There is something magical about a Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake. After one bite of this moist, buttery coffee cake packed with cinnamon flavor, you’ll agree that this is The Best Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe!
Whether you enjoy a slice of this moist coffee cake with a cup of coffee, and if you’re not a coffee drinker, a cold glass of milk is a great substitute.
My homemade cinnamon coffee cake recipe with a crumbly streusel topping is easy to make and a delicious treat for your friends and family.
Another favorite coffee cake is my Banana Crumb Cake.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
*Don’t feel overwhelmed by the number of ingredients; It really is an easy coffee cake recipe made with simple pantry ingredients.
How to make a Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
The first step in making this delicious coffee cake is to make the cinnamon filling and the streusel topping.
Make the Cinnamon Filling
- Add the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl.
- Blend the ingredients together.
- Add the melted butter to the mixture
- Mix the melted butter into the dry ingredients until well blended.
Streusel Topping
- Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl
- Blend the dry ingredients together.
- Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture.
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients together to form a crumble to make the streusel topping.
Coffee Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
- Add the butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or electric hand mixer)
- Cream the mixture at medium to medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the room-temperature eggs 1 at a time to the butter mixture.
- Mix each egg into the creamed mixture, scraping down the bowl after mixing in each egg.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla to the mixture (Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream)
- Mix until well blended.
- In another bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Sift the ingredients together.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing in any flour that has not been incorporated.
Assemble Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Spoon one-half of the batter into the prepared tube pan and spread it out until it’s somewhat even.
- Add the cinnamon filling mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Add the remainder of the batter to the pan covering the cinnamon mixture.
- Top the batter with the cinnamon streusel mixture.
- Bake the coffee cake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 30- 45 minutes. Carefully transfer the coffee cake onto a serving platter.
You’re going to love my Classic Coffee Cake Recipe, and so will your friends and family!
Recipe FAQ’s
The main difference between the two cakes is how much streusel topping is used. Typically, crumb cake has a thicker layer of streusel topping than coffee cake. And coffee cake can be made without the streusel topping.
If the streusel topping looks like it’s getting dark, tent a piece of foil over the top of the cake. This will protect it from the heat of the oven and keep the streusel from getting too dark.
Over-mixing the topping will result in a pasty, batter-like mixture instead of a crumbly streusel topping. If the butter was too warm, this will also affect the topping and it won’t form crumbs.
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Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Cinnamon filling
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing each in well and scraping down the bowl after mixing each egg.
- Add in the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter. Mix until just combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing in any flour that has not been incorporated.
Cinnamon filling
- Add the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl. Blend the ingredients together.
- Add the melted butter to the mixture and mix well.
Streusel Topping
- Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter pieces to a large mixing bowl.
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients together to form a crumble.
Assembly
- Spoon one half of the batter into the prepared tube pan and spread it out until it’s somewhat even.
- Add the cinnamon mixture on top of the cake batter. Add the remainder of the batter to the pan covering the cinnamon mixture.
- Top the batter with the streusel mixture.
- Bake the coffee cake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 30- 45 minutes. Carefully transfer the coffee cake onto a serving platter.
D'arci
Is it possible to make this in a bundt pan?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes, you can use a bundt pan, just make sure to grease the pan really well, as it might stick.
Zina
In the recipe the streusel topping calls for granulated sugar however in the instructions the streusel topping calls for brown sugar. Confusing. Can you clarify? Excited to make this! Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for catching that, I was updating posts and inadvertently changed the sugar. The streusel topping uses white granulated sugar.