This coffee cake is light, tender, and buttery with a generous layer of cinnamon crumb topping. No wonder it’s a family favorite!
I have a soft spot for recipes that are simple, classic, and have absolutely no interest in being trendy. Enter: this coffee cake recipe. No frosting, no layers, no complicated decorating. Just a melt-in-your-mouth cake topped with a generous layer of buttery, brown-sugar-cinnamon crumb topping. And honestly, it doesn’t need anything else.
The whole thing is sweet enough to feel special without making you feel like you’ve eaten a birthday cake for breakfast. It’s perfect with Cold Brew or coffee (obviously!), but I’m not here to police the time of day you eat cake! Technically, the recipe serves 16. But even with just two of you, don’t count on leftovers.
Add blueberries for Blueberry Coffee Cake; I’ve heard the blueberries cancel out the “cake for breakfast” thing. Wink.
Why You’ll Love This Coffee Cake Recipe
- Generous crumb topping: it’s buttery, cinnamon-y, and thick enough to make every bite worth it.
- Soft, tender cake: it’s light enough for breakfast but delicious enough to eat at any hour!
- No fancy ingredients: just good, old-fashioned coffee cake ingredients doing their thing.
- Easy enough for a lazy morning: there are no complicated steps or pastry-school skills required!
- It keeps well made ahead: although it “keeps well” and “actually lasts” without being eaten are two very different things!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make an incredible coffee cake!
- All-purpose flour – flour is the base of the cake and our crumb topping!
- Light brown sugar – light brown sugar adds sweetness, moisture, a subtle warm molasses flavor, and helps the crumb topping brown and crisp on the top without burning!
- Granulated sugar – outside of the obvious (sweetness), regular white sugar creates a light, soft cake crumb.
- Sour cream – sour cream adds richness and moisture while creating an especially tender cake. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness of the cake.
- Unsalted butter – softened butter is creamed with white sugar to incorporate air, creating a light, tender cake. Melted butter in the crumb topping makes it easy to combine with the other ingredients, creating those buttery, chunky crumbs.
- Large eggs – eggs are the binder for our cake.
- Vanilla extract – vanilla adds balanced vanilla flavor.
- Baking powder – baking powder helps the cake rise and stay light and fluffy.
- Baking soda – baking soda also helps the cake rise, reacting with the acid in sour cream.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon adds classic, warm flavor to the crumb.
- Salt – salt enhance flavor.
How to Make Coffee Cake
Wondering how to make delicious coffee cake in a few easy steps? We got you! Here’s an outline of the steps; for the full recipe, see the recipe card below.
- Make crumb topping: in a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt with a fork. Add melted butter and use fork to mix butter into the mixture until just combined.
- Combine cake wet ingredients: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 90 seconds. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Combine cake dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Combine wet and dry: Add dry to wet ingredients. Combine until just incorporated.
Add batter to pan: Spread batter evenly into greased 9×13” pan.
Add crumb topping: Add crumb topping in an even layer to top of batter. Don’t press crumb into batter.
Bake and enjoy: Bake at 350℉ for 40-50 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing!
Recipe Variations
Change up this coffee cake recipe with one of these mix-ins or toppings:
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Chocolate: 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- Nuts: 1 cup chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts to the topping, or 1 ½ cups to the cake batter
- Extracts: a splash of almond, maple, or espresso extract in the cake or crumb
- Spices: a dash of orange zest, nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice in the cake or crumb
- Vanilla glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
My Pro Tips
Tips for the Best Coffee Cake
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in! Mix until just combined.
- Don’t overbake, pulling cake when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs and the crumb is just set.
- Let it cool before slicing for 20-30 minutes so the cake sets and doesn’t fall apart.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead, keeping tightly covered once cooled completely, at room temperature for up to 3 days, for maximum freshness. Refrigeration can dry out the cake.
- Freeze by cooling completely and then tightly wrapping with 2 layers of plastic wrap and then a freezer bag or airtight container, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Reheat (highly recommended!) individual slices for 8–15 seconds in the microwave to bring back that fresh-baked texture!
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If you’ve tried this Coffee Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
BEST Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9"x13" baking pan
- Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
The Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
The Crumb Topping
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13” pan. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- For crumb topping: in a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt with a fork. Add melted butter and use fork to mix butter into the mixture until just combined into a chunky, crumbly topping. Set aside.
- For cake: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar for about 90 seconds on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low until combined, scraping down side of bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in mixer. Combine on low speed until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix! Batter will be sticky.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan, spreading out in an even layer.
- Add crumb topping in an even layer to top of batter. Don’t press crumb into batter (let it rest on top).
- Bake at 350℉ for 40-50 minutes, until crumb is set and a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out with few moist crumbs.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and digging in!
Video
Notes
- Bring eggs and sour cream to room temperature about 30 minutes prior to baking for best results!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t stop eating this coffee cake. It’s a buttery crumbly delight!!!!!
You are very right…16 slices is good for about 2 people lol.
HAHAHA! Cheers!
Grace