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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.
i added a cup of plain yogurt to this, and i didn’t have vanilla so i used half the amount of almond extract and it came out amazing!!! so fluffy and moist, my mom was shocked that it was from scratch. Super easy too. even my super picky little brother loved it i will definitely be making this again
Thank you for sharing what you did! That sounds perfect!
Love this recipe. It’s perfect for whipping up a quick dessert, or showing up to an occasion with a little something special.
I am so glad you think so 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!
Sooo I WAS being DUMB AND DIDN’T THINK TO ADJUST THE BAKE TIME AND TEMP EVEN THOUGH I ONLY HAD A BROWNIE PAN which is much smaller than the pan in the recipe…THE BUTTER POOLED INTO the middle and the middle of the cake sank. I quickly lowered the temp, covered the cake in foil, and put it back in. I had to cook it about 3x as long as the recipe called for but I think I saved it! It’s actually pretty good, perfect to eat with coffee, and way better than any other cake I’ve attempted to make from scratch! (Disclaimer: I’m normally terrible at baking, hence the screw up with the pan size). I’ll definitely attempt this one again once I get the correct pan!
Oh, I am so sorry! I am glad you caught it & fixed it. I hope you do try again. It’s our favorite!
This is one of the easiest and tastiest cakes i have ever baked. It done in a jiffy and is very moist and buttery inspite of having oil in it . I use jaGgery instead of brodn sugar gor the streusel and half cane hakf white sugar for the batter .
Increased cooking time by 15 minutes too .
Absolutely drlicious With Coffee.
Thank you for sharing what you did! That sounds great!
I accidentally mixed butter in with brown sugar and cinnamon. Swirled it in batter. 30 minutes baking, perfect.
Love happy accidents! Thank you 🙂
I used whole wheat flour and stevia. Had to add 5 minutes bake time. Agree that Varying cook times depend on type of pan, oven, plus altitude and weather. Mine turned out perfect. Added fresh rasberries to the top. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing that! Adding raspberries is a good idea!
Quick and incredibly delicious! Easy to halve the recipe and bake in 8×8.
I am so glad you think so 🙂 Thank you for sharing that!
AMAZING! I made it for the whole family and it was a hit! Thanks for sharing, bookmarked 🙂
Glad it was a hit! Makes me happy to hear! Thank you!
Awesome recipe easily the best coffee cake we have ever had. I added 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/2 cup softend butter to the streusel and eliminated the melted butter. I also baked it in an 8 x 11 pan so it would be taller (cooking time had to be increased).
Sounds perfect!! Thank you for sharing what you did!
This is amazing…i use vgean butter, coconut milk and vegan egg replacer and i add Chopped pecans to the brown sugar cinnamon STREUSEL. this is my favorite coffee cake recipe!!! Thank you Kristyn. Ive been baking and cOoking And this is a simole amazing recipe!
You are so welcome! Thank you for sharing what you did! That sound delicious!