One of our FAVORITE things to make for a breakfast or brunch get-together is this coffee cake recipe! It’s quick, buttery, and so cinnamon-y that everyone loves it.
This was my favorite recipe when I was younger and I’d ask my mom to make it for my birthday because it was that good. Since then, we have made a few modifications but it is now a family favorite that gets made every month. 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 or Breakfast Potato Casserole.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Simple. The recipe comes together in 15 minutes and uses simple ingredients that most people 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 tender and sweet cake has the perfect butter, cinnamon, and sugar crumb topping, making it so tasty.
Coffee Cake Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2 large eggs – We find that eggs at room temperature and lightly beaten will help them incorporate best with the other ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil – or an equal amount of applesauce or melted coconut oil
- 1¼ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – Measure the flour correctly for the best texture. Gluten-free baking flour also works well in this recipe.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar – This adds a deeper sweetness and a hint of caramel to the cinnamon mixture; dark brown sugar can also be used.
- 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, melted – Adds flavor and moisture and helps bind the cinnamon mixture to the cake.
- optional fruit – fold about 1½ cups of blueberries or chopped apples into the batter; increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes if needed.
- optional crunchy topping – We sometimes like to add sliced almonds, chopped pecans, or walnuts to the top of the cake to give it a delightful crunch.
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 eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
- STREUSEL. In a medium bowl, combine packed brown sugar and cinnamon and mix.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the 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.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- While this cake is often served alongside coffee or tea, hence its name, we like to serve it with other favorite warm drinks like hot chocolate & apple cider.
- Our favorite way to more easily spread the thick batter over the cinnamon sugar layer is to first drop dollops evenly across the surface, then gently spread each dollop using a silicone spatula.
- For an easy variation, we fold about 1½ cups of blueberries, chopped strabwerries or chopped apples into the batter. Depending on your oven, you may need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
- If you want to double or triple the recipe, we recommend baking each batch in its own 9×13 pan.
Coffee Cake Recipe
With a quick prep, this crowd-favorite homemade coffee cake recipe is a delicious go-to for any breakfast, brunch, or celebration!
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated 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 eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, blend flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour 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 spread 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, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, and serve warm.
Notes
Recipe Tips.
- While this cake is often served alongside coffee or tea, hence its name, I like to serve it with other favorite warm drinks like hot chocolate & apple cider.
- To more easily spread the thick batter over the cinnamon sugar layer, first drop dollops evenly across the surface, then gently spread each dollop using a silicone spatula.
- For an easy variation, fold about 1½ cups of blueberries or chopped apples into the batter. Depending on your oven, you may need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
- If you want to double or triple the recipe, we recommend baking each batch in its own 9×13 pan.
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
How to store coffee cake?
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or wrapped with plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to reheat coffee cake?
Small portions can be heated in the microwave for 10-second increments until warm. To heat in the oven, remove any plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 350°F and heat for 6-8 minutes or until warm.
More Like This
Breakfast Cakes
New York Crumb Cake
45 mins
Cinnamon Roll Cake
40 mins
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
45 mins
Bisquick Coffee Cake
45 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published September 2011.
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!