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With a quick prep, this crowd-favorite coffee cake recipe is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!
How to Make Coffee Cake
One of our 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.
We first had this recipe when we were younger, but it was so good, we knew it had to become a go-to and it has. It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s perfect for any occasion (even Khloe Kardashian agrees!)
We love to serve it with other breakfast casseroles and bakes like our: Sausage Breakfast Casserole, Breakfast Potato Casserole and Cinnamon Roll Cake.
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.
- PREP TIME: 15 MINS
- COOK TIME: 45 MINS
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs – room temperature and lightly beaten will help bind them together best with the other ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil – or use an equal amount of applesauce or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups milk – adds moisture and helps to activate the baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract – rounds out the overall flavor
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – provides the structure for the cake, measure the flour correctly for the best texture.
- 1 cup granulated sugar – adds sweetness and tenderness to the crumb
- 1 tablespoon baking powder – helps the cake rise to a fluffy texture
- ½ teaspoon salt – balances out the sweetness of the cake
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar – adds a deeper sweetness and a hint of caramel to the cinnamon mixture
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon – easily adjust the flavor by adding spices like nutmeg, allspice, or Pumpkin Pie Spice to the cinnamon sugar streusel
- ¼-⅓ cup unsalted butter – adds flavor and moisture and helps bind the cinnamon mixture to the cake
How to Make Coffee Cake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- BATTER. 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.
- STREUSEL. 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. Bake for 35–40 minutes and serve warm.
Complete the Meal
- SIDES. Yogurt Parfaits, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Breakfast Charcuterie Board
- MORE BREAKFAST CAKES. New York Crumb Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cake, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Bisquick Coffee Cake
- SERVE THIS WITH: Apple Cider, Wassail, Hot Chocolate Recipe, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Cheese Quiche, Cinnamon Rolls
MORE COLLECTIONS. Breakfast Casserole Recipes, Breakfast Pastry Recipes, Easy Breakfast Ideas
Coffee Cake Recipe
With a quick prep, this crowd-favorite homemade coffee cake is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!
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 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 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-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. Carefully pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon-sugar layer. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on 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 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 161IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Why is it Called Coffee Cake?
- 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. Fold 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, 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 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.
How to 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.
Ways 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.
MORE COFFEE CAKES TO TRY:
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
30 mins
Bisquick Coffee Cake
45 mins
Coffee Cake Muffins
40 mins
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
45 mins
Delicious! I tried this coffee cake recipe for the first time & my kids & I loved it! They finished the whole pan in one day! Thanks for the recipe!
Love it! Thank you so much for letting me know! It doesn’t last long around here, either!
I baked it in a ceramic 9×13 baking dish. It took an extra 20 minutes to get done. Excellent recipe. Next time I’m adding chopped pecans.
Yay!! Thank you!
Didn’t have a 9×13 so used an 8×8 and so far it’s been in oven 40 min and still when I stick a toothpick in it’s soggy and nowhere near done. Is this because I used a smaller pan? It smells devine though.
For sure! Usually recipes take a lot longer in an 8×8, compared to 9×13. How did it turn out?
Made it on the spur of the moment for New Years house guests. Easy to make, got rave reviews. Made my house smell great! Looked a little gooey when I first took out of the oven but nice consistency after it cooled. Followed recipe exactly. Will definitely make again. Thanks!!
Oh, I love hearing that! We make this quite a bit! Thanks so much for sharing!
Recipe is messed up, it calls for margerine, but when you get down to the description, there is no margerine mentioned.
Never mind, my ipad didnt load it up until the last second.
This will let you know I experimented with your recipe and failed. Trying to cut carbs, I decreased the sugar to about 2/3 cup. The batter was like a cross between bread dough and cake batter. Not sure if that is normal. ? Had to work to spread it out. Didn’t seem like enough to make two layers. The cake came out extremely crumbly. Tasted ok. More Sugar in cake would have been better. 🙂
My question: would the reduced sugar make it crumbly? Just wondering and wanting to learn. Thanks for your great recipes!
I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure. The only thing that should be crumbly is the streusel. Besides the sugar, you followed the recipe?
This was delicious, but I did make two changes. First, I used apple sauce in place of the oil – it came out so moist and delicious and saved me tons of calories! lol And second, for the topping, I mixed the butter (not margarine) with the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until a bit crumbly but well incorporated and then put that on top of the batter. No pooling of butter on top this way and makes a delicious streusel!
Sounds good! Thank you for sharing your changes!
I thought to do that as a classical streusel topping, but decided to follow the recipe instead. did you mix the brown sugar & cinnamon with cold butter and sprinkle that on top? how much butter did you use?
The streusel is just brown sugar with cinnamon & then 1/2 c melted butter is drizzled on top.
This truly *was* the BEST coffee cake ever (although I’ve only used the recipe on the box of Bisquick!) and SO easy!! The batter was so thick that I wasn’t sure I had done it right. It turned out, though, so I just changed my copy to “‘spread’ the batter…”
I’m making this right now, but it’s taking a lot longer than 30 mins. I keep adding 5 mins at a time. Any thoughts?
All ovens are different & climate/altitude can effect baking time. I hope it turned out for you 🙂
I just made this. It is fantastic! Thank You!
After 30 minutes in the oven it was not cooked at all.
I had to cook mine for 1 hour at 350.
Yes, sometimes ovens will vary, but I’m glad it worked out for you! Thanks!