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This Coffee Cake is layered with flavors from the amazing cinnamon pecan streusel, moist cake, and a tasty glaze. It's the perfect addition to breakfast, brunch, or a snack.
Here are more sweet bread recipes to add to your list: Lemon Pound Cake Loaf, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Carrot Walnut Cake, Southern Tea Cakes, and Apple Cinnamon Biscuits.
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In my heart of hearts, I believe the invention of the coffee cake was someone's excuse to eat cake for breakfast without judgment.
I mean, why else would someone create a crumb cake with layers of cinnamon deliciousness and serve it with hot coffee? Although cinnamon coffee cake contains no coffee, it's a great pick-me-up to start the day.
Where Did Cinnamon Coffee Cake Originate?
The Danish were the first to begin serving sweet bread with coffee, so coffee cake naturally became a thing across several regions. However, the Germans in Dresden were the first to officially create the first coffee cake recipe.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for my delicious cinnamon coffee cake recipe.
Flour
I only use unbleached flour when baking unless I have to make a gluten-free recipe for a friend. The extra protein gives the cake a great crumb.
Light Brown Sugar
It's not coffee cake if there's no brown sugar; you'll need some for the cake and the streusel. My go-to sugar brand is Imperial Sugar; I love that there Non-GMO!
Cinnamon
I recommend using a fresh jar of cinnamon to get the most flavor possible.
Unsalted Butter
You'll need some softened butter for the cake and melted for the streusel.
Pecans
As a Southerner, I love adding pecans to my cakes.
Evaporated Milk
Most coffee cake recipes will call for sour cream, but I love the depth of flavor and moisture evaporated milk adds to the cake.
Vanilla Extract
You'll need some for the cake and glaze.
Confectioners Sugar
You'll need some powdered sugar for the glaze.
How to Make Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
I wanted my coffee cake recipe to be easy, tasty, and a crowd-pleaser! Something that was packed with flavor but really easy to assemble and serve.
Streusel/ Crumb Topping
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, light brown sugar, granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix all ingredients until they form a paste-like consistency.
Once you see the paste coming together, add the pecans and continue mixing until chunky bits are formed. Place the mixture in the freezer until needed.
Coffee Cake
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes on medium speed until the mixture spreads like icing. Add eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla and milk, and mix until smooth.
Add flour mixture a little at a time into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated and no streaks of flour can be seen.
In a 9 x 13 baking pan, pour half the cake batter and spread out evenly. Then evenly sprinkle half the streusel over the batter, and use the tip of a knife to swirl cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour the remaining batter over the top evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining streusel mixture.
Bake for 35-38 minutes until the cake edges slightly pull away from the pan. Cool before pouring over the glaze.
Glaze
Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until the mixture becomes smooth and slightly thick but still pourable while the cake is baking in a small bowl. Use a fork to drizzle the mixture over the cake and wait for the icing to harden before serving.
How To Store Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Coffee cake is best eaten immediately but will remain fresh in an airtight container for 7 days in the fridge.
Place cooled cake slices in a freezer-safe storage bag and freeze for 3 months. Individually wrapping each in plastic wrap will extend shelf life.
To reheat, place in microwave for 10-15 seconds or until hot.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
I jotted down a few tips after making this moist coffee cake recipe.
- You can use 8 oz. of sour cream instead of evaporated milk.
- You can use whole milk instead of evaporated milk in the batter or icing.
- Feel free to use cake flour as a 1:1 swap for all-purpose flour.
- You can use dark brown sugar instead of light.
- Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries for a lovely blueberry crumb coffee cake.
- Make sure to use room temperature eggs to produce a tender crumb. If you forget to cover them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- To soften butter that you've forgotten to take out of the fridge, slice it into half tablespoon portions and place them on wax paper as you gather the recipe ingredients. After 5-10 minutes, check to see if it's ready by pressing a finger into the butter. If you can make an imprint easily, it's ready.
- Add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to add a subtle coffee flavor.
- A pastry cutter or food processor is not necessary for the streusel. You can use a fork or clean hands to do the job instead.
FAQs
Here are readers' top questions about making a coffee cake with cinnamon.
