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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
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-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
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 IS SO YUMMY!!!!!!!!! I made this for my niece’s birthday breakfast, and we are both over the moon (luna? :-)! we added chopped pecans to the streusel and a little extra cinnamon to the batter (we love cinnamon), and it came out amazing. based on the other reviews, i added a little extra milk and the batter poured and spread beautifully. I was a little worried because the level of batter was so thin for each of the two layers, but it came out perfectly. just enough batter to hold the streusel layers together. 😀 we baked in a dark metal pan and it was ready in 32 minutes. Thanks for such a fantastic recipe, Kristyn! i’ll definitely be making this again! (and you made my niece very happy on her birthday 🙂
You are so welcome! Thank you so much for sharing all of that! Happy it was a hit!
this recipe perfect and amazing. the cake was sweet, moist and delicious. definitely recommend this recipe a lot and will be making this again in the future. i love the cinnamon sugar flavor with the dense yet fluffy cake. loved it.
Awe, I am so glad!! Thank you!
Thank you for this easy recipe! I’ve made several variations but the original is My favorite! I’ve tried it GF using Pamela’s AP flour, turned out great. Yesterday I made it GF AND dairy free, replacing the melted butter with melted coconut oil. Also turned out great. Trying to accommodate colleague’s dietary restrictions can be challenging so it’s a win when the coffee cake is still delicious with the substitutions! Btw, this has become the new ‘Christmas morning” breakfast for us! Hubby asks for this over and over!
Awesome! Love all the things you’ve tried! Thank you for sharing that!
Amazing recipe!! BeSt coFfee cake ever made. Super delish!!
Awe, thank you!! Happy you think so 🙂
Your recipe is divine! No need to evER look elsewhere for a delicious cInnamon streusel coffee cake!
Awe, thank you so much!! So happy you liked it!
Wow! I thought my wife made great coffee cake aNd she dId! My daughter made this for me for Fathers day! It is the best i havE ever Eaten. She now shared the recipe with me. A great 2020 Fathers Day! Thank you for posting and Sharing. I can’t wait to make your recipe! LJG
Awe, that makes me so happy! Thank you so much! Tell your daughter thank you for trying it, for me 🙂
Your steps are a bit confusing—would love for you to separate the streusel layer ingredients. i goofed and added the 1.5 cups of brown sugar to the cake batter.
I’m sorry that happened. In the instructions, the brown sugar isn’t listed in the cake part, so I’m sorry it got added.
SO GOOD AND SO SIMPLE! I MAKE IT OFTEN!
Glad to hear!! Thanks!
HI i accidentally added a full stick of butter instead of half of it since i halved the recipie is it a big problem?
How did it turn out? I wasn’t sure how that would change the recipe.
it was sure yummy!!