Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Nothing brings cozy fall vibes like a piece of coffee cake with extra cinnamon streusel! This rich, buttery, sweet goodness just begs to be eaten while admiring all the wonderful fall colors. 

Want all the coffee cake ideas? Try my: Cinnamon Pecan, Good Morning Crumb, and Cinnamon Swirl Monkey Bread cake varieties! 

We’ve been doing a lot of long weekend trips this summer out and around Utah. There’s just sooooooo much gorgeousness to explore in my own home state, I can’t believe we’ve never done this before.

But even when we’re staying in a different place, I still try to keep a sense of normalcy to our routines. An easy way to do that is to keep our slow mornings, letting everyone sleep in (as much as little ones will) and waking up to all the breakfast smells like this delightful coffee cake! No one can have a grumpy morning when they’ve got this coffee cake to start their day! 

Why This Recipe Works

Here’s a few reasons why this coffee cake just works so well for any occasion! 

Make anywhere — Yes, I even make this recipe on vacation! You don’t need to take your whole pantry with you; you can make the streusel and glaze ahead of time, pack the dry ingredients together, pack up the other measured-out ingredients, and simply put it all together in the morning. 

Not only seasonal  — This isn’t one of those recipes that can only be eating in the fall – it’s great any time of year! (I just happen to think coffee cake recipes as soon as the weather gets crisp.)

Perfect for potlucks — Or brunches, lunches, dessert, snacks…you name it, this coffee cake bakes up easily, and is portable and stable enough to take to whatever event you’re attending. 

Customizable — Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt, add pecan pieces or coconut flakes to the topping, toss some apples or leftover berries, get creative with however you’d like to bake this easy coffee cake. 

Here’s How you Make it

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9 x 13″ baking pan, then follow the rest of the directions to make this coffee cake recipe in order: 

Making the cake

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. 
2. Cut the chilled butter cubes into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 
3. Cover and chill the streusel until it’s ready to use. 
4. Get out a large bowl and add to it the butter and sugar, creaming together until light and fluffy. 
5. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. 
6. In another bowl, whisk together the 3 ⅔ cup of flour, salt, and baking powder. 
7. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour, then the rest of the milk, mixing just enough to incorporate between each add. 
8. Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan. 
9. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake batter. 
10. Put the coffee cake into the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. 

Making the glaze

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla for the glaze. 

2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled (but still warm) coffee cake and serve.

Ideas for Customizing This Recipe

• One amazing way to customize this coffee cake recipe with streusel is to add apples to it. Simply peel and dice two medium apples (any kind you like), then toss them in 2 tablespoons of flour to coat while you mix the batter as directed. Then add the apples into the batter right before baking. Yum! 
• I also like to add nuts to my streusel. Chopped pecans or walnuts make a great, nutty topping. About a ¼ of a cup is plenty. Sprinkle over streusel before baking. 

How to Make Coffee Cake Muffins

If you’d prefer to make this easy coffee cake as muffins, that’s a great idea! This recipe is easy to adapt for muffin making. First, mix all ingredients as directed. Then, grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin and preheat the oven to 350. 

Add the ingredients as listed, cake then strudel, dividing evenly among muffin cups (you may not use all 12). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one muffin comes out clean. Let them cool slightly before glazing and serving. 

Expert Tips

• If you choose to make the glaze ahead of time for traveling purposes (near or far), store the glaze in the fridge till you’re ready to use it. Then, microwave it in 10-second intervals (stirring in between) until it’s warmed up enough to pour over the still-warm cake. 
• This coffee cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for about 2 days. After that, pop it in the fridge where it will keep for up to 5 days. 

More Recipes Like This

• Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
• Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Cream Cheese Lemon Crumb Cake