Some people mistake crumb cake for coffee cake, calling it crumb coffee cake, but there's actually a difference between them. Usually, the coffee cake has a streusel layer on top, while a crumb cake is a half crumb and half cake. Both are delicious, but we're focusing on today's cinnamon coffee cake with a pecan streusel.
Coffee cake is traditionally served with coffee. It is a single layer cake baked in a bundt or 9 x 13 baking pan, layered with a sweet cinnamon streusel in the cake and on top. There are several variations, including chocolate, pecan, and blueberries.
Coffee cake or crumb cake gets its name because it is commonly enjoyed with a cup of coffee. As it gained popularity, stores started making cakes called coffee cakes.
Coffee cakes and regular cakes vary in ingredients, flavor, and texture. The main difference between a coffee cake and a regular cake is in the ingredients used and the flavor and texture of each type.
Coffee cake is light and fluffy, with a crumbly topping and a delicate flavor that pairs perfectly with coffee. It also often contains a streusel filling made with chopped nuts or dried fruit.
Regular cake's texture is denser than coffee cake, with a richer flavor that doesn't necessarily need to be accompanied by coffee. It can be made in many styles, from pound cake to sponge cake.
Coffee cake, also known as Gugelhupf or Kaffekuchen in Austria and Germany, gained popularity in the 17th century. People in Northern and Central Europe began the tradition of eating sweet cakes with coffee.
Even though it's named coffee cake, the cake itself doesn't usually contain coffee. Instead, it's a type of cake typically enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee as a snack, breakfast, or brunch item.
Although the coffee cake name might imply that it contains coffee, it does not. Nevertheless, you can mix espresso powder into your batter to enhance the scrumptious taste of the cake, which pairs perfectly with the cinnamon layers within it.
More Dessert Recipes
I believe you will enjoy these recipes as much as I do, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
- Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Fudge Brownie Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
- Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized before I start anything.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F before pulling the ingredients out.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: We don't want any surprises, so use an oven thermometer to confirm your oven is heating at the correct temperature.
Step 4: Start following the recipe and get ready to enjoy this delicious coffee cake.
Whether you need breakfast, brunch, or just a snack, this coffee cake will provide everyone with a delicious bite. Give it a try for yourself, and let me know how much you love every layer!
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Ingredients
Pecan Streusel:
- ¾ cup unbleached flour
- ¼ cup Imperial Sugar light brown sugar
- ¼ cup Imperial Sugar granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Coffee Cake:
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup Imperial Sugar light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
Glaze:
- 1 ½ cup Imperial Sugar powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Pecan Streusel:
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, and vanilla, and mix together until a paste forms. As you notice the streusel coming together, add the pecans and continue until chunky bits form. Pop in the freezer.
Coffee Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes on medium speed, until mixture spreads like icing. Add eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla and milk, mix until smooth.
- Pour in dry ingredients a little at a time into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated and no streaks of flour can be seen.
- Pour half and evenly spread (easier with a offset spatula) the cake batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Then evenly sprinkle half the streusel over the batter, and use the tip of a knife to swirl sugar mixture. Pour the remaining batter over top evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining streusel mixture.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes until the edges of the cake slightly pull away from the pan. Cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Glaze:
- While cake bakes in a small bowl combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth and slight thick but pourable. Drizzle over the cake with a fork, and let icing harden before serving.
Notes
- You can use 8 oz. of sour cream instead of evaporated milk.
- You can use whole milk instead of evaporated milk in the batter or icing.
- Feel free to use cake flour as a 1:1 swap for all-purpose flour.
- You can use dark brown sugar instead of light.
- Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries for a lovely blueberry crumb coffee cake.
- Make sure to use room temperature eggs to produce a tender crumb. If you forget to cover them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- To soften butter that you've forgotten to take out of the fridge, slice it into half tablespoon portions and place them on wax paper as you gather the recipe ingredients. After 5-10 minutes, check to see if it's ready by pressing a finger into the butter. If you can make an imprint easily, it's ready.
- Add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to add a subtle coffee flavor.
- A pastry cutter or food processor is not necessary for the streusel. You can use a fork or clean hands to do the job instead.
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