Coffee Cake – easy and delicious coffee cake with tender crumbs, layered and topped with a crumbly streusel topping and vanilla drizzle. It’s the ultimate breakfast and weekend brunch, too!

What could be better than waking up to a freshly baked Coffee Cake and a warm cup of freshly brewed coffee? Actually, it’s everyone’s dream to eat cake for breakfast and any meal thereafter. If we could somehow pretend that eating cake is just as healthy as munching on vegetables, I would gladly do the baking every. single. day! I might even convince hubby to join me for this quest – he loves anything to do with coffee. 😉

Why Is It Called Coffee Cake?

Before you call me out and ask me why there’s no coffee in this supposed “COFFEE CAKE”, let me tell you…there’s really no trace of coffee in this cake. Nada!

Unlike the British Coffee Cake which is coffee-flavored, Americans tend to associate any sweet cakes intended to be eaten with coffee or tea as COFFEE CAKE. And there lies the origin of the name. 

Is Crumb Cake The Same as Coffee Cake?

Okay, this heated question here still seems to bother some. But I’ll be answering this question based on my own understanding and as a huge cake lover as well. First off, Crumb Cake tends to have a thicker crumb ratio to cake or just as much crumb as the cake itself. It’s usually baked in a square or sheet pan and neither contains fruits or nuts.

Coffee Cake on the other hand is lightly crumbed/streuseled. Actually, any sweet cakes that pair well with a cup of coffee, can be called coffee cake. It can contain nuts, fruits and so much more. 

In short, a coffee cake could be a crumb cake, while a crumb cake could not be a coffee cake. I hope I’m not draining your brain cells too much (like mine) with this. Jeeezzzz…. All I wanna do is just eat all sorts of cake and leave that debating stuff to those who enjoy it.

Why Did My Streusel Topping Melt?

Streusel refers to that sugary crumbly topping on fruit pies and cakes. For a coffee cake, a beautiful, buttery, sugary, crumbly topping is its crowning glory. Seeing that crumbly top melt and all flat out could be a little disheartening to watch. Well, the key to avoid your streusel from melting is using cold butter. Using room temperature or melted butter will flatten out your topping instead of leaving them standing out and perky. 

Here are few other tips that you need to take when making that perfect streusel:

1. Combine the topping ingredients using your hands. There will always be some dry spots and sandy-textured silt at the bottom of the bowl if you’re going to use a spoon. Your hands allow you to feel the texture of the crumb well enough. It should be a moist, dense mass.
2. When it comes to the crumbly topping, we’re all about the density. So just stay away from leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda for your topping. Just leave it to the cake batter.
3. Don’t forget to season it. Just like your cake batter, you season it with salt to balance out the sweetness. The same goes to your streusel topping. Adding some salt also make the flavors pop, but don’t go overboard. Mkay? A pinch will do, friends!
4. Toss in your favorite add-ins. Feel free to toss in some nuts, seeds, oats, or even dried fruits into your topping. Don’t forget to chop them smaller. For oats, make sure to use the rolled oats and not the quick cooking or steel-cut. And for nuts and seeds, choose the raw ones.

What Else Can I Add in My Coffee Cake?

Mmmm. The possibilities are limitless when it comes to your coffee cake. You can add some peach into your cake, blueberries, apples, bananas and so on. Or go with the traditional way by adding some mini-chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Can I Make this in a Regular Baking Dish?

Yes, you sure can. Bake this using a 13×9 baking dish and bake at 325 F for about 40 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

How Long Does The Coffee Cake Last?

This cake keeps well for several days and will still have that tender and moist crumb. For leftovers, simply keep them in the pan and cover tightly with a plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4-5 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Can I Freeze Coffee Cake?

Yes, you sure can. This coffee cake could easily pass as a hassle-free make-ahead breakfast, brunch and even dessert. To freeze the coffee cake:

1. Let it cool down first completely after baking.
2. Wrap the cake with a plastic wrap and repeat again for a second layer.
3. Next, wrap it tightly with an aluminum foil in 1-2 layers. If freezing individual slices, place the wrapped slices in a freezer bag before storing them in the freezer. For a whole cake, just secure the aluminum wrap with a freezer tape.
4. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to put a label on the wrap. 
5. When ready to serve, simply thaw it overnight in the fridge.

More Breakfast/Brunch Recipes To Enjoy

Caribbean Banana Nut Bread

Cinnamon Bread Rolls

German Pancakes

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

French Toast Bake

Banana Pineapple Bread (with video)

How To Make Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Then grease a 10-inch tube pan generously with baking spray and set aside.

Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. 

Add in the eggs one at a time and gently mix for about a minute between each addition. Then add the milk, sour cream and vanilla extract, continue mixing until combine about 1 to 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined, about a minute or more. Use a spatula to finish mixing making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so everything is completely mixed.

How To Make Streusel

For the streusel, place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter in a medium size bowl, pinch ingredients together using your fingers until it forms a crumble.

Spoon half the cake batter into the pre-greased baking pan and spread it out with a spatula. Cover the top with about three quarters of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spread it out, and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean. When ready, place cake on a wire rack and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer cake streusel side up to a serving plate. Using a fork or spoon, drizzle your favorite glaze on the top using as much glaze as you will like.

Watch How To Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pw4IFBeL” upload-date=”2019-10-01T07:05:01.000Z” name=”Coffee Cake” description=”Coffee Cake – easy and delicious coffee cake with tender crumbs, layered and topped with a crumbly streusel topping and vanilla drizzle. It’s the ultimate breakfast and weekend brunch, too!”]

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Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake - easy and delicious coffee cake with tender crumbs, layered and topped with a crumbly streusel toppings and vanilla drizzle. It's the ultimate breakfast and weekend brunch and on special occasions, too!

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 25 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Fusion

Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 ounce (113 g) unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
• ▢ 1 cup (230 g) sour cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (8 ml) vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt

Streusel Recipe

• ▢ 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup (148.5 g) brown sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (1 g) fresh grated nutmeg
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon (0.63 g) salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons (84 g) butter

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Then grease a 10-inch tube pan generously with baking spray and set aside.
• Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time and gently mix for about a minute between each addition.
• Then add the milk, sour cream and vanilla extract, continue mixing until combine about 1 to 2 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined, about a minute or more. Use a spatula to finish mixing making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so everything is completely mixed.

Streusel Recipe

• For the streusel, place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter in a medium size bowl, pinch ingredients together using your fingers until it forms a crumble.
• Spoon half the cake batter into the pre-greased baking pan and spread it out with a spatula. Cover the top with about three quarters of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spread it out, and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
• When ready, place cake on a wire rack and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer cake streusel side up to a serving plate. Using a fork or spoon, drizzle your favorite glaze on the top using as much glaze as you will like.

Tips & Notes:

1. For glaze, I used 1 cup of powdered (confectioners') sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoon of water depending on your consistency. Mix them all together and use as glaze.
2. If you don't have sour cream, you may replace 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup Greek or plain yogurt  + 1 teaspoon baking soda.
3. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 328kcal (16%)| Carbohydrates: 47g (16%)| Protein: 4g (8%)| Fat: 14g (22%)| Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)| Cholesterol: 65mg (22%)| Sodium: 155mg (7%)| Potassium: 131mg (4%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 26g (29%)| Vitamin A: 450IU (9%)| Vitamin C: 0.2mg| Calcium: 65mg (7%)| Iron: 1.6mg (9%)

Author: Imma

Course: Dessert/Snack

Cuisine: Fusion

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