Sunday mornings at my house meant the smell of coffee cake baking while my mom got ready for church. She’d slice generous pieces for us to eat with our milk while the cake was still warm, and the kitchen would fill with the scent of cinnamon and butter. That simple weekend ritual created some of my happiest childhood memories. When I got my first apartment, her coffee cake recipe was the first thing I learned to make, connecting me to home even when I was far away. Now I bake it for my own family, continuing the tradition of cozy weekend mornings.
Why You’ll Love This Coffee Cake Recipe
This coffee cake delivers everything you want in a breakfast treat—tender, moist cake with a buttery cinnamon streusel both swirled through the middle and piled on top. The crumb topping adds delightful texture contrast, staying crispy even as the cake softens. What makes this recipe special is how the cake stays incredibly moist for days thanks to sour cream in the batter.
The recipe is also wonderfully forgiving for beginners. You don’t need special equipment or techniques, just two bowls and a wooden spoon. The ingredients are simple pantry staples you likely already have. Best of all, this coffee cake freezes beautifully, so you can make it ahead for busy mornings or unexpected guests. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon snacks, or even dessert. The warm cinnamon flavor and comforting texture make it suitable for any occasion, from casual family breakfasts to holiday gatherings. One bite of this tender cake with its sweet, crunchy topping and you’ll understand why coffee cake has been an American breakfast staple for generations.
What Is Coffee Cake?
Coffee cake is a sweet cake meant to be served alongside coffee, not made with coffee as an ingredient. This American classic typically features a tender, buttery cake with cinnamon and a crumbly streusel topping. The texture falls somewhere between cake and quick bread—more substantial than layer cake but lighter than dense pound cake.
Traditional coffee cake often includes a streusel layer both on top and swirled through the middle, creating pockets of sweet cinnamon throughout. The streusel is made from butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon mixed until crumbly. Some versions add nuts like pecans or walnuts for extra crunch and flavor.
Coffee cake became popular in America in the late 1800s when German and Scandinavian immigrants brought their traditions of serving sweet breads with coffee. The cake evolved into something uniquely American with its distinctive cinnamon streusel topping and moist sour cream crumb. This coffee cake recipe honors that traditional American style while ensuring consistent, delicious results every time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistake is overmixing the batter. Once you add the flour, mix just until you don’t see any more white streaks. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes the cake tough and dense instead of tender. The batter should look somewhat thick and slightly lumpy—this is perfect.
Another error is making streusel that’s too fine or too coarse. The streusel should have a range of textures from fine crumbs to larger, pebble-sized pieces. If it’s all fine powder, it won’t create that satisfying crunch. If the pieces are too large, they won’t stick to the cake properly. Use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you achieve this varied texture.
Many people also don’t swirl the middle streusel layer properly. After adding half the batter to the pan, sprinkle the streusel evenly over the entire surface before adding the remaining batter. This creates those wonderful cinnamon pockets throughout the cake. Some bakers skip this middle layer entirely, which is a missed opportunity for extra flavor and texture.
Using cold ingredients is another mistake. Room temperature eggs, sour cream, and butter mix together more easily and create a smoother, more uniform batter. Cold ingredients can cause the butter to seize up or create lumps in the batter.
Finally, don’t overbake. This coffee cake recipe should come out of the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center has just a few moist crumbs. It continues cooking slightly from residual heat after removal. Overbaking creates dry, crumbly cake instead of that signature moist texture.
How to Know Your Coffee Cake Is Done
A properly baked coffee cake has several telltale signs. The top should be golden brown with the streusel looking toasted and fragrant. The edges will pull away slightly from the pan sides. When you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
The cake should feel firm when you gently press the center—it shouldn’t feel squishy or leave a deep indentation. Your kitchen will smell incredible with the aroma of cinnamon and butter, which is always a good indicator that baking is nearly complete.
Typical baking time is 45 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, though this varies depending on your oven and pan material. Dark pans cook faster than light-colored ones, so start checking at 40 minutes if using a dark pan. Glass pans take slightly longer than metal.
The cake continues to set as it cools, so what looks slightly underdone in the oven will be perfect once cooled. If you wait until it looks completely done in the oven, it will likely be overbaked and dry by the time it cools.
What to Serve With Coffee Cake
The most obvious pairing is coffee—hence the name. A medium roast coffee complements the sweet cake without overwhelming it. The slight bitterness of coffee balances the sweetness perfectly. Hot tea also works wonderfully, especially black tea or chai with its warm spices that echo the cinnamon in the cake.
For a complete breakfast, serve slices alongside scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage. The savory items balance the sweet cake nicely. Fresh fruit like berries, sliced peaches, or melon adds brightness and a healthy component. Yogurt parfaits or smoothies also pair well for a lighter breakfast.
Butter is delicious spread on warm coffee cake slices, though it’s rich enough on its own. Some people enjoy it with a glass of cold milk, especially children. For brunch gatherings, arrange sliced coffee cake on a platter with other breakfast items like muffins, scones, and croissants.
This coffee cake recipe also makes an excellent afternoon snack with tea or as a simple dessert after a light meal. The versatility is part of what makes it so beloved.
Storage Tips
Store coffee cake covered at room temperature for up to three days. The sour cream in the batter keeps it moist even after sitting out. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or transfer slices to an airtight container. If your kitchen is very warm, refrigerate the cake to prevent the butter in the streusel from becoming too soft.
Refrigerated coffee cake stays fresh for up to one week. Let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm individual slices in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. The microwave revives that fresh-baked texture and makes the cake taste like it just came out of the oven.
For longer storage, this coffee cake recipe freezes beautifully for up to three months. Wrap the entire cake or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm thawed slices in a 300-degree oven for about ten minutes to refresh the texture.
The streusel topping stays remarkably crispy even after freezing and thawing, which is one of the reasons this cake is so perfect for make-ahead baking.
Estimated Nutrition Information
One slice of this coffee cake recipe (based on 12 servings) contains approximately 320 calories. Each serving provides about 5 grams of protein from the eggs and sour cream, 42 grams of carbohydrates, and 15 grams of fat from the butter and sour cream. The sugar content is around 22 grams per slice.
You’ll get small amounts of calcium from the dairy products—about 6% of your daily value per serving. Each slice contains roughly 220 milligrams of sodium. The cake also provides small amounts of iron and B vitamins from the enriched flour.
These numbers are estimates and will vary based on how you cut the cake and specific brands of ingredients. If you add nuts to the streusel, you’ll increase the protein, healthy fats, and calories by about 40 calories per serving. Remember that coffee cake is a special treat meant for occasional enjoyment as part of a balanced diet.
Recipe Overview
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Make the streusel first. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work it into the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until you have a crumbly mixture with both fine crumbs and larger, pea-sized pieces. Set this aside.
For the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until light and fluffy, about two minutes. The mixture should look pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently until just combined. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold gently until you can’t see any more flour streaks. Don’t overmix—the batter should be thick and somewhat lumpy.
Spread half of the batter evenly in your prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture evenly over the batter, covering the entire surface. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter over the streusel layer, then gently spread it to cover as much as possible. It doesn’t need to be perfect—some streusel showing through is fine. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The streusel should look toasted and smell wonderfully cinnamony.
Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing. The cake is delicious warm or at room temperature. Cut into squares and serve. This coffee cake recipe creates the perfect morning treat with its tender crumb and irresistible cinnamon streusel that keeps everyone coming back for more.
