The BEST and EASIEST Coffee Cake Recipe! It’s moist, delicious and perfect for showers, breakfast and holiday celebrations!
Along with our One Hour Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Roll Cake, this Coffee Cake is always on our holiday must-make list. Be sure to try our Coffee Cake Muffins too! Can you tell we love our cinnamon cakes?!
Easy Coffee Cake
One of my FAVORITE things to make for a breakfast get-together is coffee cake! This next recipe is quick and it is so buttery and cinnamon-y that everyone loves it. My mom first made it for me when I left for a summer camp as a teenager and I remember thinking, “I need to have this recipe in my life!” It was just too good.
Since then, I’ve tried a few coffee cake recipes before, but none come close to this one. It’s simple and has become a staple for many holiday morning celebrations. This cake is moist, soft, warm and full of cinnamon and sugar goodness.
Why is it called coffee cake when there isn’t coffee in the ingredients? This type of cake has been around for centuries with each country having their own variation. 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 warm cup of coffee. Hence the name Coffee Cake!
How to Make Coffee Cake
As we mentioned, this coffee cake recipe is very simple. It takes us about 10 minutes to make before throwing it in the oven. After 30 minutes or so, you end up with the most delicious coffee cake you’ll ever try. 😉
To make it, begin by mixing the oil, eggs, vanilla and milk together. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients – sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Then you will make your streusel/brown sugar topping by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Pour half the batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle on half the streusel. Top with remaining batter and then sprinkle on the rest of the streusel. Drizzle with melted margarine/butter.
Super easy!! The best part is knowing you have brown sugar and cinnamon all through out the cake! We love serving this coffee cake straight from the oven, but I must warn, it’s just as delicious cold too! 😉
Is this batter supposed to be so dense? Yes, don’t be alarmed when your batter seems thicker than you’re expecting. Using a spoon or spatula to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients can help with the density. If you’re really worried you can add an extra egg or a little bit more milk to thin it out and make it easier to pour.
What are some coffee cake add-ins or substitutions?
- Adding fruit can be a delicious variation. Try blueberries, sliced peaches or sliced apples. The liquid from the fruit may cause the cake to be baked longer.
- Use applesauce or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
- Add sliced almonds or 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 c confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until smooth and drizzle over cooled cake.
How do I store coffee cake?
Here are our top tips for storing coffee cake:
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
We like our coffee cake warm. 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 degrees F and heat for 6-8 minutes or until warm.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy treat you can make for a breakfast get together, shower or meeting, then you should try this cake. It always gets two big thumbs up from anyone who tries it. 😀
For more coffee cake recipes, check out:
- Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Coffee Cake Muffins
- New York Crumb Cake
Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl. combine oil, eggs, vanilla and milk together.
- In a medium bowl, blend together sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Combine egg mixture with flour mixture. Pour half the batter into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
- In a medium bowl, prepare streusel by combining brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Sprinkle half of streusel on top of the batter. Top with remaining batter and then sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.
- Drizzle with melted butter (you can do less and use 1/3 cup butter or up to 1/2 cup butter melted).
- Bake, covered with foil at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Take off foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
I thought the recipe read fine. Very good coffee cake, my family loved it. Tom as far as the aluminum foil goes just re-use it then recycle.
I’m glad to hear your family enjoyed the cake! Good suggestion with the tin foil. Thanks for sharing!
Really quick and easy to make. Added diced (canned) apples to base layer with chopped pecans on top. Soooo good! Thanks for sharing
The apples and pecans sounds like delicious additions! Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow! This recipe is amazing! I am always looking for an easy Sunday morning breakfast bread that I can make the night before. I’m happy to have found this one! I followed the recipe exactly as far as ingredients are concerned. I used a silicone spatula to spr ad each layer out. After I cooked it covered and then uncovered it, I cooked it the ten minutes stated and then let it cook another ten minutes. It was still moist on top but was cooked through. It is amazing how much this tastes like a much more complicated treat but it really is so easy! This will be in our regular special breakfasts rotation. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as we do! It’s on our special breakfasts rotation at my house too. Thanks for sharing what you did!
Nice coffee cake, but I won’t be pouring the butter on top as instructed. It pooled in the middle and threw off the baking time— middle is still a little undercooked with edges over cooked. Next time I’ll mix a little butter (a couple tablespoons) with the brown sugar rather than pouring the butter on top.
Thanks for your feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
This recipe is super delicious!! I’m soooo glad I found it! My husband and son finish this in a blink and then ask me to bake another so I almost always end up making back to back. Lately I’ve substituted half of the oil for apple sauce and added chopped pecans on top. Still amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome! The substitutions/additions sound tasty. I’m so glad that this recipe is a hit with your family!!