This coffee cake recipe is a delicious treat for breakfast or brunch. It's moist and tender, with a cinnamon swirl in the middle and buttery crumble on top.
This coffee cake recipe is based on my grandmother’s. Her classic coffee cake was one of my favorite treats when I was growing up. It was moist, tender, rich, and buttery, and it had a delicious swirl of brown sugar and cinnamon through the middle. I didn’t pair it with a cup of coffee back then, but after enjoying many slices of this version with both coffee and tea, I can attest that it’ll be a perfect companion for your hot beverage of choice.
In testing this cinnamon coffee cake, I only made a few small changes to my grandmother’s recipe (which–fun fact!–my mom still has on a handwritten note card). She made a sour cream coffee cake, but because I don’t often have sour cream on hand, I subbed in whole milk Greek yogurt, and it worked like a charm. The second change I made was adding a crumb topping. It’s crisp, sweet, and buttery, and it makes this already scrumptious cake even better. I hope you enjoy it!
Coffee Cake Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this coffee cake recipe:
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the coffee cake rise.
- Unsalted butter – It adds richness and delicious buttery flavor. Allow it to soften to room temperature before you start to bake.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Greek yogurt – Whole milk, please! It adds a subtle tang to this cinnamon coffee cake and gives it an amazing tender crumb.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
For the cinnamon-sugar filling, you’ll need a little extra cane sugar along with brown sugar and cinnamon. And for the crumble topping, you’ll need some extra flour, more cane sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter to create those sweet, buttery, crispy crumbs. Let’s bake!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cinnamon Coffee Cake
You can find the complete coffee cake recipe at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
Start by making the cinnamon-sugar filling and streusel topping. I like to make these components side by side in separate bowls. They use the same amount of brown sugar, cane sugar, and cinnamon, so I measure those ingredients first and stir them together. Then, I mix the flour for the crumble topping into one bowl and work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Don’t over-mix, or it will become a paste!
Next, make the cake batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set them aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix to combine before adding the eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
At this point, you’ll alternately mix in the dry ingredients and the Greek yogurt, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. I like to add a quarter of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the Greek yogurt and mix, and so on. Once you add all of the flour mixture and the yogurt, the batter will be thick and fluffy.
Then, assemble the coffee cake. Spread half the batter in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling evenly on top, and dollop on the remaining batter. Use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer. It will be thick. That’s ok!
Sprinkle the coffee cake with the crumb topping…
…and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Easy Coffee Cake Serving Suggestions
A slice of this cinnamon coffee cake is great on its own, served with coffee or tea for breakfast or an afternoon treat. The cake is also a fantastic addition to a weekend or holiday brunch. Pair it with something savory, like a frittata or scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Find more of our favorite brunch recipes here!
This coffee cake recipe is best on the day on it’s baked, but leftovers keep well for up to 2 days. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap slices in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature. Enjoy!
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
If you love this cinnamon coffee cake recipe, try one of these delicious brunch recipes next:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- French Toast Casserole
- Easy French Toast
- Healthy Banana Bread
- Baked Oatmeal
- Apple Muffins
- Banana Pancakes
- Or any of these 60 Best Brunch Recipes!
Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Filling
- â…“ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Crumble Topping
- â…” cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- â…“ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
For The Cake
- 2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups cane sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups whole milk Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Make the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cane sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and use a spatula to combine. Mix until there is no dry flour remaining and the mixture is crumbly. Don’t overmix. Set aside.
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add sugar and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add a quarter of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the yogurt and mix. Repeat until you have added all the yogurt and dry ingredients, ending with the dry ingredients.
- Evenly spread half the batter at the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the filling. Dollop the remaining batter in spoonfuls across the top of the filling and use a spatula or knife to carefully spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the crumble topping on top.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
My household found this cake to be a delicious showstopper. It is flavorful, buttery, moist, cinnamon-y, and soul satisfying. It does make a lot, which is great. I cut it into 15 fairly generous pieces, and froze some. I wrapped each piece loosely in a separate piece of waxed paper, and find that a gentle microwave reheat reanimates the cake pieces well – with a quick slide under broiler to harden the topping slightly if you are really meticulous about your cake. Two things to share: 1) I am usually the kind of baker who throws everything one bowl and runs with it, but this recipe required a bit more prep and set up so it was a challenge for me – not a bad thing, just a slightly more complex recipe than I usually try. The dough starts thickening and fluffing immediately (beautifully) when you finish mixing so it’s a bit sticky trying to spread into the pan. It was touch and go for my rudimentary baker self but then I had brainwave to dip a butter knife into hot water which helped enormously to get that batter spread. 2) I am also usually such a chocoholic that I won’t even look at other baked items but this one turned my head and left me with no chocolate cravings because the rich cinnamon flavor is so satisfying. Thanks for another great recipe, Jeanine (and thanks to your mama, too)..
Hi, Jeanine. I have been using a lot of your recipes for the last two years, and would like to know the best way to support your work. Would that be to buy your cookbooks, to comment more actively here on the site, to send you a direct contribution? Please let me know as I owe you a big debt of gratitude for the nourishment and pleasure you have provided to me, my family, and friends. I have not yet tried this particular recipe but plan to do so this weekend.
Hi Julia, oh you’re so sweet! I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipes. You don’t have to do anything at all but enjoy :). If you feel like commenting, signing up for our free email newsletter, telling a friend, or getting the cookbooks, that’s all great, but totally up to you. Thanks for being such a loyal reader!
Okie dokie, Jeanine, will take all these next steps and will be a bit more engaged. Thanks so much. – Julia Cates
I am interested in making the coffee cake. Can I substitute the eggs with ground flax seeds and water to make it a vegan cake? Thanks!
I’m trying to find the Carrot cake bars
Hi Marilyn, they’re a recipe in the new cookbook: https://www.loveandlemons.com/cookbook-cover-reveal/
For a bunch of vegan dessert recipes that are here on the website, you might enjoy the ones in this post: https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-desserts/
Just made this for our Christmas breakfast. Best coffee cake ever!
Hi Suzanne, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for my Dad to enjoy Christmas morning. The cake is moist but the filling and topping didn’t turn out that well—a bit dry and lackluster. I’m going to try reheating it in the oven in the morning and see if maybe it just wasn’t done enough. The other thing is it’s HUGE. Maybe for a large gathering but not for a family. We’ll never eat it all in 2 days. I wish I made the lemon yogurt cake instead. Oh well.
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I make coffee cake all the time, but this recipe didn’t work for me at all. The finished cake turned out very strange. The topping around the edges sort of looked right, but the middle was mostly blonde exposed cake and some sandy dry looking topping, even though I sprinkled the topping evenly over the cake before baking. I’ve never seen a coffee cake do anything like this before.
I’ll have to try this. It looks like one my Mom made and we all loved but no one has the recipe. Lots of sugar but… oh well :). Probably less than hers had.
I hope you love it!
Christmas plans changed and we did not have to be GF so I made this. I used medium, locally ground, spelt, flax eggs, coconut sugar for the brown, evaporated cane, and a fresh bag of Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon. It made the house smell wonderful and tasted equally well. Not as sweet as I was concerned it would be which was good. May be sweeter with brown sugar. I also had to make it in a 7 x 11 pan so it took a good 60 minutes, with foil to keep the topping from charring. Moist and very cinnamony. Really enjoyed it and have enough to freeze for the two of us which is a bonus for me as I do not get much time to bake. Thank you!
Hi Louise, I’m so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it!