Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

This Easy Coffee Cake Recipe is simple but impressive and always a crowd-pleaser! The rich cake is sweet, but not overly sweet, layered with a nutty cinnamon filling, and topped with an irresistible streusel topping. It’s everything we love in classic coffee cake, but taken up a notch in flavor and texture! Pair this perfect recipe with whatever hot beverage you sip and enjoy!

What You’ll Love About This Coffee Cake Recipe

This coffee cake recipe has been tested and perfected, so it works every single time! It’s incredibly easy to make and perfect for bringing to bridal showers, baby showers, brunch, or any get-together. Here’s what we’re loving about it:

• Easy to Make – Even with 3 parts, you’ll love how easy it is to throw this coffee cake together. Mix up each element in bowls, layer them up in a 9×9 Baking Pan, and pop the cake in the oven. It tastes like you put a lot of time and energy into it, but it goes so quickly!
• Irresistible Crumb Topping – The buttery, crunchy, and cinnamon-spiced streusel topping is truly amazing. The contrast of texture with the soft cake will keep you coming back for more and more bites.
• Surprise Nutty Filling – Swimming through the center of the cake is a cinnamon sugar and pecan layer that breaks up the cake with a tasty bite. It’s also a beautiful element of each slice.
• A Treat Without Being Too Sweet – The sour cream helps balance the sweetness of the cake. You will love that this coffee cake is the right sweetness level for anything from brunch to dessert.

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Ingredients in Homemade Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients

• Eggs – Use large eggs and ensure that they are fully incorporated into the batter when you stir it up.
• Almond Extract – The combination of the cinnamon with the almond extract is just really, really tasty and gives it a different flair than a typical coffee cake. Feel free to substitute with equal amounts of vanilla extract if you prefer that.
• Sour Cream – Coffee cake is known for its moist and somewhat dense texture that comes from the extra dairy and fat in the batter. I have found that sour cream works best for this recipe but you can substitute it with plain Greek yogurt in equal amounts.
• Canola Oil – The neutral oil is the fat in the cake keeping it nice and moist and rich. You can substitute it with any neutral oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil.
• Sugar – White sugar sweetens the cake and doesn’t mask the flavor of the cake.
• Flour – All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe. You can easily make it gluten-free by swapping for equal parts of a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
• Salt – Just a touch of salt brings out both the sweet and tangy flavors of the cake.
• Baking Powder – The baking powder in this recipe gives us the lift and rise on the cake.

Filling Ingredients

• Brown Sugar – Deep and flavorful, the brown sugar is so good in the center of the cake, especially when combined with the cinnamon and pecans.
• Cinnamon – Use a high-quality ground cinnamon for the best flavor.
• Pecans – You could also use walnuts for the nuts in the coffee cake filling.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

• Flour
• Brown Sugar and White Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Butter – It is best to use unsalted butter for this recipe.

How to Make This Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

Making the Cake Batter

1. Add all of the cake ingredients into a large bowl and stir them gently. No need for a hand mixer.
2. Stir the batter until it’s completely uniform but be careful not to stir it too quickly or roughly. It will be thick.

Making the Filling

1. Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure it is all well mixed.
2. Set aside.

Mix the Streusel

1. Add the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix the cinnamon streusel ingredients with a fork until worked into small crumbles.
2. Set aside.

Putting it Together

1. Add half of the batter to the 9×9 baking pan and smooth it with a spatula.
2. Sprinkle over the filling ingredients, evenly covering the batter.
3. Add the remaining batter and smooth it over the entire baking dish.
4. Top the cake batter with the streusel topping, gently pressing it into the batter just lightly.
5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let it cool for 30 minutes (or more, for best results), cut, and serve.

FAQs

What to Pair Coffee Cake With

• Fresh Berries
• Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai
• Greek Yogurt
• Whipped Cream
• Chocolate Espresso Martini
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Maple Pecan Latte
• Espresso or Cappuccino
• Caramel Brûlée Latte
• Fruit Compote
• Vanilla Matcha Latte

Storing Coffee Cake

• Room-Temperature – Cover the coffee cake tightly and keep it at room temp for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator – For longer storage, cover it tightly or transfer the pieces to an airtight container, and pop it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• Freezer – You can freeze the tightly wrapped coffee cake for up to 3 months. To thaw it, set it out at room temp for 1-2 hours before serving.

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• Cranberry Ambrosia
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• Strawberry Pancakes Recipe
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