Coffee Cake

With 5 minutes of prep, this crowd favorite homemade Coffee Cake is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!

Along with our One Hour Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Roll Cake, this Coffee Cake is always on our holiday must-make list. Be sure to try our Coffee Cake Muffins too! Can you tell we love our cinnamon cakes?!

A slice of easy homemade coffee cake served on a white plate with a fork.

Easy Coffee Cake

One of my FAVORITE things to make for a breakfast get-together is Coffee Cake! This next recipe is quick and it is so buttery and cinnamon-y that everyone loves it.

My mom first made it for me when I left for a summer camp as a teenager and I remember thinking, “I need to have this recipe in my life!” It is packed with flavor!

I’ve tried a few coffee cake recipes before, but this is by far the best Coffee Cake recipe.

It’s simple and has become a staple for many holiday morning celebrations, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving. This Easy Coffee Cake is moist, soft, warm and full of cinnamon and sugar goodness.

Coffee cake recipe baked in baking dish.

Why is it called coffee cake?

This type of cake has been around for centuries with each country having their own variation.

The American versions have a delicious streusel topping and seem to have mainly originated from Germany. No matter the recipe what they all had in common was being served alongside warm cup of coffee. Hence the name Coffee Cake!

Coffee Cake vs Crumb Cake: These cakes are very similar and are often served in the morning or as a snack alongside a cup of coffee. The batter of both cakes are the same, the difference lies in the cinnamon sugar topping. Coffee cake is topped with a thin streusel layer. Crumb cake has a much thicker and chunkier crumb topping. 

How to Make Coffee Cake

As we mentioned, this coffee cake recipe is very simple. It takes us about 10 minutes to make before throwing it in the oven. After 30 minutes or so, you end up with the most delicious coffee cake you’ll ever try. 😉

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, large eggs, vanilla and milk together.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine egg mixture with flour mixture. Pour half the batter into a lightly greased 9×13 pan.

CRUMB TOPPING. In a medium bowl, prepare streusel by combining brown sugar and cinnamon.

Sprinkle half of streusel on top of the batter. Top with remaining half of the batter and then sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.

Drizzle with melted butter (you can do less and use ¼ cup butter or up to ⅓ cup butter melted).

BAKE + SERVE. Bake at 350 (no need to cover) for 35-40 minutes.

Brown sugar and cinnamon mixture in bowl.

Recipe tips

Dense batter: Don’t be alarmed when your batter seems thicker than you’re expecting. Using a spoon or spatula to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients can help with the density. If you’re really worried you can add an extra egg or a little bit more milk to thin it out and make it easier to pour. 

Muffin method: This cake utilized the muffin method. This just means that the wet ingredients are mixed in one bowl and then you whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

The purpose for this is to thoroughly mix the baking soda and salt with the flour so that when it is added to the wet ingredients you can rest assured that everything is equally distributed and you won’t over-mix the batter. 

Variations

  • Adding fruit can be a delicious variation. Try blueberries, sliced peaches or sliced apples. The liquid from the fruit may cause the cake to be baked longer.
  • Use applesauce or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
  • Add sliced almonds or chopped pecans or walnuts to the top of the cake to give it a delightful crunch
  • Drizzle a glaze over the top: Make a glaze by mixing ½ c confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until smooth and drizzle over cooled cake.
  • Lining the pan with parchment paper can help remove the cake more easily.
Melted butter drizzled over coffee cake batter.

Storing tips

Here are our top tips for storing coffee cake:

  • STORE in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • STORE in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  • FREEZE. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

We like our coffee cake warm. To reheat: Warm in microwave for 10 second increments until warm. To heat in the oven remove any plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat for 6-8 minutes or until warm.

Serving suggestions

This cake is often served with a cup of coffee or tea, but it’s great with other warm drinks as well: 

You can also serve it with some of our favorite savory breakfast casseroles like: Biscuit Egg Casserole, Potato Egg Casserole or Sausage Breakfast Casserole.

If you’re looking for a  quick and easy treat you can make for a breakfast get together, shower or meeting, then you should try this cake. It always gets two big thumbs up from anyone who tries it. 😀

Coffee cake recipe slice on white plate with red dish towel.

For more coffee cake recipes, check out:

Coffee Cake Recipe

4.98 from 1500 votes
With a quick prep, this crowd-favorite homemade coffee cake is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 15
Calories 264 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼-⅓ cup unsalted butter melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla together.
  • In a medium bowl, blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish.
  • In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
  • Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar on top of the batter in the pan. Carefully pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.
  • Drizzle the melted butter over the top, using more or less as desired.
  • Bake for 35–40 minutes and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Make ahead of time. This cake can be baked several days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave, or in the oven at 350°F for 8–10 minutes.

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    Just finished making and eating a slice of this delicious coffee cake. My husband and stepson also enjoyed it. Will definitely be making it again.

    1. You’re right! There is no coffee in coffee cake. It is named that because it is often served with coffee for a dessert or breakfast or even just a snack.

  2. 5 stars
    Made this on a whim for my first time making coffee cake and this recipe is easy! Ingredients that mostly everyone has on hand and a huge hit! Heard a lot of good feedback from my grandparents that it reminded them of their grandparents!

  3. 5 stars
    I had a recipe for coffee cake, but it was nothing great so I decided to go online to find some other options.
    This is a much tastier coffee cake!
    I would make some edits on the directions though.

  4. 5 stars
    This is a perfect coffee cake! My husband was craving a coffee cake so I chose this recipe. It came out amazing!

    Super easy recipe. I followed it to a T, baked for 38-40 minutes.

    Thank you so much for the recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    Very easy to make , simple ingredients, I have different recipes but this one is definitely best! Thank you for this recipe

  6. It felt much too sweet. I think there’s too much brown sugar or maybe it would be better mixed into a crumb topping.

  7. I’m so confused. It has to be the milk. Is it really 1-1/4 cup?! Mine was soup, didn’t turn out at all. I read and reread the direction 10x!!!

    1. It is 1 1/4 cup of milk in the recipe. Maybe try leaving it in the oven for a bit longer. Every oven cooks a little different. Temperature/altitude/weather can affect baking times as well.

  8. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Super simple and delicious. Everyone in my family loves it! 10/10 highly recommend. It’s perfect!

  9. Hi Lil Luna team, if I make this coffee cake but use coconut oil in lieu of vegetable oil, should I melt the coconut oil first so that it’s not in solid state? Thanks 🙂

  10. 5 stars
    It tastes fantastic! It’s so easy to make and you’re most likely to have all of the ingredients already in your cabinet. I would totally recommend it for a quick cake!

  11. 5 stars
    Made this delicious cake yesterday…..easy to make and had all the ingredients in kitchen…plus I add walnuts on top …..thanks for sharing your recipe….

  12. 5 stars
    This was my first coffee cake to make and it turned out great. Thank you for this recipe!

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