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With a quick prep, this crowd-favorite homemade coffee cake is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!
KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN’: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I love making this coffee cake. It’s so easy to make, and it’s a huge crowd-pleaser.”
How to Make Coffee Cake
One of my FAVORITE things to make for a breakfast or brunch get-together is coffee cake! It’s quick, buttery, and so cinnamon-y that everyone loves it.
My mom first made it for the family when I was younger and I remember thinking, “I need to have this recipe in my life!” It is so delicious! (Even Khloe Kardashian agrees!)
Why We Love IT!
- Simple. The recipe comes together in no time and uses simple ingredients that most usually have on hand.
- Event Perfection. Whether it’s for an Easter Brunch, Christmas Breakfast, baby shower or bridal shower, this coffee cake recipe is perfect for any occasion.
- Delicious. This moist and sweet cake has the perfect flavors of butter, cinnamon and sugar make it so tasty.
Why is it Called Coffee Cake?
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 a warm cup of coffee. Hence the name coffee cake!
Coffee cake vs crumb cake. These breakfast 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 is the same, the difference lies in the cinnamon sugar topping.
This coffee cake recipe is topped with a thin streusel layer. Crumb cake has a much thicker and chunkier crumb topping.
- PREP TIME: 15 MINS
- COOK TIME: 45 MINS
INgredients
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- White Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Light Brown Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Unsalted Butter
STEP by STEP: In PHOTOS
STEP 1: PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
STEP 2: WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups milk together.
STEP 3: DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup white sugar, 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
STEP 4: COMBINE. Combine egg mixture with flour mixture. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
- I usually just use a whisk and spoon to whip this up, but you can use a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer). Just stay at a low-medium speed and don’t over-mix.
STEP 5: CRUMB TOPPING. In a medium bowl, prepare streusel by combining 1 1/4 cups brown sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.
STEP 6: LAYER. Sprinkle half of the streusel on top of the batter. Top with the remaining half of the batter and then sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.
STEP 7: BUTTER. Drizzle with melted butter (you can do less and use ¼ cup butter or up to ⅓ cup butter melted).
STEP 8: BAKE. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is often served with a cup of coffee or tea, but it’s great with other warm drinks as well:
- Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa
- Apple Cider
- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- White Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa
- Wassail
- Hot Chocolate Recipe
You can also serve it with some of our favorite savory breakfast casserole recipes or with other favorites like: Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Cake, or Breakfast Charcuterie Board.
Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ 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 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1¼ cups milk, and 1 tablespoon vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, blend 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon 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 1¼ cups packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon 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 ¼-⅓ cup melted butter over the top, using more or less as desired.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
What if I have a dense batter?
Using a spoon or spatula to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients can help with the density. If you’re really worried, add an extra egg or a little bit more milk to thin it out and make it easier to pour.
What are the best variations?
- Fruit. Adding fruit can be a delicious variation. Try folding some blueberries, diced peaches, or chopped apples into the batter. Note the liquid from the fruit may cause the cake to have a more moist texture and need to be baked longer.
- Chips + nuts. Fold some mini chocolate chips or cinnamon chips into the batter. Add sliced almonds or chopped pecans or walnuts to the top of the cake to give it a delightful crunch.
- Glaze. Drizzle a glaze over the top: Make a glaze by mixing ½ cup confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cake.
How to Store Coffee Cake?
- STORE this easy coffee cake recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- FREEZE. Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
- 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°F and heat for 6-8 minutes or until warm.
This recipe was SO good and so, so easy to make!!!
I am glad you liked it! Thanks!
Just made the coffe cake and it turned out great!! I used whole wheat flour instead! the kids loved it!!! will DEFINITELY try again!!
This cake was very easy to do,and it stayed nice and most over night,a real big hit! I would suggest this recipe to everyone who wants something quick and easy to make.
That’s so nice of you to say! Thank you so much for sharing that!
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know!
WOW! Delicious, easy! I baked mine a little longer as some of the others did. I Used a toothpick to test and when it came out clean removed. I stood over this coffee cake willing it to cool so i could slIce into but realized How crazy i looked and sat down to read. Couldnt stand it any longer and had to try it. Oh my gosh! Tender cake, sweet and chewy corners , almost brownie like edges. Perfection. A keeper for sure!
LOL..love that! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
followed your recipe! And It turned out amazing everyone loved it especially when they ate it with coffee. A perfect recipe to try. Thank you for sharing
Thanks so much! I am glad to share 🙂
my DAUGHTER and i tried to make this today for breakfast. How did You manage to spread the super thick dough on Top of the streusel layer? We had such a DIFFICULT time of it. Hopefully the taste is worth it!
It is thick, but it is spreadable 🙂 I usually use a knife to spread it around. I hope you liked the taste!
Very EASY and simple recipe. Came out exactly as pictured. Very happy with the outcome. Haven’t tasted it yet, but im sure its going to be so good.
So, glad it came out perfectly! I hope you liked the taste! Thank you!
probably the best coffee cake ive ever had and have made it several times!! everyone loves it that i make it for
I am glad they do!! It’s our favorite! Thank you for letting me know!
I literally jUst pulled mine out of the oven and sampled it. It tastes amazing! But i did have some issues (which might be caused by the changes i made), so heres what i did:
– instEad of 1 cup oil, i did 1/2 cup veggie oil and 1/2 cuP apple sauce
– i had to use a circUlar silicon pan, so i think my cake is a bIt thicker than “normal”
– when i melted the butter it looked like wayyyy too much butter, and it was… i used maybe half the AMOUNT Of butter suggested, then after baking for 30 minuteS i had to dab a bunch of butter off with a paper towEl because it was just pooling on top of my cake
– i haD to cook it for maybe 45 minutes because it was still too soft in the center (but maybe this was because of my pan).
Overall its delicious but i RECOMMEND not using that much butter. The apple sauce subsTitUtion tastes great, but i think it makes it a bit moiSt so you might need to cook for longer. 4/5 for these recipe changes, but 5/5 for taste!
Thank you for trying it!
Made this recipe multiple times for my family here in brazil. They love it and its something different for them to eat for breakfast or afternoon coffee.so simple for me to make and everyone loves it!
I am so glad you made it for your family! Happy they all loved it!
This was an easy recipe! I just pulled it out on the 25 min mark, and everything looks Right and The taste is delcious! My oven might be stronger, i will drop it down to 27 next time, bec at 20 the butter still was pooling. Thank you for this recipe!
You are so welcome! So, glad you tried it & liked it! Thank you!