! So so happy to hear your family loved the recipe Robyn 😀
Really appreciate the feedback 🙂